Wednesday, August 15, 2001
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Wednesday, August 15, 2001 |
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PTC budget to face public hearing Thursday night By JOHN
MUNFORD
Peachtree City's newly trimmed budget will be the subject of a public hearing at Thursday night's City Council meeting. Council is not expected to officially adopt the $23.1 million budget at the meeting. The budget has been cut from the original recommendation from city staff, which called for a propety tax increase to 4.75 mills, a 24-percent hike. The latest version of the budget would require an increase to 4.35 mills from the current 3.84 mills, a 13 percent increase. Most of the increase is due to the acquisition of Drake Field and the need to build the city's cash reserves, according to city officials. The millage increase would cost an extra $40 a year for homes with a fair market value of $200,000. In a memo to council, City Manager Jim Basinger called the trimmed budget "one of the leanest staff has proposed since I have been in this position." He added that the city's department heads will be able to operate without any reduction in service levels. The latest round of budget cuts postponed several projects, including the buildout plan for City Hall and the public works building, construction of an auto repair facility and the expansion of the city's library. City Council has also agreed to cut requests for a full-time auto mechanic and a part-time maintenance staffer at the Kedron Fieldhouse. But the budget does include a full-time EMS lieutenant and a part-time fieldhouse leader for the Kedron facility. Council's contingency fund was reduced $150,000. An additional $75,000 was saved from departmental operating budgets. A projected savings of $400,000 from the 2001 departmental budget is also reflected as a funding source for the 2002 budget. The 2002 operating budget represents a 5.74 percent increase over last year, although it includes $100,000 to go toward an early retirement program for public safety employees.
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