Friday, September 6, 2002
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Friday, September 6, 2002 |
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Williams gets down to business as Fairburn's new city manager
By JOHN THOMPSON
With just a month into his new job, Fairburn's new city manager, Jim Williams, has already put his signature on how to do business with the city. Residents who have attended the last two City Council meetings may have noticed the number of items tabled for further discussion. Williams is trying to make sure by the time items reach the City Council, they are ready for a vote. The city manager issues an internal memorandum on each issue and gives the City Council staff's view on each item. For years, Williams operated the same way in Peachtree City, and he's bringing that style of management to Fairburn. "Everything should be done by the time it reaches you. We want as complete a report from staff as we can assemble," he said. One of the toughest assignments Williams has had to deal with in his short tenure in the city is the budget for next year. Williams said last year's $11.6 million budget was only balanced because the city took nearly $1.2 million from its reserve fund. "You really should not do that two years in a row," he cautioned. In evaluating this year's budget, Williams' initial draft proposal is for a $12.3 million budget, which would offer the same level of services as last year's. But in crunching the number, he discovered the city would fall about $356,000 short in funds to pay for the programs. In order to pay for the budget, Williams said the only alternatives were to cut services, cut the budget, use reserve funds or increase taxes. "This budget just keeps it going like last year. There's not a whole lot to cut," he said. Instead, Williams said the City Council could raise the funds by raising the millage rate from just over four mills to 7.5 mills, which would cost homeowners of a $100,000 home about $30 more a year in property taxes. "I wanted to alert you about this problem," Williams said. For the past few weeks, Williams has been investigating the services, such as electricity, the city is providing to the residents. One solution to the budget
The City Council is expected to discuss the budget more during Monday night's meeting. The council's workshop starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday and the regular meeting follows at 7:30 p.m.
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