Friday, January 23, 2004

Fulton passes $712 million budget

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Fulton County Commission Chairman Karen Handel’s first budget session as chairman came to a conclusion Wednesday when the county passed its 2004 operating budget.

“The $712 million total budget should include a small property tax relief for residents,” said public information officer William Durant.

The General Fund budget is $603 million this year, while the Special Services budget, which includes many services for residents in the unincorporated county is $108 million.

Most details of the budget were hammered out during an 8-hour work session January 14. During the marathon negotiating sessions, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners agreed to cut over $36 million from the tentative 2004 General Fund budget and to reduce the General Fund millage rate by .3 mills.

Previously, on December 17, the Board agreed to reduce the county’s bond fund rate by .2 mills. This tax and the general fund tax are paid by property owners countywide.

Consequently, with the reductions in the Bond Fund and the General Fund, property owners will see a .5 millage rate reduction in their property tax bills this summer, Fulton officials said.

“Yesterday was a big win for the taxpayers. The Board of Commissioners identified prudent cuts and prioritized spending in order to ensure that services are delivered without increasing the tax burden on our citizens,” said Commission Chairman Karen Handel. “The spirit of cooperation was clearly evident during our day-long deliberation as we made the hard decision regarding the 2004 budget.”

Vice Chair Nancy A. Boxill noted, “This has been a collaborative effort. All listened and all participated in establishing Board policy and priorities going forward in 2004.”

“To the surprise of many, what happened during the budget workshop resulted in a collaboration between the members of the Board of Commissioners,” said District 7 Commissioner William “Bill” Edwards. “The efforts were jointly achieved in an effort to minimize the burden and yet deliver the services to our constituents.”

In order to balance this year’s budget, the commission used money from reserves, dropping the general reserve fund to $47.7 million, which is 7.9 percent of the general fund budget.

“Years ago, the county stipulated reserves should be 8.3 percent of the total budget. But the commission believes the economy will cause the fund balance to rise,” Durant said.

Last year, the reserve fund dipped to 8,6 percent, but rebounded later in the year to 18.7 percent, he added.