The proposed 2006-2007 budget for Fayette County government totals $78.34 million after minor changes approved in the past few weeks by the Fayette County Board of Commissioners.

That figure includes the county’s general fund as well as its $12.9 million water department budget and $2.29 million capital improvement budget.

The county’s general fund budget increased $1.8 million, equal to a 3.8 percent hike, reported outgoing County Finance Director Mark Pullium.

County finance officials hope to reduce the millage rate from 5.191 mils to 4.914 mills, but that figure won’t be finalized until the tax digest figures come in, Pullium cautioned the commission at its Thursday meeting.

Commission Chairman Greg Dunn said staff did an “excellent job” in protecting taxpayer money through the budgeting process. This was the first of several required public hearings on the budget. If the millage rollback will not cover the anticipated growth in property values for existing parcels on the tax digest, another series of public hearings will be required to notify citizens of a tax increase.

Dunn noted that the commission has tried to stabilize property tax rates, and if it hadn’t reduced the millage rate over the past five years, property owners would be paying 25 percent more in property taxes than they do today.

Earlier in the afternoon, the commission met for nearly two hours to finalize the remaining budgets for county departments that had not yet been approved.

The commission voted to include $25,113 in pay for the county’s constitutional officers which was approved in a measure by the Georgia legislature earlier this year. Sheriff Randall Johnson gets the largest pay hike, at $11,000, followed by Probate Judge Martha Stephenson at $8,000, Clerk of Court Sheila Studdard at $6,100 and Tax Commissioner George Wingo at $5,400. Not all of the sheriff’s hike is due to the latest legislative initiative, but due to meeting a “longevity” mark, said County Budget Director Tom Sawyer.

Much discussion focused on a plan to buy a new Christmas tree for the county with the cost shared by the city of Fayetteville. The county budget included $6,500 for the expenditure, which ultimately was approved.

County officials had planned to move the current Christmas tree to an indoors location at the Fayette County Justice Center, but that was nixed by the commission. Commissioner Linda Wells said she felt the holiday decorations used at the courthouse last year were adequate.

login to post comments