City manager asking for six fire, police positions

The Peachtree City Council will get its first crack at the proposed 2006-2007 budget starting Monday night at a workshop at City Hall starting at 6:30.

The budget proposal from City Manager Bernie McMullen includes a recommendation for a .25-mill property tax increase so the city can add three new positions in the police department and three new positions in the fire department, said City Spokesperson Betsy Tyler.

The proposed increase would add $20 to the tax bill for a home valued at $200,000, Tyler noted. It also would add an estimated $441,000 to the city’s budget proposal compared to the amount of property taxes that would be expected if the millage rate remained the same, she added.

The proposed property tax increase would allow the city to cover costs for the six new employees and some additional funds the city would receive due to the normal increase in property assessments, Tyler said.

The proposed budget also includes changes to the city’s employee benefits program “to help control costs” and to use less of the city’s reserve funds to balance the budget, a tactic that’s typically used to avoid a further property tax increase. For the current budget year, the city used $1.1 million from the reserve fund to balance the budget; otherwise the city would’ve had to cut the budget or raise property taxes, other taxes and/or fees.

The proposed general fund budget for the coming fiscal year is $27,285,579, an increase of $1.45 million from the general fund budget for the current year.

City staffers were still tweaking the budget Thursday morning, Tyler said.

Traditionally, the City Council makes at least some significant changes to the budget after receiving the recommendation from the city manager. Nothing is set in stone in this first draft of the budget, Tyler noted.

This will be the first opportunity for the three new council members: Mayor Harold Logsdon, Cyndi Plunkett and Steve Boone to get their crack at the city budgeting process.

The proposed budget will require at least three of the five council members to vote in favor of it, but such a vote will not occur this week. In addition to Monday’s workshop, council is slated to hold a second workshop Tuesday evening at 6:30 if they can’t finish all the ground they need to cover Monday night, noted Mayor Harold Logsdon.

Another council budget workshop is slated for Wednesday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m.

If this year’s budget includes an increase in property tax revenues, the city will be required to hold a series of public meetings before officially adopting the budget.

login to post comments