The City of Grovetown is in a “good fiscal position for the end of this year,” Finance Director Bradley Smith told the city council during its work session, Monday night.
The work session was just before the monthly council meeting.
The ideal remaining percentage of the overall budget is 17%, as each department’s fund is currently above that amount, Smith explained.
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“We have had a few large purchases which has, of course, put us closer to that number than what we typically have been in past years,” he said to the councilmembers. “Which is a good thing. It gave us the flexibility to be able to make some moves at the city otherwise wouldn’t be able to.”
Amid Smith’s favorable projection, the council would approve the first reading of the city’s 2024-2025 budget in the meeting. The second reading is scheduled for June, before adoption of the budget in July.
During the meeting, District 4 Commissioner Alison Couch presented updates on county projects affecting Grovetown, several of which were regarding Harlem-Grovetown Road, which, among other things, is slated to be repaved this year, though Couch noted that an exact date has not been set.
The county is looking into improvements to the intersections of Harlem-Grovetown and Old Berzelia roads, as well as at the former’s intersection with Old Louisville Road, as the results of safety studies at those sites showed “concerns,” Couch explained.
An exit to I-20 from Louisville Road is currently in the scoping phase, the commissioner said, the aim of which is to discern any issues and gather information toward its design. The federal government and the Georgia Department of Transportation would oversee the $170 million project, which would be “about 15 years out,” Couch said.
The connector right in between Horizon South Parkway and Chamlin Road is in design now, Couch said. That project is expected to take 12 months and then another 18 months to build.
The council acknowledged Sgt. 1st Class Gerald John Moore during the meeting, part of a monthly honoring of local Vietnam veterans which began during the April meeting. Moore passed away in February of this year; his family accepted the city’s award in his honor.
A veteran of both Vietnam and Desert Storm, Moore had 30 years of service in the Army, during which he earned a host of decorations, including the Expert Rifle Marksmanship Badge, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and the National Defense Service Medal.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
