The City of Grovetown is preparing for the 2023-24 budget.
The city held an off-site meeting on Friday, April 21 for department heads and council members to discuss the budget before the first budget hearing next month. Finance Director and assistant city manager Bradley Smith said the more than $13.7 million budget is balanced.
“You have a balanced budget, always a key takeaway,” Smith said. “…council always remember the budget is not set in stone, you can change it anytime ya’ll want.”
For the general budget, the projected expenditures are general government ($4.4 million), public works ($2.7 million), public safety ($4. 3 million), recreation and leisure ($1.2 million), planning and zoning ($721,665) and municipal court ($297,842) for a total of $13,733,550.
Smith said 61.8% of the total budget is personnel costs, which includes retirement, health, dental and vision insurances.
“The ideal range for a service organization is 65% to 75%, and we’re working our way toward that because the City of Grovetown, we are a service organization,” Smith said.
The projected revenues include property taxes ($4,060,000), local option sales tax ($3,950,250), other taxes ($2,826,300), garbage fees ($1,725,000), LMIG ($140,000), fines and forfeitures ($421,000), licenses, fees and permits ($490,000) and miscellaneous ($121,000) for a total of $13,733,550.
With this budget, Smith said the city is proposing to maintain the current millage rate of 7.62 mills.
The SPLOST 2017-2022 spend plan for 2023-2024 is Liberty Park improvements, transportation/public works, water line upgrade – Newmantown Road, various equipment across all departments and renovations at streets department and water department.
The budget includes incorporating a proposed 3% COLA and merit raises for all employees who meet performance evaluation standards and have five-year anniversaries, four additional personnel (general services superintendent, streets LEO and two firefighters), approximately $250,000 in capital equipment sourced in the general fund budget, almost $8.5 million in personnel costs, and a vehicle allowance for all department heads and the city clerk (excluded department heads with take home vehicle).
“One of the key things I’m going to be proposing today, over the past few years council has been very generous is giving us a 7.5% in 2020, 7.5% in 2021 and 7.5% in 2022 (for COLA),” Smith said. “However, both times we did that after the millage rate was set post budget adoption where we had to do a budget amendment asking for that amount. I am asking today for the actual 3% cost of living adjustment. I am proposing to council for a 3% cost of living adjustment…adopted into the budget as of July 1. That way we can go ahead and budget for it for the whole year. That effect on the general fund is approximately $200,000.”
There is $471,765 in contingency. Smith said an ideal contingency is 5%, which would be approximately $686,677.
With the 2022-23 budget, which is about to end, Smith said there is a projected to be a net surplus of $827,100.
“We do have a projected surplus, and that’s going to allow us to do some projects that maybe we didn’t plan on doing during the budget cycle last year, this is a flexibility that is allotted to us,” Smith said.
Smith said he would like to put $200,000 into the reserves, and as for the remaining $627,100, the department heads were able to submit requests for possible uses. Those uses were still being discussed.
Citizens can request a copy of the budget from the city this week. A public hearing for the budget will be Tuesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. The first reading of the budget will take place during the city council meeting on Monday, May 8, with the second reading taking place on Monday, June 12. If approved, the budget will begin on July 1.
Stephanie Hill is a staff writer covering Columbia County government for The Augusta Press. Reach her at stephanie@theaugustapress.com
