Friday, May 17, 2013
The $856.3 million budget approved Thursday includes 5 furlough days and 182 teacher cuts through attrition.
The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved a fiscal year 2014 budget that includes five furlough days for teachers and staff, a reduction of 182 teaching positions through attrition, a half-year step increase for employees and taking $41 million from reserves to reach a balance. After the board voted down three other budget proposals -- including an amended version of the tentative budget with a full-year step increase for Cobb County School District employees -- it went back to something it could pass. The $856.3 million budget, taking effect July 1, is similar to the package that the board tentatively approved on April 29 and that closes a deficit of $86.4 million. But it took the board more than two hours of discussion Thursday to…
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Property taxes were previously predicted to fall 7 percent—a number that increased to 9.5 as the City Council gave 4-0 approval of the $13.55 million budget on Monday.
Powder Springs is anticipating a bigger drop in property tax revenue than previously predicted. With Councilman Chriz Wizner absent, the City Council on Monday gave the thumbs up, 4-0, on the second and final reading of fiscal 2013’s $13.55 million budget, which includes the water/sewer fund, the sanitation fund, the newly created stormwater fund, and the general fund. The city’s biggest revenue source—property taxes—was expected to drop 7 percent based on declining property values for a loss of $171,700. When that was coupled with a $172,000 loss in fines and forfeitures for a total drop of $283,700, the general fund was set at $6.8 million. But a new predicted property tax loss of 9.5 percent, presented Monday by interim City Manager …
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Five public commenters expressed their opposition on various topics at Monday's meeting, including a Family Dollar store moving in, and SPLOST funding being used for Lewis Road.
It definitely wasn’t the largest crowd the Powder Springs City Council has faced in the past year or so, as those meetings typically only come from awards, special recognitions or appointments. But Monday night’s meeting did see the largest amount of dissension in that time period—five public commenters as compared to the usual zero. First up was former Councilman Tom Bevirt, who served three terms before losing in last year’s elections. He raised the same concerns that current Councilman Al Thurman did in last week’s work session: the $500 in the proposed fiscal 2013 budget for economic development not being enough. He said the money tied up in the defunct Development Authority of Powder Springs—which has previously been suggested at $90…
Friday, June 1, 2012
During Wednesday's discussion of fiscal 2013, Council Al Thurman said he was "disappointed" that only $500 was proposed for economic development.
The proposed Powder Springs budget of $6.8 million for fiscal 2013 includes cutting an equivalent of 4.75 full-time city employees and the purchase of four new Dodge Chargers for the police force. “We’re looking at a very tight general fund budget,” interim City Manager Brad Hulsey said, “and we have in essence got some one-time opportunities that we’ve got in there just to be able to balance the budget.” The budget is up $50,000 from the current fiscal year, which by contrast saw no layoffs but faced a $346,000 shortfall from the prior year. That budget, fiscal 2011’s $7.1 million, laid off five full-time and nine part-time employees. This year has an expenditure increase of $223,000 and an expected revenue loss of $283,700, including a $…
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The department’s expenditures were among many components in what Rick Eckert called a "crisis budget."
Powder Springs City Manager Rick Eckert said he’d like to see whoever takes over as police chief decrease the funding used by the police department to a maximum of 75 percent of property taxes. “It should be noted that the police department does use up 100 percent of property taxes and a percentage of the franchise fees that are paid into the general fund. This can’t continue into the future unless we see some serious economic increase in the community,” he said at Monday’s City Council meeting for the first reading of next fiscal year’s budget, which begins July 1. Powder Springs is facing a general budget shortfall of $346,000, down from the $375,000 originally thought. The proposed budget—which still requires a second reading at the …
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Included are 10 percent operational cuts from county departments totaling roughly $688,000.
Since 2007, Douglas County’s general fund budget had decreased by almost $3 million when the current budget of $77,350,000 was adopted in December. On Tuesday, as a result rising fuel costs, declining property values and falling revenues, the Board of Commissioners approved cutting an additional $3.63 million. “It’s no different from every family in Douglas County having to cut their budget, and we’re doing the same thing. … We will still provide the services that we continue to provide,” Commission Chairman Tom Worthan said at Tuesday’s commission meeting. The cuts come about five months into the 2011 fiscal year since Douglas County’s fiscal calendar coincides with the regular calendar year. One thing that has helped avoid bigger cuts …
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Officials discussed ways to prepare for declining revenues in the next fiscal year at Wednesday night's work session.
Powder Springs City Manager Rick Eckert outlined several possible methods to the City Council on Wednesday on how to overcome a general budget shortfall of roughly $375,000, including staff eliminations and outsourcing the city’s sanitation services. “There’s no real popular option,” he said. “Some are less popular than others.” Before presenting any of the possibilities, Eckert noted that Powder Springs has no city sales tax and there is no large commercial or industrial base to draw taxes from. The city’s general fund must then rely heavily on property taxes, which are used completely for the Police Department, he added. “Over time—many, many years—the police department has taken 100 percent of all property taxes to operate at the …
stephen m george jr mpa
8:13 am on Friday, May 17, 2013
ok ...let me get this right ...the CCSD is looking at a $60 million defecit for 2015. AND THE TEACHERS WANT A RAISE ...! To be sure, being lectured by the CCSD on fiscal responsibility seems a lot like debating the Patriot Act with Osama Bin Laden more ›