Here are 6 observations I have after the Athens City Council approved the city’s 2015-2016 budget and tax rate last week:
– The tax rate remains the same at .645140 per $100 valuation. This will be the most important item to many people and some won’t even read past this.
– The budget was approved without fanfare, which was in stark contrast to the controversy stirred in August when the city announced it was going to cut funding to the Cain Center. The City Council changed its mind and put the funding back in the budget, so the audience for last Monday’s council meeting was quiet.
– Like the federal government, most of the budget goes toward public safety in Athens. The fire department and police department – which now includes code enforcement – accounts for 57 percent of the city’s expenditures.
– My personal concern for this budget was the money set aside for street repairs. I thought the City’s plan to add significant money for street repairs might be sacrificed to replace the Cain Center funding, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the council was able to set aside $375,000 for street repairs, an 87 percent increase over last year.
– City Administrator Philip Rodriguez was able to carve out a 60-day reserve for the General Fund, to the tune of $1.8 million. Rodriguez said as far as he can tell this is the first time a dedicated reserve has been set aside. “We’re going to have as a strategy a specific reserve in place every year that we build around,” Rodriguez said. “To me it is really about strategizing to ensure that we are solvent regardless of what takes place.”
– Through some restructuring on the Utility Fund side, the city is going to be able to bring all of its water ground storage tanks up to state compliance. I think that is huge, considering the story I did earlier this year about every storage tank being out of compliance. “This council has just looked the issue in the eye and said, we’re not going to pass this on to the next council,” said Rodriguez.