Powder Springs budget adopted by split vote

By a 3-2 vote June 4, the Powder Springs City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2019 budget that includes the first millage rate increase in at least 10 years.

With average annual increases of $58 to $88 to residents, the tax increase — from 8.5 to 9.5 mills — is needed to increase services, grow staff and enhance public amenities with the new downtown city park, according to the city’s Finance Director Diana Belanger.

Without the millage increase, Belanger said there would be a budget shortfall of $384,435.

Both Councilwoman Doris Dawkins and Councilman Henry Lust declined to comment either during the meeting or to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on why they supported the balanced $18,633,938 budget that will become effective July 1 through June 30, 2019.

Yet during the meeting, Councilman Patrick Bordelon said, “We made hard decisions but right decisions.”

Mayor Al Thurman told the AJC, “I’m happy with the outcome.”

Not happy though were Councilwomen Nancy Farmer and Patricia Wisdom.

Farmer said she questioned why the budget would need to increase by $1,231,300 from last year “in just one year,” including “increases in salaries, legal contracts and Community Development.”

Those increases have not been explained to her satisfaction, Farmer said.

Also, Farmer said the millage rate increase was included in this budget even though the millage rate is not supposed to be set by a City Council vote until the end of July.

FY19 Budget Draft: CityOfPowderSprings.org/DocumentCenter/View/4649