Please join me on Saturday, Feb. 11, 10 a.m. at City Hall for an informal citizen budget meeting. I’d like to share the city’s budget to include revenue, expenses and our current debt picture. I’ll kick off the discussion with a 15-minute overview. Then we can talk. I’ll repeat the overview at 11 a.m. for those who can’t make the 10 a.m. start.
The 2010 City Council steered our financials in a new direction two years ago with some truly hard decisions. Saying we had a serious budget problem is an understatement.
We took the path that resulted in a tax increase that added $880,000 to our reserves in Fiscal Year 2011 and will add another $1.1 million to our reserves in FY 2012. The plan includes using the extra reserves in the next few years to level out our financials so we wind up with a sustainable budget in the long run.
I hope folks will remember this when we develop the FY2013 budget and start using those reserves. We have a budget policy to not go below a 20 percent reserve level. That policy will be adhered to.
Experienced managers knows that unexpected issues come up from time to time. How you deal with them makes or breaks you. Come to the meeting and understand for yourself how the issues are being managed. Don’t just assume what somebody says on the street or in a blog is true. They usually don’t have all the facts and will only say things that support their concern. Come to the meeting and get ALL the facts.
I will tell you up front both sides of the story without hesitation. I have nothing to gain by keeping our city’s financials hidden. I have everything to gain by getting the information out to the citizens and having ideas come back.
We can talk about the cost of the bubble (get the whole story), the future of road and cart path maintenance, new cart paths, the streamlining of Public Works, the efficiency gains in the Recreation area, the impact of Fayette County residents giving themselves a tax cut that took $2 million annually out of our city’s revenue (when we voted No to the county’s SPLOST in 2009.)
You see, folks don’t seem to realize that tax cuts have been made. They only tend to remember the tax increases. We need to deal with the entire situation and move forward accordingly.
Your participation will make a difference. Here’s your chance to have one-on-one input. A successful and sustainable budget will lead to confidence and prosperity for Peachtree City citizens.
Eric Imker
City Council Post 1
Peachtree City, Ga.
