The Fayetteville City Council is expected Thursday night to give the OK to an $11.54 million general fund budget for the 2016 budget year that begins in August. The budget had its first hearing last month and features a $1.228 million increase in revenues with no millage rate increase expected.
Fayetteville’s evolving economy saw significant gains through increased tax digest values which City Manager Ray Gibson last month said grew at 6.4 percent. Also accounting for revenue growth were increases in sales tax revenues.
In June, Mayor Greg Clifton said there is no expectation that the millage rate will increase, though the council will need to discuss the potential for a rollback given the additional revenues to be collected based on increased digest figures. Clifton said that if no rollback occurs, the council would likely use those dollars for things such as public safety staffing.
The proposed budget includes six staff positions totaling $366,835. Those include three positions in the police department, one position in public works, one position in planning and zoning and one part-time position in the fire department.
The biggest expenses are $7.52 million for public safety, $1.4 million for general government and $1.02 million for public works.
The city also has $4.338 million in unassigned fund balance above reserves. Of that amount, $1 million will be used for the upcoming Ga. Highway 92/Hood Avenue realignment project set to get off the ground by early fall and $250,000 will fund a financial software program. These and other expenditures will result in an ending unassigned fund balance of approximately $2 million.
In other items on Thursday’s agenda, the city is expected to finalize the annexation of the remaining Pinewood Forrest tracts into the city. At buildout, the development will feature 600 single family homes, 600 multi-family homes, 100 townhomes and 300 hotel rooms, along with over 100,000 sq.ft of retail and more than 100,000 sq.ft of office space that will reshape the center of the county.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Fayetteville City Hall.
