Habersham County commissioners are considering a $73.1 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed budget represents a $5.6 million increase, or 8.9%, over the current year’s budget.
County finance director Tim Sims delivered a presentation on the proposed spending measure to Habersham County commissioners at their regular monthly meeting Monday night. Sims explained that staff was “kind of flying blind” with budget preparation because they did not receive the budget digest until last Thursday.
Property tax valuations came in 11.8% higher than last year. This year’s expected property tax revenue is $21,180,660—$2,235,387 higher than last year’s.
The proposed county budget for all funds is $73,119,208. Last year’s total budget for all funds – including General, Capital Projects, Special Revenue, and Enterprise – was $67,437,964.
It remains unclear how this proposed budget would impact property taxes. The county has not yet released a proposed millage rate.
Requests for new hires cut significantly
In the spring, county department heads presented their budget requests to the county. Those requests amounted to $42.6 million in the General Fund and included nearly $2.1 million to fill 44 new positions and $4.4 million in Capital projects.
Staff cut those requests by nearly $5.5 million.
Even with those cuts, the proposed General Fund of $37.1 million is still $3.9 million higher than this year’s budget—an increase of 11.89%. If approved, the additional funds would pay for 12 new full-time positions at a cost of $660,417. Capital projects funded for FY 2024 would cost $1,656,860, with $1.4 million being funded using the prior year’s fund balance.
After Sims presented the budget to commissioners, Habersham County Attorney Donnie Hunt opened the floor for a public hearing. No one spoke.
The next public hearing for the FY 2024 county budget will be held at 6 p.m. next Monday, June 26, in the jury assembly room at the Habersham County Courthouse. The courthouse is located at 295 Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville.
A copy of the proposed budget may be viewed here or on the Habersham County website.
