Franklin BOC, Public Get First Look at Proposed FY24 Budget
Franklin County Commissioners have gotten their first glimpse of the preliminary FY2024 budget Tuesday at the first of three public hearings.
County Manager Derrick Turner presented the proposed budget in a PowerPoint presentation.
Turner said the County needs to think not just in terms of the next fiscal year but needs to adopt more of a longer perspective.
Turner said the next budget anticipates revenues totaling $27,372,160 with expenditures of $27,342,750.
That’s just over $2 million from the actual revenues in FY23 of $25,371,721.
The anticipated FY24 budget expenses break down as:
- General Fund- $18,788,990.00,
- E911 Fund: $987,800.00,
- Probation Fund: $716,950.00,
- SPLOST Fund: $4,270,000.00,
- Water Fund: $2,463,800.00, and
- Landfill Fund: $115,210.00
Part of the increase in the next fiscal year according to Turner is a cost of living raise for County employees and the requests from County staff and the Sheriff’s department for additional employees.
Turner said he is recommending a salary increase of between 3% and 5%, which is lower than this fiscal year’s COLA of 7% but he said ultimately it’s up to the Board to decide.
“The 5% is currently included in the budget. So, the Board will have to make a decision to lower COLA or stay at 5% or if you want to do a higher COLA and that would be a change in the budget,” he explained.
Turner also said Commissioners need to take into consideration the County’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan.
“These are all those major expenditures over $5,000 that you’ll be looking at. Typically you want to look at that from a five-year perspective,” he said. “Even with this year, we want to look at any minor adjustments coming into the FY24 budget as well as the outward years to the FY28 budget. So we want to really look at it for the whole five years.”
Turner recommended the County allocate just over $1.5 million toward capital improvement projects for fiscal 2024.
Requests for new personnel include hiring two new Sheriff’s deputies, another assistant County Marshal and more public works staff.
After hearing from Turner, Commission Chair Jeff Jacques thanked him and called the presentation of the proposed budget very thorough.
Jacques said the goal of the Board is to keep from having to raise taxes.
“I want this budget to factor in anything we as a Board can do for our county employees as well ensure there will be no tax increase within the budget for our citizens. I think you’ve done a very good job of blending both into this initial budget and capital outlay,” he said.
No one spoke during the Public Comment section after the presentation. The next public hearing on the FY24 budget takes place on May 30.
A copy of the proposed budget may be viewed on the Franklin County Government website at https://www.franklincountyga.gov/financial-services/pages/budget-documents-fy-2024