[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6208174,"mediaKeyId","3749540-79d1642cc72f2e27523fd46cee05e61f","parentId",3749540,"title","Council questions inclusion of $33 million in proposed FY26 budget; staff to post revised binder and follow up","audioSeconds",811,"startMs",12428000,"endMs",13239000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3749540-79d1642cc72f2e27523fd46cee05e61f&start=12428&end=13239","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3749540-79d1642cc72f2e27523fd46cee05e61f/thumbnail_12428000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6208174/East-Point/Fulton-County/Georgia/Council-questions-inclusion-of-33-million-in-proposed-FY26-budget-staff-to-post-revised-binder-and-follow-up","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6208174-08dd6a650b500662f37b44b6d3d840ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770989663&Signature=WGq~DQSOmf5EoyMXJi52zQeIBGLcsfPEWmmYtJy0Qj7NM~tmRfDUZifkbB5irFlPX-VyQNWU1FfDpobBXN9ve7Zka766MGrGOjIPPFqYSVCXCjtp84b5vqw3-qZ1x9yjimXxhohT6UDrSEQ52TwY4LFd7JNGO0WEZyg1xL3uTTMQYUbSfW3RnKV~Dt~vXGci4qDK5WI33nUZ5q37Qn72~jpaHtYmKDE65OcrFGO6c5Mt1knAKm65OXQkWvjW6dmFD29PPiAmcyjvtsk0DepolhiN61F93c-bjlYTFzzXI4FIC5~MgeuBGtEJJ-6IRMwijxPeonIdg99WFpDML2ZgJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-11T00:31:02.04Z","article","East Point councilors sharply questioned staff and the interim finance team at a June 19 work session about the city's proposed FY26 ordinance, which staff said had been adjusted to show $247.1 million in total resources after a late addition of roughly $18 million in anticipated bond proceeds. Several council members objected to including $33 million of bond proceeds in the advertised budget when the type of bond and revenue to service debt had not been finalized.

\"Why are we budgeting ghost funds at this point?\" Mayor Pro Tem (Councilmember) Martin Rogers asked, noting that the $33 million would not be available unless council decided to proceed with a form of bond financing that might require a public referendum or a revenue source. Interim finance staff said the larger ordinance number reflected discussion with the city manager and updated cost estimates; staff offered to post a revised, paginated binder and to make additional written corrections requested by council.

City staff said the change reflected updated project cost estimates and an accounting for additional anticipated proceeds but agreed that budget amendments are the normal vehicle for adding any proceeds once the financing path is known. City attorney Wiggins confirmed that a subsequent change to the advertised budget does not require re-advertising the public hearing; council still must adopt a final budget by the charter deadline.

Council members pressed for more complete documentation before adoption: Councilmember Butler asked that staff supply the published public-hearing notices and asked whether the budget text in the manager's message referenced the correct fiscal year; Councilmember Ziegler noted the earlier, larger budget summaries had been removed from the posted file and requested the complete, corrected binder. Interim staff committed to posting the corrected, paginated budget on the city website by noon the following day and to providing hard-copy binders for council members.

Council guidance and next steps: Several members asked staff to remove or not rely on the $33 million of unapproved bond proceeds in the advertised appropriation and to instead present a budget that can be reconciled to currently available revenue and the city's policy on debt. Finance staff and the city manager were asked to return to a future meeting with a reconciled package that shows fund-balance effects and alternate capital and debt scenarios.

Ending: The council did not adopt the budget at the work session; staff will post a corrected electronic binder and bring additional detail and scenarios back to council before final adoption.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 9, 2025 Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","On June 19 East Point councilors pressed staff over $33 million in bond proceeds included in the advertised FY26 ordinance, arguing the funds are not yet authorized and should not be budgeted as presented","taxTitle","East Point, Fulton County, Georgia","taxId",50891,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6208179,"Electric rate study shows FY24 gap; consultants recommend restoring seasonal residential rates and tweaking class allocations",179,2399000,2578000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3749540-79d1642cc72f2e27523fd46cee05e61f&start=2399&end=2578","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3749540-79d1642cc72f2e27523fd46cee05e61f/thumbnail_2399000.jpg","/articles/6208179/East-Point/Fulton-County/Georgia/Electric-rate-study-shows-FY24-gap-consultants-recommend-restoring-seasonal-residential-rates-and-tweaking-class-allocations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6208179-f79a2c873a26b016019350e6f78af8da/orig.mp4?Expires=1770989663&Signature=GIIYYver~-T~B-L1Jgf~GaQyowGx4szhEJzd4akw3-2fKCj0574SAjvbWbuwsZX5tdTfpRdyz75aIQV6EcOcSmwHifUDkCRRXgqCq~mbLca4VgdLQYwkJi9ud0XxU9l6SoM2R1IYakQbhxfg8PZ4Q7HneHLTIyZTE-IL58mIiVbu~sESGn5TwSjL5iwCvWafYvI583HHtyT-A5gRlatTpwRE~RpxcXtbVFGLy5t23kdNl01oJqefVTttAJhERcQW692uVnVpB7typ5RFAb4gTpTeiyFt2WFnYT~jU1Zpfsf0pOhfJusyhseR-kaRhosPHB2NkE7AXCm~7RzrfDlQ~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Electric Cities of Georgia officials told East Point City Council on June 19 that a cost-of-service study for fiscal year 2024 shows the city's electric utility ran a roughly $4.5 million shortfall and that residential rates charged year-round at the lower \"winter\" level explain much of the gap.

The study, presented by Cho Nguyen, director of analytical services at Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG), and Kathy Johnson, manager of analytical services, analyzed FY24 billing, unaudited financials and power purchases. \"With that, you were in a deficit of $4,500,000 for fiscal year 24,\" Johnson said during the presentation.

ECG said purchases of power (MEAG) and fixed costs represent most utility expenses while residential revenues are understating fixed-cost recovery. The consultants told the council residential customers were billed at the winter rate year-round for several years, including during summer months, and that restoring separate summer and winter residential rates would improve revenues by roughly $1.2 million in the near term.

\"If they do not (restore seasonal rates), the net revenues we'd have to add $1,400,000 to that,\" Johnson said, noting the study had modeled the residential rate returning to summer/winter pricing. The study also showed some commercial rate classes currently subsidize residential customers: \"Because you're not collecting enough on your residential, your small power, medium power, and large power are having to pay,\" Nguyen said.

ECG recommended a multi-year rate adjustment and rate-design work to reduce cross-subsidies across rate classes, plus a higher fixed (base) charge on residential accounts to recover a larger share of fixed costs. The consultants said 86 percent of the utility's power costs are fixed and that only about 12 percent of current revenues are fixed.

Council members asked for more historical context, bill-impact scenarios and clarity on the utility's fund balance. Councilmember Shropshire pressed staff for the electric enterprise fund balance and whether the FY24 shortfall had been covered by reserves: finance staff and ECG explained the study reports results for a one-year window and that fund balance has historically been used to cushion year-to-year operating shortfalls; ECG agreed to overlay projected fund balance over the study's multi-year projections in a follow-up. Councilmember McComb asked for example household impacts; ECG said detailed bill-impact modelling would follow once council directed a rate-design path.

Councilmember Butler and others flagged planned capital spending included in long-range figures and asked for scenarios showing how capital plans would change if rates were adjusted or if reserves were used. Several council members asked staff to produce a clearer historical picture going back to 2013 and to bring the additional analysis to the July/August work session so council can weigh options ahead of final FY26 rates decisions.

The study excluded revenues and power costs tied to an off-system customer (a cryptocurrency miner) and excluded projected franchise fees from an anticipated large adjacent data-center/franchise relationship; staff said franchise fees would typically flow to the general fund rather than the electric enterprise fund.

Council direction and next steps: ECG will return with bill‑impact modeling for specific rate-design scenarios, a multi-year projection including the electric fund balance overlay, and a timeline for rate-design options. The council asked staff to post the complete study and to schedule a follow-up presentation that includes historical audited results and the fund-balance overlay.

Ending: The presentation prompted a substantive policy discussion about whether to restore seasonal residential rates and how to allocate increases across customer classes; staff and ECG will return with scenario-based rate designs and bill impacts before any final rate changes are adopted.","Electric Cities of Georgia presented a fiscal-year-2024 cost-of-service study showing a $4.5 million operating shortfall for East Point\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000","actionData","errors"]

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Council questions inclusion of $33 million in proposed FY26 budget; staff to post revised binder and follow up

Electric rate study shows FY24 gap; consultants recommend restoring seasonal residential rates and tweaking class allocations