Stonecrest staff reports July revenue short of expenses; finance team says ERP conversion explains anomalies

Stonecrest finance staff presented the city’s July 2025 financial report at a council work session, saying year‑to‑date revenue totaled $6,791,815 while year‑to‑date expenditures totaled $7,789,597. Director of Finance Lakisha Gaines told the council the July revenue total was $335,252, with tax receipts for the month of $239,582 and year‑to‑date taxes of $5,853,889. Gaines said building permits, business occupational taxes and franchise fees were among the top revenue sources. She also said the city is still waiting for property tax receipts, which typically arrive in the fourth quarter. The report showed departmental expenditures by class: personnel (Class 51) at $4,454,258, services purchased (Class 52) at $2,642,316, supplies and other operating (Class 53) at $444,007.53, capital outlay (Class 54) at $209,897 and debt service at $38,371. Gaines said total spending across all funds to date was $9,886,000. Council members asked about specific lines on the new report format, and Gaines and Mayor Pro Tem George Turner explained the numbers reflect the city’s recent move to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) financial system. Turner and the city manager said some general ledger lines migrated with coding errors and that staff are working with the vendor to clean up accounts so future reports will align with expectations. Councilmember Tara Graves and others pressed for clarity on several items: court revenues (Gaines said July court receipts added $10,580 and raised the court total to $78,693), the “TreeBank” fund accounting (staff said TreeBank is a citywide fund, not district specific, and the August report will reflect corrections), and a $75,000 line described as “City of Lithonia” tied to a vehicle purchase for executive protection funded with ARPA dollars under an existing memorandum of understanding. Gaines said AP automation implementation is in its final stages and will streamline payables. She also listed procurement updates and said three solicitations will come before council at the next meeting. No formal council action was taken on the financial presentation; council members requested follow‑up information and comparisons between the June and July reports so they can reconcile budget and reporting differences.