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Tucker unveils FY2026 draft budget; council given authority to amend before June second reading
Summary
City Manager John McHenry presented a draft balanced FY2026 budget to the Tucker Mayor and City Council that includes proposed fee changes, new staff positions, and a multiyear capital program. Council will consider amendments ahead of a June 9 second read and adoption.
City Manager John McHenry delivered the City of Tucker’s proposed balanced budget for fiscal year 2026 at the May 12 council meeting and handed the document to the Mayor and City Council for action and amendment. McHenry described the submission as his “full recommendation” and said council will have the opportunity to amend the ordinance before the required second reading on June 9.
The draft budget includes several notable items: a proposed increase in the stormwater utility fee from $6 to $8 per equivalent residential unit (ERU), new staffing requests in parks and recreation and community development, a proposed marshal service (three full-time and three part-time marshals), and a capital program of roughly $19 million across multi-year projects. McHenry summarized capital priorities as trails, roadway and stormwater projects, and other projects that the staff have prioritized into a 25-project list.
Finance and department staff presented details during a long Q&A session. Ishri Sankar, who spoke for public works and stormwater, explained the stormwater fund is an enterprise fund that “is locked into that specific need” and that the city transfers an 8% SPLOST allocation to the stormwater fund. He said increasing the fee to $8 per ERU would raise an estimated $1 million annually and reduce the time to address deferred stormwater maintenance from the current 17–20 years toward about 14 years, based on staff analysis.
Councilmembers and staff clarified the budget process. The May 12 presentation was the first reading of ordinance O2025-59 (the FY2026 budget); McHenry and the mayor reminded the council that subsequent amendments must be filed as ordinance amendments between the first and second readings. The mayor emphasized the council’s role to change numbers by amendment if they wish.
Councilmembers asked for follow-up materials on several topics, including more detail about the proposed marshal service (training and scope), timing and funding for capital items such as Fitzgerald Field and Tucker Towne Green (bleachers and remaining finishes), and how stormwater SPLOST and the utility fee interact with capital projects. Staff committed to returning with additional documentation; the finance director confirmed this is a first-pass draft and that updated program revenue projections and a fourth draft will be available before the June 9 reading.
What happens next: the council will review the draft and may propose amendments. The ordinance was introduced (first reading) and a public hearing was held; no final adoption took place on May 12. Staff will return with detailed fee schedules, marshals policy options and further capital-budget analysis before the second reading on June 9.
