Roswell leaders press departments to find 2% savings as flood costs mount

Roswell finance committee members on Feb. 6 urged departments paid from the general fund to look for 2% in midyear savings as the city works through heavy flood‑related costs and waits on federal and state reimbursements.

The committee voted 3‑2 to send a resolution to the full City Council asking general‑fund departments to “attempt to maintain a 2% savings” for the remainder of the fiscal year. Committee members debated whether the request should be mandatory, with some members saying the city needs stability for year‑end projections and others warning it could hamper departments still responding to flood damage.

The resolution grew out of a wider discussion about the city’s cash position after the October floods. Mr. Cole (Staff member) told the committee the city has received “the first insurance check that we'll receive of the $10,000,000 that we're capped at,” and that FEMA reimbursements and possible state assistance are expected but will arrive slowly. He said the state legislature is considering measures to help municipal cash flow, and identified House Bill 31 as a potential source of interest‑free emergency loans that could cover FEMA matching requirements if enacted.

Committee members described how departments have already tightened operations. Tony (Finance director) and other staff presented midyear reports showing payroll and operating line items generally tracking near expectations; one committee member said departments were “at 46%” of budget through half the fiscal year. Supporters of the resolution said the 2% target is modest and meant as an accountability measure rather than an immediate line‑item reduction.

Opponents said the wording should be softer to avoid unintentionally hamstringing departments still executing recovery work. The chair and several councilors agreed to send the resolution to full council so the larger body can debate whether the directive should be binding and how it should apply to departments that are still incurring flood repair costs.

The committee also reviewed other near‑term cash management steps discussed during the meeting: possible transfers from restricted funds (including the lodgers/lodgers tax fund), urgent capital purchases already authorized using insurance proceeds, and continued use of consultants to inventory and submit FEMA public assistance projects.

Looking ahead, staff told the committee they will return to council with updated midyear projections and a clearer timeline for FEMA reimbursements and any state assistance. The vote to send the resolution to council does not itself change department budgets; it creates a council discussion and potential action in a future meeting.