Stonecrest officials weigh FY26 budget trade-offs as resurfacing needs outstrip recommended funding

City of Stonecrest officials spent a Sept. 18 joint committee meeting weighing trade-offs in the proposed fiscal 2026 budget, focusing on transportation and parks capital projects after staff said funding would not cover all streets rated “poor” and “very poor.” City Manager Scruggs and staff presented a draft capital improvement program (CIP) that keeps street resurfacing at $3,000,000 in 2026 and for each year through 2030, and warned that doing every segment rated “very poor” in a single year would cost roughly $6,000,000.

The resurfacing figure drove much of the discussion because it affects how much the city could fund sidewalks, intersection and pedestrian safety improvements, wayfinding and other items. “To do all of the very poor, all in one year … it would take about a $6,000,000,” one staff presenter said, noting the 6 million figure was an estimate using unit prices from the 2025 pavement package. Staff emphasized those are segment repairs — short sections of streets — not full roadway rebuilds.

Why it matters: Stonecrest has been using sales-tax‑derived capital funds (SPLOST) and grants to pay for transportation projects. Staff told the committee the city collects SPLOST revenues on a monthly basis and can budget only one year at a time, so increasing resurfacing in 2026 to $6 million would require reducing or deferring other projects in the 2026 column of the CIP.

Key numbers and trade-offs - Staff recommended $3,000,000 for resurfacing in…