Peachtree Corners council opens public hearings on FY25 amendment, proposes $21.1 million FY26 budget

Peachtree Corners city council members approved routine minutes and a consent agenda, then opened public hearings on an amended fiscal year 2025 operating budget and a proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget that would budget $21.1 million and include capital projects funded through SPLOST and other sources.

The city’s finance staff presented the FY25 amendment and the FY26 proposed budget. “Good evening, and, thank you for allowing me to get up and present to you all the FY25 proposed budget amendment as well as our FY26 proposed budget,” said Corey, a city staff member, during the presentation. The council opened and then closed public hearings on both measures with no public comment; both budgets are scheduled for final consideration at the June 24 council meeting.

Why it matters: the budgets set operating priorities for the city government, allocate one-time and recurring revenues, and fund a multi-year capital improvement plan (CIP) that would pay for street resurfacing, sidewalk and trail segments, traffic improvements and Curiosity Lab campus work. The FY26 proposal also uses roughly $2 million of fund balance to finance one-time projects while keeping operating revenues and expenditures balanced under state law.

Key figures and changes - FY25 adopted budget (original): $19,900,000. The city projects FY25 actuals will increase by about $1,300,000 to $21,200,000 and presented an amendment to reflect that change. - FY26 proposed operating budget: $21,100,000. The staff noted state law requires a balanced budget and that the FY26 plan uses about $2,000,000 of fund balance for one-time projects. - Projected FY25 ending fund balance: $17,300,000 (about 81% of the FY25 general fund budgeted expenditures, per the presentation). The staff broke the fund balance into assigned, committed and unassigned categories, including a budget stabilization target of 25% (about $5,300,000). - Revenue drivers for FY25 projections included higher-than-budgeted franchise fees tied to Georgia Power (staff said part of the increase was about $300,000 over budget), higher insurance premium tax receipts (+$280,000), increased interest income (+$275,000) and a $430,000 rise in miscellaneous revenue from a one-time payment from a Towne Centre developer related to parking-deck repairs. - Expenditure changes included roughly $800,000 in required parking-deck repairs and several one-time facility and equipment purchases; facilities spending was shown rising about $550,000 in FY25 for building improvements, a generator and other one-time items.

Staffing and organizational changes - The proposed FY26 budget reflects a net increase of 1.0 full-time-equivalent position compared with the FY25 budgeted complement (the presentation listed 53.5 positions). Council and staff discussed creating a single position to cover both human-resources workload and expanded election duties; Mr. Johnson (a staff member) recommended a combined HR specialist/election position to absorb growing HR and election workloads. - The budget reallocates two positions from economic development into the city manager’s office and reallocates two technology positions into economic development following the departure of the city’s former CTO, Brandon. Staff said the city will rely more on its outsourced IT vendor (VC3) for advanced technology support while the reorganized positions focus on economic development tasks.

Capital plan highlights (SPLOST and CIP) - The five-year CIP and FY26 SPLOST projects list roughly $26.5 million in FY26 projects and additional spending through FY30. Major FY26 items included: $5 million for street resurfacing/sidewalks, $6 million for Corners Connector trail segments (including the Berdell branch and Crooked Creek trail planning/engineering), about $2 million for a mobility hub at Peachtree Corners Circle/Crooked Creek, and funds for Tech Park Lake trail segments and various traffic improvements (roundabout and intersection upgrades noted at Peachtree Corners Circle and Highway 141). - Staff cautioned the CIP is a living document: inclusion in the five-year plan does not guarantee a project will be built in a given year.

Other budgeted funds and items - Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARPA): $1.4 million budgeted in FY26 to close out ARPA allocations and to support housing projects through an MOU with the redevelopment authority. - Stormwater and solid waste funds: stormwater fees and expenditures were presented at about $3 million and the city said third-party contractors (Jacobs, CH2M, Optech) handle ongoing maintenance and large repairs. - The city reiterated there is no budgeted study or plan to create a Peachtree Corners police department; the marshal program remains the city’s public-safety presence and the budget includes three marshals and one support/court position.

Council action and next steps - The council approved the minutes of the April 22 city council meeting (motion by Councilman Saad; second, Councilman Sawyer) and the minutes of the May 13 work session (motion by Councilman Wright; second, Councilwoman Douglas). The council also approved the consent agenda, which included a resolution supporting Gateway 85 CID expansion, appointment of Planning Commission alternates, a construction agreement authorization for Passapark on Jones Mill Road, a consultant task order for the Corners Connector (Berdell branch) planning and design, and a consulting engineering agreement for Town Center infrastructure (motion by Councilman Saad; second, Councilwoman Douglas). - The council opened public hearings for the FY25 amended operating budget and the FY26 proposed operating budget, heard no public comment, closed both hearings and scheduled final action on the ordinances for the June 24 meeting.

Quotes - “Good evening, and, thank you for allowing me to get up and present to you all the FY25 proposed budget amendment as well as our FY26 proposed budget,” Corey said during the presentation. - “I open the public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget,” the council chair said when formally opening the hearing.

What’s next The council will return to the FY25 amendment and the FY26 operating budget for second reading and possible adoption at its June 24 meeting. If approved, the FY26 budget and the CIP allocations would govern the city’s operating and capital spending for the upcoming fiscal year and the multi-year capital plan as presented or modified by the council.