Liberty County manager outlines $61 million FY25 budget, warns of rising insurance, utility and mandate costs

Jerry Brown, Liberty County manager, presented the county’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget of $61,000,008 and said the commission will adopt a 90-day continuing operations budget while officials finalize the year-long plan.

"It's a proposed budget for 12 month period of 61,000,008," Brown told attendees, and added the higher total reflects both revenue and expenditure changes rather than only a spending increase.

Why it matters: Brown said the county faces rising costs for utilities, fuel and insurance and must absorb new state-mandated expenses. He cited recent insurance market disruptions that pushed property and liability premiums sharply higher and said the county has moved to partial self-insurance to control costs.

Budget composition and fiscal constraints: Brown said salary and wages make up the largest portion of the budget and that fire services are a major line item. He estimated roughly $700,000—about 1 percent of the budget—remains discretionary, and said much of the rest is tied to necessary operations and mandates.

Brown outlined several specific pressures: utility costs that rose dramatically in FY23–FY24, fuel increases, and an insurance market that narrowed coverage and increased premiums. "We saw our insurance costs go up from ... to about $1 million to $1.2 million," Brown said, describing the range as approximate.

Mandates and tax-law impacts: Brown pointed to state-level changes that reduce local revenue, including recent personal property exemptions on items such as boats and earlier changes in motor-vehicle tag fees. He urged the public to understand preliminary assessment notices are estimates and not final tax bills: "That is not your tax bill... This is an estimate," he said, explaining the tax-assessor and county budget timelines under Georgia law (he cited Georgia Code Title 48 in his explanation).

Ballot items and potential local relief: Brown highlighted two voter-facing items: a local ballot measure called "tea splash 2" in November (as he described it) and HB 581, a proposed floating homestead exemption that would let homeowners lock assessed values for three years if adopted statewide. If voters approve that statewide measure, Brown said local jurisdictions could adopt an additional local-option sales tax dedicated to tax relief.

Next steps: The commission is moving to a 90-day continuing budget before adopting the final FY25 budget; Brown said staff will provide more details and will hold follow-ups as needed. He offered to stay after the luncheon to answer questions.

Ending: Brown closed by urging community members to help educate neighbors about assessment notices and the timeline for final tax bills.