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Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County budget talks reduce shortfall but face steep insurance spike
Summary
County Manager Thomas Weaver told commissioners budget cuts trimmed a projected deficit to $21,830, but a health‑insurance renewal and broker change produced a larger contingency (about $59,000). Commissioners said SPLOST will cover many capital needs as staff refines numbers ahead of final adoption.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told the Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County on May 6 that department cuts trimmed the budget shortfall to $21,830, and provided updated handouts as the board prepared for further hearings.
At a final budget public hearing on May 27, Weaver said recent insurance information increased the contingency to about $59,000 and that staff had switched brokers to pursue lower rates after the insurer signaled a steep renewal. "Our health insurance broker informed us that we would be increasing by 49% this year," Weaver said, and the administration has sought a different broker to find better options.
Weaver also updated commissioners on capital needs tied to the 2020 and 2025 SPLOST programs, saying truck replacements and courthouse projects will likely be funded through SPLOST rather than the operating budget. He told the board that trading a sheriff's vehicle to public works could ease equipment shortfalls; Weaver said he would ask the sheriff whether a trade of the sheriff department's Black F‑150 was still possible.
No members of the public spoke during either the May 6 or May 27 budget hearings. Commissioners asked staff to reconcile differences in the public‑safety line items and to provide the insurance numbers as they arrive. The work session packet and discussion directed staff to return final figures for a vote at the upcoming regular meeting agenda (the board indicated a final adoption would be scheduled once updated insurance and other figures are available).
The hearings and work sessions show officials relying on SPLOST for many one‑time capital costs while continuing to narrow operating deficits as insurance quotes are finalized.
