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Cusseta‑Chattahoochee commissioners confront $740,000 shortfall, approve $294,725 in mid‑year transfers
Summary
The commission approved $294,725 in FY2024 budget transfers and heard repeated warnings from staff about a roughly $740,000 gap in the proposed FY2025 budget; officials said options include cuts, drawing reserves and possibly raising the millage rate.
The Unified Government of Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County approved a package of mid‑year budget transfers on April 1 as county officials warned the proposed FY2025 budget begins with an estimated $740,000 shortfall.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told the commission at the April 1 meeting that "we are starting at a $740,000.00 deficit," and that while new SPLOST receipts and about $130,000 in ambulance revenues are helping, those amounts are not yet sufficient to close the gap. At the same meeting the commission voted unanimously to approve transfers totaling $294,725 to address several 2024 budget shortfalls.
The adopted resolutions moved reserve funds into operating lines including: $275,000 to EMS salaries; $200,000 to the sheriff's 'boarding of prisoners' account; $150,000 for legal expenses in general administrative; $30,000 to the coroner salary line (recorded as a salary correction); and $6,000 for property tax reimbursement. The board recorded the total amendment as $294,725 in the meeting packet.
All budget amendments were approved by voice vote with motions made and seconded (for the package, the motion was made by Commissioner Timothy Biddle and seconded by Commissioner Jason Frost), and the minutes record unanimous approval.
Commissioners and staff flagged several follow‑up items: county leaders asked departments to provide itemized breakdowns for 'miscellaneous' and contracted services line items, discussed routing capital requests to SPLOST where appropriate (for example planned vehicle purchases), and proposed a modest increase to the county garbage fee to help close recurring shortfalls.
On April 28, commissioners returned to budget hearings and publicly discussed longer‑term options. Commissioner Jason Frost urged the board to 'manage within our means,' and Weaver said incremental revenue changes would not close the current shortfall, estimating that a roughly 10‑mill increase in the tax rate would be required to erase the deficit if no other changes were made.
Chairman Charles Coffey framed the choices as stark: either raise revenue, cut services or draw down reserves. Coffey told colleagues he was prepared to put forward personal sacrifices to help the county balance its books, saying he would be willing to give up his own salary for several years if other elected officials participated, but commissioners said any decision to change the millage rate would require a formal proposal and public process.
Next steps: staff will prepare a report with proposed cuts and revenue options for the commission to review, and the board will consider a proposed millage adjustment and other measures at future meetings. The board emphasized that HB581, a state measure discussed during the hearings, could affect long‑term revenue but would not immediately resolve the current budget gap.
