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County Manager outlines tight FY27 budget, warns fund balance nearing policy floor
Summary
County Manager Bob Cowell told the Athens-Clarke County mayor and commission on March 24, 2026, that revenue growth is slowing while contractual costs and capital needs are rising, leaving about $6.4 million in new general-fund capacity and limited room to rely on fund balance.
County Manager Bob Cowell presented Athens-Clarke County’s framework for the FY27 budget on March 24, 2026, telling the mayor and commission that the county projects roughly $6.4 million of new general-fund resources and faces far more requests than it can fund.
Cowell said the county received approximately $6.7 million in requests to cover contractual and inflationary increases and roughly $8 million in proposed new initiatives, including about 60 positions requested in the general fund and 75 countywide. “We have a projected about $6.4 million of, if you will, new general fund for FY27,” Cowell said, adding that capital requests exceed $100 million with $41 million coming from the general fund.
Why it matters: Cowell warned that revenues continue to grow but at a slower rate than recent years while certain costs—utility bills, fuel, and contract renewals—are rising faster than inflation. He emphasized the county’s limited ability to keep drawing on fund balance for recurring costs: the county’s policy…
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