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Cusseta–Chattahoochee Commission adopts FY2025 budget, taps reserves to balance books
Summary
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the FY2025 operating and capital budget on June 24, 2024, after public hearings. County leaders said cuts and the use of reserves will bridge a remaining shortfall; commissioners warned departments that future amendment requests must be justified publicly.
The Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County voted unanimously on June 24 to adopt the FY2025 operating and capital budget after two public hearings and work sessions.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told commissioners the county began the process with departmental requests that left it about $2 million over projected revenue. “When we sent out the request to the departments…we were just shy $2,000,000.00 over budget,” Weaver said, then outlined successive line-item cuts that reduced the shortfall first to about $1.4 million, then to $621,000, and by the second hearing to roughly $198,000.
Chairman Charles Coffey said commissioners had identified additional possible cuts — particularly in Public Safety and the new EMS line items — but acknowledged that balancing would likely require drawing from county reserves unless departments accept deeper reductions or taxes are raised. “If we are going to have to start going into the reserve to balance the budget there are two fixes to it, either cutting expenses or raising taxes,” Coffey said, adding that department heads must come forward to explain and justify any later amendment requests.
At the called meeting to finalize the budget, Commissioner Timothy Biddle moved to approve the FY2025 budget; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded. The motion passed unanimously; Commissioner Jason Frost was recorded absent. The meeting minutes and the formal resolution were attested by County Manager Thomas Weaver and recorded with the July 2, 2024 regular-meeting minutes.
The county manager said staff will continue to refine revenue and expense estimates and expects to present a balanced budget for administrative and audit purposes by the start of the fiscal year. For now, the Commission’s action authorizes the FY2025 spending plan with the understanding that future departmental overages will require public explanation and formal amendments.
