Cusseta-Chattahoochee commission adopts FY2025 budget after two public hearings; reserves to be used to close shortfall

The Unified Government of Cusseta-Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the fiscal year 2025 operating and capital budget at a called meeting on June 24, 2024.

County Manager Thomas Weaver told the commission during two public hearings that an initial gap of roughly $2,000,000 had been narrowed through line-item reductions and other adjustments to about $198,000 by the June 24 hearing. Weaver said further cuts at that point would be "not educated or not thought out," and recommended the commission use reserves to balance the budget while continuing to seek additional savings.

Chairman Charles Coffey said commissioners and department heads must be accountable for overages and warned residents of the trade-offs ahead: "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 also asked department heads to publicly explain any later amendment requests so the public understands how money is being spent.

The commission approved the FY2025 budget by motion (moved by Commissioner Timothy Biddle; seconded by Commissioner Gerald Douglas) with a unanimous vote. The adopted budget was memorialized in a formal resolution the commission signed and attested to by County Manager Thomas Weaver.

Why it matters: The county is balancing limited revenue against rising departmental costs and must decide whether to rely on reserves while pursuing additional cuts, possible staffing adjustments and improved contingency planning. Commissioners flagged Public Safety and EMS for closer review as among the larger expenditures in the draft budget.

Votes at a glance: 1) Adoption of FY2025 budget (motion: adopt budget as presented); mover: Commissioner Timothy Biddle; second: Commissioner Gerald Douglas; outcome: approved unanimously. 2) Employee insurance renewal (approved unanimously during the June 4 meeting). 3) Reappointments to the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Transportation Authority and several administrative agreements were approved during June meetings (see "Votes at a glance" in provenance).

Next steps: The commission directed that any department or constitutional officer seeking budget amendments report to the commission and public with justification. County Manager Weaver said he intends to start the budget process earlier in future years to avoid late compressions of work and last-minute cuts.

(Reporting based on the June 4 and June 24, 2024 public hearings and the June 24 called meeting of the Unified Government of Cusseta-Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners.)