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Cusseta–Chattahoochee Commission adopts FY2025 budget, taps reserves to close shortfall
Summary
The commission voted unanimously June 24 to adopt a FY2025 budget that narrows a multi‑hundred‑thousand dollar gap and uses reserve funds to balance the books; commissioners said departments must justify any future overages and warned further cuts or tax increases may be required.
The Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County adopted its fiscal 2025 operating and capital budget on June 24 after weeks of public hearings and line‑item reductions that substantially narrowed an earlier shortfall.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told the board at the June 4 budget hearing that the county began budget work roughly $2,000,000 over projected revenues. ‘‘When we sent out the request to the departments for their budgets ... we were just shy $2,000,000.00 over budget,’’ Weaver said, and after successive cuts the gap had fallen to about $621,000. Weaver later reported the deficit was about $198,000 by the second hearing on June 24 and said staff would keep working to reach a long‑term balance.
Chairman Charles Coffey said commissioners and department heads must be accountable for spending. ‘‘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 departments seeking budget amendments should appear before the commission to explain the reasons.
Weaver said he did not want to make additional, ‘‘not educated or not thought out’’ cuts and recommended using reserves to adopt the budget now while continuing a longer process to balance future years. He also urged beginning the budget process earlier next year to avoid compressing major decisions into a short period.
At a called meeting later June 24 the commission voted unanimously to approve the FY2025 budget. The motion to adopt the budget was made by Commissioner Timothy Biddle and seconded by Commissioner Gerald Douglas. The board’s action authorizes staff to implement the adopted spending and capital plan; commissioners emphasized that any department that exceeds its allocation must bring a formal amendment before the public board.
The hearings and work sessions also identified specific revenue and grant items under discussion. Staff reported receiving a $155,000 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) check and applying for a supplemental award; the transcript contains inconsistent totals for the combined LMIG amount (the record lists both approximately $350,000 and $355,000). Weaver also reported projected FY2025 revenues near $5 million against roughly $5,153,475 in projected expenses in one hearing transcript entry.
The budget adoption does not itself change department staffing or service levels; commissioners signaled those items will be addressed in future amendments or next year’s budget cycle. County officials said they would continue to explore cuts in high‑cost areas such as public safety and EMS, and suggested operational changes including cross‑training or a floating staff position to reduce duplicative staffing costs.
What’s next: staff will pursue further adjustments and report back to the commission; any formal budget amendments will be presented at a public meeting.
