Sandy Springs unveils proposed FY27 budget totaling $1.156 billion; no tax increase proposed

Sandy Springs city staff presented the formal proposed fiscal 2027 budget at a special council workshop on May 26, laying out operating assumptions, capital priorities and schedule for two upcoming public hearings before a final adoption vote.

Eden, the city manager, told the council the all-funds FY27 budget is proposed at $1.156 billion and said the large figure is driven largely by debt accounting for major projects — not day-to-day operating cash. "Since the city was incorporated in 2005, we have invested back more than $500 million in our community," Eden said, adding that debt for the city campus and public-safety facilities increases the all-funds total.

The proposed operating budget includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city employees and modest increases in health-insurance and liability costs. Staff said they are exploring a possible move to a self-funded health plan and will return with firmer numbers later in the year; in the meantime, the proposed budget budgets conservatively for higher insurance costs. Police and fire budgets contain targeted capital and personnel changes: a $200,000 increase in the police fleet fund for vehicle replacements, a planned replacement aerial and engine for the fire department, and a bonus-structure adjustment to align fire pay with police.

Staff reported $6 million in grant funding received since 2024 and noted a grants administrator position has centralized management of those awards. Specialized funds and transfers were reviewed in detail: staff described confiscated-asset funds for law-enforcement uses, a proposed use of opioid-settlement funds to add a community paramedic in fire, and E911 dollars transferred to ChatCom for 911 operations.

The presentation also covered capital planning. Staff reviewed the five-year capital improvement plan and added two placeholder projects — revitalization planning for Racket Center and Hammond Park — that carry planning estimates and would require a voter referendum if financed with debt. On fund balance, staff said the city started FY26 with an audited undesignated balance of about $63 million; after projected revenues, expenditures and an established 25% reserve requirement, staff described planned one-time uses of roughly $29 million and presented the proposed FY27 budget as balanced without raising taxes or fees.

Council members asked for clarifications on several line items — including a public-works subcontractor total that staff confirmed as $6.189 million, the scope and cost drivers behind capital entries, CRM (replacement of the city’s Lucidity ticket system), and ongoing website ADA-compliance costs. Eden said the city will bring back additional detail where requested and that the first public hearing on the FY27 budget is scheduled for next Tuesday with a final hearing and adoption slated for the council’s June 16 meeting.

Mayor Rusty Paul closed the workshop by thanking staff. "You've done a very good job of taking the priorities the council outlined and turning them into concrete financial documents," he said. The council did not vote on the budget at the workshop; the public comment and hearing process will precede any adoption vote.