Cusseta–Chattahoochee County approves budget amendments as officials warn of large shortfall and potential millage increase

CUSSETA, Ga. — The Cusseta–Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners approved several FY2024 budget amendments at its April regular meeting and spent much of subsequent public hearings wrestling with a projected shortfall for the coming budget year.

County Manager Thomas Weaver told commissioners at the first public budget hearing that the county began work on the new budget “starting at a $740,000.00 deficit” before cuts. He said the county’s new ambulance service has generated “over $130,000.00” in revenue since it started, but that the revenue has not eliminated the gap.

At the April 1 meeting the board recorded motions to adopt a set of budget transfers and amendments that meeting minutes summarize as a “Total amendment of $294,725 (Exhibit A, with Minutes).” The packet and resolution headers show transfers from reserves into specific line items — including property tax reimbursement, coroner salaries, legal expenses, EMS salaries and sheriff boarding costs — and individual resolution texts list amounts for each transfer.

The board adopted the proclamation for National Donate Life Month and approved a tax refund for parcel C05 0001 (the Board of Assessors' March 5 letter documents a 2023 refund of $38.38 after a valuation correction); motions on those items passed unanimously.

Commissioners and staff were explicit that packet figures and the resolution headers do not line up perfectly in the meeting materials. County staff said they would reconcile the numbers in the budget book; commissioners asked for a consolidated report showing current balances, the requested transfers and the net impact on the county’s reserve.

Several commissioners said the county can only cut so much before services are affected. “If we approve a budget every year with a $500,000–$700,000 deficit, in four years those funds will no longer be there,” County Manager Weaver warned at a later work session. Commissioners said they would consider options including additional spending cuts, use of SPLOST for capital items, or a millage increase — a move they noted would have to be justified publicly and would not produce immediate revenue if voters approved a local sales‑tax change (HB581) referenced in the meeting.

The commission directed staff to produce an updated budget report with reconciled amendment totals and to return recommendations — including a proposed timetable for potential changes to the millage rate and options for covering recurring personnel and EMS costs — at a future meeting. The board also placed changes to trash rates and several capital requests on a subsequent work session for discussion.

Next steps: county staff will reconcile the amendment math in the budget book and present a clear, line‑by‑line report for commissioners; any proposal to increase the millage rate or to place sales‑tax questions on a ballot would require separate public notice and, where applicable, voter approval.