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Statham council opens public hearing on FY2026 budget; questions focus on insurance, overtime and community center costs
Summary
At a June 10 public hearing, Statham officials reviewed the proposed FY2026 budget; council members questioned increases in insurance, a $71,000 police overtime line tied to a vacancy, spending on community center renovations and event budgeting. No adoption vote was taken.
Statham — The Statham City Council opened a public hearing on the proposed FY2026 budget on June 10, 2025, hearing a presentation from City Accountant Rachel Bembry and questions from council members about insurance increases, police overtime and planned facility and event expenditures. The hearing was opened at 6:31 p.m. and closed at 7:23 p.m.; the council did not vote to adopt the budget.
Rachel Bembry outlined the components of the proposed FY2026 budget and answered council questions about revenue and expenditures. When asked whether increases in workers’ compensation and property and liability insurance were driven by inflation or punitive adjustments, Bembry said, “to my knowledge the increase was a normal insurance increase; I am not aware of any punitive increases in those two areas.” City Administrator Cheryl Venable explained that certain Department of Transportation funding streams cannot be combined, and reviewed grants already awarded to Statham and planned project spending.
Councilmembers pressed staff on several specific line items. Councilmember Bogenrieder asked whether the proposed HVAC replacement was for Public Works; Venable clarified the 22-year-old unit slated for replacement is at City Hall. On police overtime, Bogenrieder asked whether the department’s overtime was being increased to $71,000 or whether that figure was an additional amount; Police Chief Ira Underwood said the department’s increased need for overtime resulted from a patrol officer vacancy that has required remaining officers to cover shifts. Council discussion did not specify whether $71,000 represents the total budgeted overtime amount or a net increase from FY2025.
Other budget items discussed included $20,000 proposed for converting bathroom space to storage at the Statham Community Center and $25,000 for tables and chairs for rental use; Venable said the city plans to purchase long narrow tables and more comfortable chairs to support rentals. Councilmembers and staff discussed plans to advertise rental availability as the city enters a busier season for events such as graduations and weddings. A $72,000 line item for tree removal was explained as a response to several trees already removed and additional removals anticipated due to age and condition.
Councilmember Terilli asked why Public Works performs deep cleaning after rentals rather than the city hiring a contractor; Venable said renters are expected to do surface cleaning while Public Works handles the deep cleaning. On events funding, Venable said the events budget was based on this year’s costs plus support for the Sunflower festival; she explained that revenues collected from events are deposited into the general fund because the city fronts event expenses. Rachel Bembry added that sponsorships should be recorded as donation revenue in the general fund. Chief Underwood asked whether Blueline Solutions funds could be shown as a line item; Bembry clarified those funds are revenue and not combined with expenditure line items.
Mayor Krause asked whether the council had additional questions; staff offered to follow up with clarifications after the hearing. The council voted 4-0 to close the public hearing at 7:23 p.m. (Terilli participated by phone). No adoption, amendment or final vote on the FY2026 budget occurred during the session; staff said they would provide follow-up information as requested.
