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Commission reviews FY27 amendment list: tax-digest increase, fuel contingency, parking revenue and enterprise funds
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a staff spreadsheet of recommended FY2027 budget adjustments after an estimated $1.6 million tax-digest increase; discussion covered fuel-cost contingencies, a one-page enterprise-fund summary, downtown parking revenues ($4.8 million), and options for community-events funding and a hotel-motel tax.
Athens-Clarke County commissioners spent the special called session on Thursday reviewing staff-proposed amendments to the mayor's FY2027 recommended budget after staff identified roughly $1.6 million in additional revenue from the tax digest.
Staff said the $1.6 million increase allows the commission to add several items while still leaving roughly $500,000 to add to fund balance. Finance staff later said the available fund balance is between $13 million and $14 million and that the current adjustments would use about $7.5 million of that balance.
Commissioners and staff discussed a fuel-cost contingency caused by elevated fuel prices. Staff said they recommended $400,000 in the general fund plus $200,000 in other funds (a combined $600,000) to cover potential elevated fuel costs, but noted the final need will depend on how long higher prices persist.
Parking revenue was a focus: staff reported an FY27 projection of $4.8 million in downtown parking revenue and said per contract 40% of net revenue is returned to the downtown development authority (ADDA). Commissioners discussed whether some parking revenue could be redirected to support community events outside downtown and explored raising event and long-term parking fees for additional revenue.
Commissioners also asked staff to prepare a concise, one-page extract showing enterprise funds (airport, landfill/solid waste, water and wastewater, stormwater) and their budget lines for public clarity; staff cited specific packet pages where those funds are listed and agreed to make a simplified summary available.
Other budget topics touched on included potential hotel-motel tax options to fund events (a longer-term discussion with state representatives was suggested) and an item in the amended list to fund investigators for the public defender's office (staff said the manager's office had consulted the public defender and confirmed dollar amounts).
Keegan Brooks, a public commenter, praised the fare-free Athens-Clarke County Transit System and cautioned about placing a 1% sales-tax measure (referred to in the hearing as a "floss") on the ballot, saying sales taxes are regressive and can disproportionately affect lower-income households.
No final budget adoption or individual ordinance votes occurred during the session; the meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn.
