Mayor Keisha Chapman urges residents to review FY27 budget after June 23 departmental presentations

Mayor Keisha Chapman on Tuesday urged East Point residents to review materials from a June 23 special call meeting in which 17 city departments presented their FY27 budget requests, saying the presentations provide the detail council needs before a planned vote.

"This was a critical meeting because we understand that the numbers that we have are important," Chapman said, adding that the departmental presentations show "how we're spending our money, what we're projecting our revenue for the next few years, and any challenges that we may have in our budget." She directed residents to eastpointcity.org to watch the recorded meeting.

The mayor said travel and education emerged as a recurring theme across department requests, describing the items as investments to "attract talent" and ensure staff have tools to perform their jobs. "Travel and education was a huge part of it," she said, noting the approach was broadly shared rather than isolated to a single department.

Chapman also highlighted technology as a priority, saying the city has "an opportunity to definitely make our processes more efficient" while stressing that "technology does not replace people." Departments outlined ways to leverage technology alongside cost-saving measures in their budget proposals.

The mayor advised residents to watch for audit deadlines and explained that audits can affect the city's bond ratings and cash flow — financial details she said may be unfamiliar to many residents but are important for long-term fiscal health. "Make sure that you take note of important details like when our audits will be due and how that impacts our bond ratings, how it impacts the cash flow of the city," she said.

Chapman described the June 23 meeting as successful in providing communication and information that let council and staff go "line by line" through budget items and seek answers needed to close out the budget season. While she stopped short of announcing a formal vote, she said she hopes "in the next meeting, council will feel like they have enough information to feel comfortable with moving forward with the budget and passing it."

She thanked council members, city staff and residents who attended and encouraged continued engagement: "This is also your budget. So, please stay engaged. Please continue to show up to our meetings and share your thoughts and concerns." The recorded meeting and budget materials are available on the city's website.