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Superior Court clerk and commissioners clash over budget shortfall and possible tax increase
Summary
At three April budget hearings, county officials said the proposed budget begins with about a $740,000 deficit; Superior Court Clerk Tami Wade pressed for immediate funding for staff and software while commissioners discussed trimming requests and the possibility of raising the millage rate.
Cusseta, Ga. — Cusseta–Chattahoochee County officials told residents at public hearings in April that the county faces an estimated $740,000 shortfall for the proposed budget, prompting heated exchanges over priorities, staffing and whether to raise the tax rate.
County Manager Thomas Weaver told the board during the April 1 public hearing that the proposed budget opened with roughly a $740,000 deficit and that revenues such as a new SPLOST and ambulance receipts (about $130,000 since launch) helped but would not close the gap. “We are starting at a $740,000.00 deficit and we need to get it down to be balanced,” Weaver said.
At a follow-up hearing on April 14, Superior Court Clerk Tami Wade asked commissioners for $15,000 to hire a part‑time clerk and for $10,000 in software funding, saying the office routinely must remain open and cannot borrow personnel because of confidentiality and background-check requirements. “I cannot wait a year,” Wade told commissioners, pressing that court operations require immediate help during jury and court days.
Chairman Charles Coffey and other commissioners said elected officials across departments have made staffing and equipment requests and that the commission must balance competing needs against available revenue. Coffey said the board could consider options but emphasized that any change requires available funds or voter approval of new revenue measures. He and County Manager Weaver referenced HB581 — a ballot measure staff said could boost sales-tax receipts if voters approve it — but noted any new sales-tax revenue would not provide near-term relief.
Commissioner Jason Frost said the county may need to consider a millage increase if structural deficits continue: “We are going to have to think about raising taxes,” he said during the April 28 hearing. Staff briefed commissioners on potential smaller adjustments as well, including a proposed $2 monthly increase in the county’s trash-collection fee (from $20 to $22) to help close shortfalls.
What’s next: County staff will return to the commission with line-item cut proposals and revised revenue scenarios. Commissioners said they will weigh those options, potential SPLOST uses, and the timing and impact of any proposed millage change before finalizing the FY2025 budget.
