Forest Park budget hearing 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 16

by Robin Kemp

The City of Forest Park is holding a public hearing on the proposed $34,714,351 city budget for fiscal year 2022. The fiscal year begins July 1, 2021 and ends June 30, 2022.

Overall, the budget projects a 17.07% spending increase of $5,062,972, with a projected $2,968,560 in revenue over expenditures.

The link to the proposed 31-page budget is https://www.forestparkga.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/finance/page/2771/proposed_fy_22_budget.pdf

The link to the published agenda packet (we’ve shortened it for your convenience) is https://bit.ly/3q2Btfy

Here are some highlights from the city’s General Fund:

Revenues (city income categories)

Projected amounts include:

• Taxes: $24,111,166 (up 17.4% or $3,573,666)
• Licenses and Permits: $683,172 (up 6.25% or $40,172)
• Intergovernmental Revenue: none
• Charges for Services: $549,980 (down 45.42% or $456,820)
• Fines and Forfeitures: $833,816 (down 48.43% or $783,184)
• Investment Income: $35,000 (unchanged)
• Contributions and Donations-Private: $0 (unchanged)
• Miscellaneous Revenue: $5,521,615 (up 183.96% or $3,577,095)
• Other Financing Resources: $2,980,603 (up 231.18% or $2,080,603)
• TOTAL PROJECTED REVENUES: $34,714,352 (up 30.1% or $8,031,532)

Expenditures (city spending categories)

Projected expenditure categories include:

Legislative Office (city council)

This includes things like city-sponsored festivals, project money (“ward money”) for each councilmember and the mayor, subscriptions, dues, conventions, and public relations/communications.

• Personal Services and Employee Benefits: $216,116 (unchanged)
• Purchased/Contract Services: $303,826 (up 30.39% or $70,818)
• Supplies: $1,200 (unchanged)
• Capital Outlays $283,128 (up 1.63% or $4,551)
• TOTAL PROJECTED LEGISLATIVE EXPENDITURES: $804,270 (up 10.34% or $75,369)

Chief Executive Office

• Personal Services and Employee Benefits: $954,428 (up 40.43% or $274,787)
• Purchased/Contract Services: $196,993 (up 68.38% or $80,000)
• Supplies: $30,712 (up 157.82% or $18,800) — this includes fleet gas, labor, maintenance, and overhead charges, as well as a $5,000 for city manager expenses (up 150% from $2,000 to $5000), as well as a 7,400% increase in “general department expenses,” which went from $200 to a projected $15,000.
• Capital Outlays: $40,000 (no change)
• TOTAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE: $1,222,133 (up 44.03% or $373,587

Finance

• Personal Services and Employee Benefits: $$1,159,597 (up 11.56% tor $120,199)
• Purchased/Contract Services: $627,436 (down 1.57% or $10,000)
• Supplies: $79,900 (down 2.44% or $2,000)
• Capital Outlays: $0 (unchanged)
• Other Costs: $334,428 (up 234.43% or $234,428) as “reserve for contingencies”
• Loan: $3,239,388 (up 63.82% or $1,776,8888
• TOTAL FINANCE OFFICE: $5,440,749 (up 63.82% or $2,119,515)

Other Projected Spending Totals by Department

• Judge and Solicitors: $139,007 (unchanged)
• Technology Services: $$724,540 (up 50.53% or $243,212), including $408,000 in contract services, up from $0
• Support Services: $578,652 (up 16.25% or $80,454), with $0 spent for archives and records management as compared to $8,650 last fiscal year and a 1,100% increase for “want ads,” at $6,000 up from $500 last fiscal year and a 400% increase in printing services, at $5,000 up from $1,000
• Economic Development: $291,638 (up 38.51% or $81,092), including a 910.75% increase in FICA ($94,000, up from $9,300) but a 5.38% decrease in salaries ($132,463, down $7,537 from $140,000)
• Fleet Services: $108,300, which saw a decrease in allocated fleet services expenses last year of $1,094,963 and a projected decrease this year of $1,002,463

Ward Money

Everyone talks about “ward money”–that part of the city’s budget that is set aside for each council member’s pet projects in his or her ward. Here’s a look at what each councilmember was allocated last fiscal year and how much each is projected to get this fiscal year:

Meetings and Conventions

How much do taxpayers pay to send councilmembers to meetings and conventions? Each councilmember gets a $6,000 allowance. That doesn’t mean that he or she spent it all last year or will spend it all this year. In other words, a councilmember may not have spent the entire amount alloted in any given year: