FINANCE

 

How the City of South Fulton Works

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Local government provides basic services for its residents. Those services are zoning for land use and location, economic development for residential and business projects, parks/recreation for learning and activities, public works for trash pickup, roads and bridges, public safety (police and fire) and cultural affairs – the arts.  

 

2022 Budget

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The Budget

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The first step to develop the budget is to determine the goals of the city for the budget year.  That year is part of a long-range strategy. The goals should be based conditions of the city and community needs and the city’s ability to meet those needs with policies and administratively.  Community needs should be defined by them in collaboration with the city. Policies and procedures must be developed to complete the objectives of the goals.

 

Per Georgia law, cities much prepare a balanced budget annually by a defined time and hold public meetings to inform the citizens of a proposed budget.  Finance must determine the millage rate for taxes that would be necessary to achieve the goals.  The budget is considered balanced when revenue, money it intends to receive, and expenses, money it intends to spend, are the same amount.

 

2021 BUDGET SUMMARY – HOW THE CITY OF SOUTH FULTON PAYS FOR SERVICES

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Property taxes are the major revenue source to provide services for the City of South Fulton.  Paying taxes is a requirement.  So is the requirement of delivering excellent service in return. In addition to taxes, other revenue sources are: other taxes, licenses, fees and grants from state, federal and/or nonprofit sources.  

 

One significant source of revenue not mentioned above is the transportation special purpose local option sales tax (TSPLOST). Citizens have the opportunity to vote to tax themselves for x amount for 5 years to cover the cost of paving roads and bridges, etc.  The current rate is a .75 sales tax.  The current budget amount is $41.1 million. The new cycle begins in 2022.  Public Hearings will be conducted from February to May 2021 to obtain information from citizens regarding the projects they want for the next cycle beginning in 2022.

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EXPENSES

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The largest expenditure is personnel cost.  It includes salaries and benefits.  The largest ten non-personnel cost in order from largest to smallest is: Public Works, 911, General Services, Capital, Information Technology, Legal, Finance, Police, Community Development and Regulatory Affairs, and Parks and Recreation.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE 2021 BUDGET:

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https://www.cityofsouthfultonga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4472/FY21-Adopted-Budget?bidId= 

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