Between the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia, there’s a lot of “largest ever” budget talks for the past few years. Remarkable population growth and economic productivity – and inflation – make that claim at least as much a function of algebra as it is government investment. Still though, ever-increasing budgets can mean new programs or offer governments the opportunity to fund existing programs at a higher level.
The new budget proposal for Atlanta clocks in at $2.75 billion, with $853.8 million for the General Fund – basically the amount of money not already spoken for by required services like the airport or water department. The General Fund is where the mayor and city council can move money around. And in Atlanta, with a “strong mayor” style of government, the mayor is doing most of the moving.
“This budget reflects our shared vision of Atlanta as a City of Opportunity for All,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “As Atlanta’s influence expands on the global stage, it’s imperative that we prioritize critical investments in our infrastructure, residents, and employees.”
Recognizing the importance of employee retention, the budget includes an additional $24.3 million for employee compensation, benefits and professional development. It also includes nearly $30 million in public safety funding for equipment, technology upgrades and other security measures. Almost $4 million of that is going solely to body camera maintenance, cloud storage and tech support.
Some of the general fund ends up going to outstanding infrastructure maintenance needs, part of the $30 million this year for capital improvements, going mostly to two new fire stations and backlogged maintenance. Considering the cost of one of the newer fire stations was somewhere around $16 million, that $30 million may not go as far the city would hope. That $16 million was not all city money, the project was buoyed by $5 million from Invest Atlanta and $6.1 million from a local tax allocation district. In short, there are other sources but infrastructure costs a lot of money. And there is a lot of infrastructure in Atlanta that needs some maintenance. Since Mayor Dickens assumed office, the city relaunched the Pothole Posse. It’s not quite two and a half years since Dickens term began and the city has filled more than 23,000 potholes.
“This budget is a blueprint for Atlanta’s future, balancing sound fiscal management with strategic investments that are responsive to current economic conditions and promote long-term growth and resilience,” said City of Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Mohamed Balla.
If you want to do a little perusing more in depth, see here (skip to page 27(!) where it actually starts)
