Mayor Kelly Girtz introduced a $202 million general fund budget for Athens-Clarke County last week, down $2 million from the current fiscal year, keeping the property tax rate level at 12.45 mills.
The budget includes pay raises for ACC employees but few new initiatives, adding just 12 positions to the county government workforce of 1,800. “I wanted to be extremely cautious,” Girtz told Flagpole, noting uncertainty about the national economy, potential federal budget cuts and a new floating homestead exemption. That exemption, approved by voters in a 2024 referendum, caps rising property assessments at the rate of inflation. The Clarke County School District opted out, but ACC did not. County finance officials estimate that the exemption will cost ACC $2.2 million in revenue this year, but Girtz said the full impact won’t be known for at least another year.
Despite raising salaries and adding a handful of new positions—such as a mechanic and engineer for the Public Utilities Department and an information technology assistant director to enhance cybersecurity—the proposed fiscal 2026 budget is less than 2025’s because last year the commission took $10 million from reserves to deal with a backlog of capital expenses, Girtz said.
The mayor and commission held their first budget hearing Apr. 30, meeting with the heads of quasi-governmental agencies like the public defender’s office, the Classic Center and Visit Athens, the local tourism group. The Athens Regional Library System asked for help covering state-mandated health care expenses, which now total $22,000 for each of the library’s 29 full-time employees, according to executive director Beth McIntyre. Caught off guard by the hike last year, McIntyre said the library had to pull funding from a part-time accounting position and off-duty police officers who serve as security guards.
Now that Girtz has submitted his budget, commissioners will spend May holding public hearings and work sessions to negotiate any changes, then vote on the final version in June.
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