SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — With a unanimous vote at its June 16 assembly, the Social Circle Metropolis Council accepted a normal fund price range totaling barely lower than $9 million.
On the income aspect of the ledger, property taxes are slated to offer $2,762,870 to fund the $8,995,665 spending plan for the upcoming 2027 fiscal yr.
Different main income sources for town’s normal fund price range, which funds emergency providers and different day-to-day authorities operations, embrace a $1.6 million switch of funds from town’s fuel utility operations; $1.13 million within the metropolis’s share of countywide local-option gross sales tax income; $641,000 in electrical franchise tax funds; $610,000 in insurance coverage premium tax funding; a $300,000 infusion from town’s fund stability reserves, $280,000 in courtroom fines and forfeitures; $224,000 in state transportation mission grant funding, and $165,000 from municipal issuance of constructing permits and signal permits.
Among the many incidental income sources projected for the upcoming fiscal yr are $300 from town’s issuance of permits for golf carts, that are allowed on metropolis streets, and $100 in income anticipated to come back from filings looking for metropolis paperwork topic to launch below the state’s open data legal guidelines, in addition to $120 in municipal cell dwelling tax receipts.
On the expense aspect of the price range for the upcoming fiscal yr, town’s police and fireplace departments declare the biggest share of deliberate municipal expenditures. The police division price range is about at $2,291,642, with the hearth division set to assert $2,064,009 within the 2027 fiscal yr.
Salaries and extra time pay for police personnel are budgeted at practically $1.4 million, with those self same objects budgeted at barely greater than $1.4 million for firefighting personnel.
Town’s Group Improvement Division, which handles planning, zoning and growth code points, is budgeted at $424,844 for the upcoming fiscal yr, whereas town’s downtown growth initiative is slated to obtain $254,041 for the 2027 fiscal yr.
Finance director resigns
In different enterprise at Tuesday’s council assembly, Social Circle Metropolis Supervisor Eric Taylor introduced the resignation of Toni Jo Howard, town’s finance director. Howard had been with town for lower than two years, having been named to the submit in late 2024. She got here to Social Circle after working with the cities of Johns Creek, Norcross, Sandy Springs and Tucker.
Whereas a search is below approach for Howard’s successor, the submit will likely be held on an interim foundation by David Jahns, who has served in varied capacities, together with finance director and metropolis clerk, in communities throughout the world.
Taylor indicated Tuesday that the seek for Howard’s successor is anticipated to be accomplished comparatively rapidly.
New chief decide appointed
Additionally at Tuesday’s assembly, the council ratified the appointment of Monroe prison protection lawyer Samuel Barth as town’s new Municipal Court docket chief decide.
Barth had been serving as an affiliate Municipal Court docket decide in Social Circle below Chief Choose Robbie Ballard, one other Monroe lawyer. Ballard not too long ago introduced that he will likely be retiring from Municipal Court docket as of July 31.
Ballard really useful Barth as his substitute within the chief decide submit. Below a contract accepted Tuesday by town council, Barth will likely be paid $1,250 per 30 days for service because the Municipal Court docket’s chief decide.
As Barth takes the bench in Social Circle Municipal Court docket, two different space attorneys, John Toney and Taylor Newberry, will stay as affiliate Municipal Court docket judges – posts to which they have been appointed in August of final yr — to help Barth.
Different council motion
Additionally at its June 16 assembly, the council awarded a $4,792,803 contract to Macon-based Professional Development of GA, LLC, for development of a upkeep facility for town’s public works autos. Professional Development submitted the bottom responsive bid among the many 12 companies that submitted bids for the mission. The very best bid for the work was $5,782,000.
Council members additionally gave their unanimous approval Tuesday to an engineering providers settlement, at a price to not exceed $50,000, with Kimley-Horn and Associates, a nationwide engineering, planning and consulting agency. Below the settlement, Kimley-Horn will consider how a deliberate renovation of a Georgia Freeway 138 bridge in Monroe may affect Social Circle pure fuel infrastructure kin the world. The work may embrace preliminary help with utilities relocation eventualities.
Additionally incomes unanimous council approval on the June 16 assembly was an engineering providers settlement with Precision Planning, Inc. in Lawrenceville for development design and different work related to a brand new 1-million-gallon water tank off Tower Highway to switch an present 100,000-gallon tank. The work is slated to value $197,050, in response to documentation from Tuesday’s council assembly.
