VALDOSTA – The city passed a $114 million budget for Fiscal Year 2021.

Valdosta City Council convened for its second regular meeting of June last week. The big ticket item of the night was approval of the new budget for FY21. Council members unanimously approved the $114,857,436, which spans from July 1 through June 30, 2021.

In the new budget, the general fund will be $42,200,829; the special revenue funds will be $3,307,289; and the capital project funds will be $20,383,739. Those three funds make up “governmental funds.” For “proprietary funds,” enterprise funds will be $33,243,352 and the internal service funds will be $15,714,123. Additionally, the “permanent fund” will hold $8,104 for the cemetery trust fund.

The overall FY21 budget will increase by nearly $15 million with a 4% increase of the general fund, a 4% increase in enterprise funds and a 23% increase in capital projects. The nearly-quarter jump in capital projects will be heavily allocated to water/sewer projects; 69% of capital funding will go to water/sewer projects, according to the city budget proposal.

Capital projects are funded through SPLOST VII, SPLOST VIII, Georgia Department of Transportation, user fees and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority loans, said Ashlyn Johnson, city public information officer.

The budget also includes a 3% raise for all city employees as cost of living adjustment starting January, Valdosta City Manager Mark Barber said.

No millage rate increase has been planned, Barber said, but the tax digest must meet projected growth estimates in order to avoid a millage rate hike. Councilman Sonny Vickers asked the city manager how much growth the city would need to keep the millage rate unchanged. Valdosta needs 2.5% growth, Barber responded, but last year it had less than 2% growth.

Council members approved a bid from Powerhouse Diesel Generators for 10 automatic transfer switches. 

An ATS automates emergency power transfer in the event of loss of utility power, removing the need for a human being to physically respond, and will allow lift stations to switch from generator power to commercial power once restored. The bid from Powerhouse Diesel Generators, Inc., was presented initially as $79,395 but with the city planning to use in-house electricians, the total fell to $69,395.

Another item approved was a resolution and agreement with Georgia Department of Transportation for three projects: widening Old Clyattville Road, drainage improvements at the intersection of South Patterson Street and Griffin Avenue and signal improvements Baytree Road at Gornto Road.

In a procedural move, council members approved a $1,807,743 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the Valdosta-Lowndes Airport Authority to complete several projects such as “Wildlife Hazard Management Plan drainage improvement (construction), Runway 17/35 Protection Zone land clearing and fencing (design), Runway 17/35 asphalt mill and replace, replace marking and signage, change to Runway 18/36 (design), and procure a mobile foam test system for fire trucks,” according to the authority’s request.

During the city manager’s report, Barber addressed council of the possibility of funding Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful. Noting he along with members of the council received a recent proposal from Michael Noll, KLVB vice chair, Barber said the new budget will not fund KLVB.

“There is no funding source from us nor is there any item in the budget you adopted,” he said.

Mayor Scott James Matheson said he hopes the KLVB board stays together and the organization continues.

Lowndes County Commission has funded KLVB for years but county commissioners have said the environmental stewardship organization will not be funded in the county’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget.

Council members did not mention Antonio Smith’s lawsuit of excessive force by the Valdosta Police Department; Smith’s arm was broken in the Feb. 8 mistaken identity arrest, according to the lawsuit. The council, also named in the lawsuit, did acknowledge a barrage of calls and emails from people. Some of them profane, Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody said.

Sandra Tooley complimented her fellow council members for how they have handled the situation so far.

“The City of Valdosta has held up wonderfully,” she said.

Matheson thanked the council and city employees as well.

“Thank you for standing tall. To our department heads, thank you for standing tall,” he said.

This story was updated at 5:15 p.m. June 30 to reflect the city budget as $114,857,436. The original figure, $173,521,154, is the city’s total fund balance which is an accumulation of excess revenues since the inception of the city.