City of Dunwoody Budget Committee meetings to be held this week on Wednesday & Thursday via Zoom

 

CITY OF DUNWOODY BUDGET MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY - 9 A.M.
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GEORGIA 30338
and via Zoom

The City of Dunwoody Budget Committee is comprised of three current council members that are on staggered three year terms.  This year the Budget Committee is comprised of Council Members Jim Riticher, Pam Talmadge and Tom Lambert.  Budget committee recommendations will be brought forward to the full Council later in the month.

Wednesday Agenda - 9 a.m. Start

Please click this URL to join.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88330163051

Or join by phone:
US: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782     Webinar ID: 883 3016 3051

Thursday Agenda - 9 a.m. Start

Please click this URL to join.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88523953430

Or join by phone:
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799    Webinar ID: 885 2395 3430

Two Day Meeting Packet - Highlights of the report are stated below.

2021 Budget is without a doubt that the most challenging one to put together in the history of the City. However, it can also be said, that prudent planning by this Council, and Councils before it, have put Dunwoody in a better position for this event. This budget, in conjunction with the midyear adjustments, allows for the following:

Creates a budget that combines strategic reductions in current operating efforts and uses fund balance to create an operating budget still meeting constituent needs and desires. It prevents reductions in department operations from what would have been extreme cuts by judicially planning a draw down of fund balance over two years,while still maintaining a healthy four-month reserve at the end of 2021.

This budget is submitted with a strong caveat for the City Council. The City must engage in a robust discussion about revenue and expenses prior to development of next year’s budget. The current status of most all residential property values being frozen severely hampers the City being able to maintain high service levels in all operations.

If the Council passes this budget as is, the City will have kept the same rate of 2.740 since inception (1.740 for homesteaded properties). That rate means Dunwoody residents have one of the lowest city tax bills in the metro area. Your typical home of $450,000 pays only $286 for the year. 

While having this low a tax rate has been a matter of pride for many years, the City must revisit this decision, especially in light of reductions in businesses licenses, commercial property values, and hotel/motel taxes. This in combination with the current citizens of Dunwoody asking for more services does not work in the long term. The City was designed to reduce residential taxes by subsidizing them from a robust commercial tax base. That base has been dramatically affected by recent events.

One of the biggest challenges in this budget is that overall revenue of $20.1 million (a 21.4% decrease from 2020’s original level) is closer to the revenue of a decade ago.

This feat of maintaining service delivery without a tax increase in this proposal is accomplished through using the City’s rainy day fund, both in 2020 and 2021. While this budget shows a diligence in financial planning, the budget should be reviewed with warning that this structure is not sustainable over the long term.