Ellijay City Council-members adopted a $2.38 million operating budget for the coming fiscal year when meeting Monday, Oct. 18, at City Hall. A millage rate of 2.3 mills was also approved at the meeting.
Both this year’s millage rate and city taxes have decreased from last year, confirmed Mayor Al Hoyle.
Councilwoman Katie Lancey said taxes have decreased by 13.29 percent.
“I would like to thank the people that worked on on the budget and setting the milage rate. That is a thankless job,” said Lancey.
Hoyle said tax revenue was up this year, including sales and alcohol taxes, as well as digest property values.
“It all contributed to it. I’m thankful we have a city council that sees those increases, and I’m happy we’re able to lower the tax burden on our citizens,” he added.
The 2022 budget also includes $320,035 in funds from the American Rescue Plan that will be used to fund, among other things, an 18 percent pay increase for city police and fire department employees.
The City of Ellijay’s 2022 fiscal year will run from Jan. 1-Dec. 31.
In other news ...
Councilmembers approved an amendment to the city’s buildings and building regulations that gives code enforcement the ability to set a timeframe for building permits, including extending a permit if a project is past a certain stage. A first reading of the addition was given at the council’s September meeting.
Code Enforcement Officer Andrew Mathis noted that it’s becoming more common to see building projects take longer to finish due to a lot of construction going on and a shortage of materials, among other factors.
A mowing and maintenance agreement for the recently completed roundabout at Old Highway 5 and Highway 382 was approved.
A more extensive version of the agreement presented by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) was discussed at a previous council meeting, but the council showed no interest in adopting it, Hoyle noted.
He said the agreement has since been revised and now pertains only to mowing the grass, which the city would’ve done anyway.
Hoyle said GDOT wants to plant trees near the roundabout to make it safer and more visible, but they won’t do so unless the city agrees to mow the grass.
“They want to put the plantings in (for sight distance). People will see them from a distance as they come up on it,” he added.
The council approved an easement for Georgia Power on a piece of city-owned property in the Corbin Hill area. The easement is needed for the installation of underground power lines and possibly a transformer, Hoyle noted.