Ellijay City Councilmembers approved the city budget for 2024, while also setting a millage rate for this year, during a special called meeting last week.
The 2023 millage rate of 1.89 is based on the current rollback rate, confirmed Mayor Al Hoyle.
“It keeps the city at a zero increase and zero decrease,” he added. “If there’s other revenue sources than property taxes we can tap into and rely on, like SPLOST revenue or alcohol taxes, I prefer that.”
The 2024 general fund budget of $2.46 million is up somewhat from this year’s budget, which was set at $2.44 million.
Rising costs for health insurance and pretty much anything else factored into the budget increase, Hoyle noted. City employees also will receive a budgeted 5 percent cost of living increase, he added.
There are no big-ticket items or special projects included in the forthcoming budget, noted Hoyle.
The city council recently began discussing one such item — installation of a traffic roundabout at Legion Road and Old Highway 5. However, if that project develops, much of the funding would have to come from the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“It will be dependent on if the DOT contributes a portion. We wouldn’t be able to do it unless we got help from the state,” Hoyle said.