Members of the Ellijay City Council adopted the city’s operating budget for the 2021 fiscal year, as well as this year’s millage rate, when meeting Monday, Oct. 19.
Both the 2021 budget and the 2020 millage rate are down slightly from the year preceding each, noted Mayor Al Hoyle.
The forthcoming general fund budget is $1.94 million, down from $1.98 million for 2020. The city’s millage rate, 3.032, has also decreased slightly from 3.120 last year.
Taxes will not change based solely on the millage decrease, but they could increase or decrease depending on the county’s individual property assessments, Hoyle noted.
In other news ...
﹣ Councilman Al Fuller gave an update on a preliminary design for public rest rooms that will be built at Harrison Park.
“We have a ‘look.’ It may not be a final rendering, but it is a rendering of what it might look like. It’s fluid right now but it’s coming along,” he said.
The rendering shows rest room facilities with a barn-style facade in keeping with the rustic look that’s been sought for the downtown walking park.
“We have a cost of materials for the bathrooms, but not the concrete or lumber. We’re going to try to use stainless steel fixtures if we can afford it. There will be two ADA (rest rooms) in the front and other rest rooms in the back. The two in front will be open all the time,” Fuller added.
The Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority has already run pipe past the McCutchen Street bridge to the park site, and work is expected to begin soon on a pump station that will service the rest rooms, Fuller noted. A $100,000 parks and recreation line item for the rest room project was included in the 2021 budget’s SPLOST expenditures, Hoyle confirmed.
﹣ Kim Adamson, of Friends of Harrison Park, told councilmembers that a Halloween trick-or-treat event will be held at Harrison Park Saturday, Oct. 31, from 1-4 p.m.
“We have traffic and pedestrian plans for flow of traffic so everything can be socially distanced and safe,” she noted.
Police Chief Ed Lacey said city police will provide traffic control for the one way-in, one way-out event.
McCutchen Street will be closed at the bridge for vehicular traffic from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Halloween.
Parking for the event will be available at Clear Creek and Ellijay Elementary School, also on McCutchen Street.