$80.6 Million Budget Proposed for Woodstock for FY2025

The Woodstock City Council will soon consider a $80.6 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year.

Council members heard an initial presentation on the proposed budget May 13.

The proposed budget amount is about a 10% decrease from the 2024 amended budget, which was $89.7 million.

The city’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.

The budget includes a citywide 3% cost of living raise, which will go into effect in January, as well as merit increases starting in April, according to city documents.

The city’s proposed general fund is a little over $30.8 million, 4% up from the 2024 amended general fund budget, city documents show. Recurring revenues are projected to be up by 7%.

A little over 48% of the general fund is dedicated to public safety: 28.1% for police — a little over $8.6 million — and 20.2% for fire, a little over $6.2 million. There is over $467,000 more in funding for public safety in the proposed budget than the amended FY2024 budget.

Within the general fund, the proposed budget includes $100,000 for city council contingency, $100,000 for benefit contingency and $100,000 for operating contingency, as well as a $10,000 contribution to the Sequoyah Regional Library System and a $20,000 contribution to the Cherokee Office of Economic Development.

The proposed budget’s general fund includes four new full-time positions starting in January: two police officers, a community risk reduction specialist for the Woodstock Fire Department and a special events recreation specialist for the parks and recreation department. There are also two new part-time positions: an HR generalist starting in July and a purchasing technician starting in January.

The proposed water and sewer budget is $14 million, down $2.9 million from the amended FY2024 budget. It includes a water rate increase of 4%, effective July 1.

The water and sewer budget proposes one new full-time position, a water/sewer GIS analyst, and a part-time UB customer service representative, starting in July. It allocates $1.2 million for capital projects.

The proposed stormwater budget is $1.5 million.

The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VII budget is $10 million.

The SPLOST budget includes:

Police:

♦ Seven replacement patrol vehicles — $658,903

♦ Two new patrol vehicles — $197,940

Fire:

♦ 10 sets of gear — $34,100

♦ One admin vehicle replacement — $75,000

♦ Fire Station 14 bay door replacement — $55,000

Public Works (streets):

♦ Road resurfacing project (Local Maintenance Improvement Grant) — $913,129

♦ Gridsmart technology installation — $310,000

♦ Neese Road southern segment construction — $1,889,805

♦ I-575/Ridgewalk Parkway DDI — $94,000 — partial rollover of SPLOST V funds

♦ Trickum Road and Nocatee roundabout construction — $1,108,000

♦ Towne Lake Parkway widening (Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank Three) — $2,764,103

The city’s proposed budget allocates about $9.3 million in FY2025 for the parking deck bond project fund — this is for construction of the planned parking deck at the future City Center, using remaining funds from a $20.2 million Downtown Development Authority bond issued in December 2023.

Other than SPLOST and the main parking deck fund, the proposed budget has nearly $13.9 million in the “special revenue” category; budget items in this category include parking deck-related projects, work on the Noonday Creek Trail extension and an ARPA-funded Wastewater Treatment Plant membrane replacement project.

Woodstock is expected to set its millage rate for fiscal year 2025 in August.

To see the budget, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n6ux9dv or go to page 15 in the Woodstock City Council May 13 agenda packet on the city’s website.

The council is scheduled to hold an initial vote on the budget at 7 p.m. May 20. The final vote is set for the council’s June 10 meeting. The budget will be presented on both of these dates.

The city council meets at The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main St. in downtown Woodstock.

Also at the meeting, the city council approved a budget amendment for the parks bond voters approved in November, establishing project-length (multiyear) budgets for parks projects using the bond proceeds. According to the city, when Woodstock issued the bond in April, it was sold at a premium, and the city received $26.9 million in bond proceeds.

The parks bond project-length budgets are:

♦ Little River Park Connector: $3,402,833

♦ Rubes Creek South Connector: $587,741

♦ Rubes Creek West Connector: $461,401

♦ Water Trail: $130,000

♦ Neese & Arnold Mill Rd Connections: $2,966,711

♦ Buckhead Crossing Boardwalk: $650,000

♦ Little River Park Phases 2 & 3: $14,926,229

♦ Undesignated parks projects: $3,828,278