The City of Flowery Branch adopted the fiscal year 2025 budget and established the millage rate at Thursday’s city council meeting.
The budget, proposed May 16, got approval after three public hearings that were required due to an effective property tax increase.
The millage rate for this calendar year is staying stagnant at 3.264 mills, with the total revenue increasing 14% from $8.8 million to $9.9 million.
While millage rates stayed the same, the assessed property values increased, requiring the three meetings.
30.3% of the fund, or roughly $3 million, comes from property taxes, with sales taxes making up 24.1% of the budget as the next highest.
Finance Department Director Mike Hamby explained at the council meeting that for every $1 of taxes, $0.29 goes to public safety, $0.22 goes to operations, $0.16 goes to public works, $0.12 goes to capital, $0.11 goes to housing and development, $0.08 goes to municipal court, and $0.07 goes to tourism.
Flowery Branch is also adding two new positions. One is an administrative assistant in the “Department of Fun,” and the other is a sewer and wastewater trainee position.
The “Department of Fun” is a newer department in the city’s government whose mission statement is to “maintain relationships between the City of Flowery Branch and its citizens.”
They hope to do quarterly inserts in citizen’s water bills for events happening downtown and have permanent signage on Main Street with events that are happening.
The police department’s budget saw a 6.4% increase, notably hoping to add a Specialized Proactive Enforcement and Response (S.P.E.A.R.) program and drones.
“There are a lot of police departments who use drones,” City Manager Tonya Parrish said. “To be able to see things that officers couldn’t see … to use that to help them would be awesome.”
The city also added a new holiday to its calendar in the third and final hearing. Veteran’s Day, November 11, will now be a holiday for City of Flowery Branch employees.
After the meeting, Hamby said it was for a “moral booster,” with many veterans working within the city’s government.
The budget will go into effect July 1 of this year and will go until June 30, 2025.
