Newspaper Page Text
City passes $70 million
‘no-frills’ budget for 2025
By Cathy Cobbs
The Dunwoody
City Council
unanimously passed
a proposed $70
million “no-frills”
budget for 2025
that reflects a 5.29%
increase over 2024.
According to
reports presented
at the Oct. 15 and
Oct. 28 meetings
by Richard Platto,
the city’s finance
director, Dunwoody
remains in a strong
financial position as it heads into fiscal
year 2025.
“Staff approached developing the 2025
budget with two guiding parameters — to
minimize the use of fund balance within
the general fund and to keep the projected
end-of-the-year general fund balance
[reserve] over six months,” the report said.
Platto said the last three year’s estimates
indicated that the city would have to
dip into the general fund to balance the
budget, but because revenues exceeded
projections and expenditures were lower
than expected, it wasn’t necessary.
However, the 2025 budget, with
revenues growing at about 2.4% and
expenditures projected to be 6.7%, may
force the city to dip into reserves, Platto
said. The city would still have a healthy
reserve balance of more than six months,
even if the funds were needed to balance
the budget.
In addition, he said, there are non
city revenues totaling about $2 million
for expenditures that will not be funded
beyond 2025, so alternative funding
sources will have to be found if those
services are to continue.
The city’s largest expense, its police
force, remains at the top of its projected
expenditures, about $17 million, which
includes non-city contributions like
Special Purpose Local Sales Tax revenues.
The 2025 budget includes an increase
in police personnel from 78 to 87 and 4%
raises for city employees.
Dunwoody Councilman Tom Lambert
at the Oct. 15 meeting addressed public
concerns aired on social media and in local
publications the perception that there is
“out-of-control spending with the city
council.”
“That is not the reality,” he said.
“Despite what the public says, we have not
ended with a deficit, in fact we have always
ended with a surplus.”
Nobody spoke either in support or
against the proposed budget at the Oct. 15
or Oct. 28 public hearing.
Seeking nominations
of students
for our
16th Annual
20 Under 20 issue.
Here's the information we need:
■ Nominator (name, relationship to nominee and
contact information)
■ Nominee (Name, age, grade, school, parent or
guardian names, contact information)
■ Characteristics and service:
Please provide a paragraph describing why this
nominee deserves recognition. Include service
projects, goals, and areas of interest.
■ A high resolution photograph
(1MB in size or more) of the student
in any setting.
The deadline for nominations is Nov. 15,2024
Submit nominations and photos to collin@roughdraftatlanta.com.
Broughtto
November 17 YouB v
2-6pm DHA
Shops of Dunwoody 55
serving since 1970
Annual Tree and Menorah
Lighting Festival
5468 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Photos with Santa
Arts and Crafts
Entertainment
Dance and Musical Performances
GOLD SPONSORS
EEPEVENTS
RoughDraft
atlanta
It’s not special treatment.
It’s called service.
Lisa Torres Sk State Farm
SILVER SPONSORS
Piedmont POUTHII ROW
BRONZE SPONSORS
Chopt Creative Salad Co.
Dunwoody Christian School
Follow us on Instagram! @lightupdunwoody_official
Special thanks to Brand Real Estate Services and Spruill Center for the Arts
ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
NOVEMBER 2024 | 13
