Newspaper Page Text
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, May 18,2022, Page 3A
Kemp signs fiscal 2023 state budget
Special to the Ledger
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News
Service
Gov. Brian Kemp
signed a $30.2 billion
state budget Thursday
that includes pay raises
for teachers and state
employees.
The fiscal 2023 spend
ing plan, which takes
effect July 1, is just shy
of the record $30.3 bil
lion fiscal 2022 mid-year
budget covering state
spending through June
30.
It includes the $2,000
final installment of a
$5,000 pay hike for
Georgia teachers Kemp
promised on the cam
paign trail four years
ago.
Most state workers also
will get $5,000 raises,
while larger increases
will go to correctional
Marine
Corps
Logistics
Base to
Host Net
Zero
Ceremony
Special to the Ledger
Marine Corps Logis
tics Base Albany will
officially declare their
Net Zero status during
a ceremony aboard the
installation, May 24 at
10 a.m.
This day is more than
a decade in the making,
and involved the efforts
of dozens within Marine
Corps Logistics Base
Albany. It has been on
the minds of officials
from throughout the
Department of Defense
for some time.
MCLB Albany can now
call itself a “Net Zero”
base. It is the first instal
lation in the Department
of Defense to meet this
energy-efficiency mile
stone.
Net Zero is defined
as the production of as
much electricity from re
newable “green” energy
sources as it consumes
from its utility provider.
“This is tremendous
work by everyone on
base,” Col. Michael
Fitzgerald, commanding
officer, MCLB Albany,
said. “The base can be
self-reliant in terms of
energy with the resourc
es we have available. The
taxpayer gets a break.”
Ariel
Taylor
named to
Dean’s List
Special to the Ledger
Ariel Taylor of Alba
ny GA, was named to
the Spring 2022 Dean’s
List at Berry College.
The Dean’s List honors
students who posted an
academic average of 3.5
or better on a 4.0 scale
while carrying a class
load of at least 12 hours
during the semester.
Nationally recognized
for academic excellence
and as an outstanding
educational value, Berry
is an independent, coed
ucational, comprehen
sive liberal arts college
of approximately 2,100
students.
officers in the adult and
juvenile prison system
plagued with high turn
over rates.
State retirees will
receive their first cost-of-
living adjustment in 14
years.
The budget also
contains a $180 million
increase in mental health
spending, the largest in
the state’s history, and
$28 million to extend
Medicaid coverage for
new mothers from the
current six months to a
year.
In the criminal justice
arena, the budget funds a
new state trooper class of
75 cadets, an expansion
of the attorney general’s
human trafficking unit
and a newly created gang
prosecution unit.
“We have prioritized
education, public safety
and health care, even
when we faced truly
unprecedented times,”
Kemp said during a bud
get signing ceremony at
the University of North
Georgia’s Blue Ridge
campus.
Kemp said state coffers
are flush with enough
money to cover the var
ious spending increases
because he reopened
Georgia’s economy earli
er than many other states
during the early months
of the pandemic.
But Democrats attribut
ed the additional spend
ing to the availability of
federal funds from the
American Rescue Plan
a Democratic-controlled
Congress passed shortly
after President Joe Biden
took office last year.
“After calling Demo
crats’ American Rescue
Plan a ‘slap in the face
for hardworking Geor
gians,’ Brian Kemp is
hypocritically trying to
take credit because he
thinks it will help his
chances of reelection,”
said Max Flugrath,
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While the state pours
additional funds into
education, public safety
and health care, the bud
get also made room for a
one-time $1.1 billion tax
refund. A phased-in $1
billion state income tax
cut will kick in starting
in 2024.
The refunds are start
ing to go out to taxpay
ers this week. However,
the process isn’t ex
pected to be completed
until August due to the
volume of refunds.
“This is a good budget,
one which invests strate
gically in... a growing,
thriving state while at
the same time keeping
state government lean
and returning every
dollar possible to the
taxpayer,” said Georgia
House Speaker David
Ralston, R-Blue Ridge.
Ralston noted the
budget also will provide
$13 million to expand
the Blue Ridge campus
that hosted Thursday’s
signing ceremony.
This story is available
through a news partner
ship with Capitol Beat
News Service, a project
of the Georgia Press Ed
ucational Foundation.
Congratulate
The Lee County Ledger will publish in
the May 25 Edition Congratulation
Messages to the Class of 2022 from
businesses, families and friends.
The Ledger will print a brief personal
message (15 words or less) and photo
of your favorite senior for only $15.
For your message and photo of your
favorite senior to appear in our
graduation edition, we must receive
them by Friday, May 20.
Congratulations
Corinne
We are proud of you.
Love,
Mom and Dad
Graduation 2022
Name of Graduate
Message
Mail with payment to: The Lee County Ledger
P.O. Box 715, Leesburg, GA 31763 or bring to our
office at 124 4th Street, Leesburg
Visa and Mastercard Accepted
LEE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
BUDGET
FISCAL YEAR 2023
General
Fund
Governmental Fund Types
Debt Capital
Service Projects
Special
Revenue
Funds
Total
Revenues
Local
$
19,429,000.00 $
3,709,000.00 $
1,622,000.00 $
1,491,800.00 $
26,251,800.00
State
42,885,007.00
2,553,722.00
1,550,500.00
46,989,229.00
Federal
0.00
5,049,888.20
5,049,888.20
$
62,314,007.00 $
3,709,000.00 $
4,175,722.00 $
8,092,188.20 $
78,290,917.20
Expenditures
Instruction
$
43,606,864.83
$
2,923,437.20 $
46,530,302.03
Pupil Services
2,828,111.11
561,767.00
3,389,878.11
Improvement of Instructional Services
1,598,262.82
294,038.15
1,892,300.97
Educational Media Services
1,361,864.56
1,361,864.56
General Administration
638,026.22
3,600.00
641,626.22
School Administration
3,881,151.74
39,660.13
3,920,811.87
Business Administration
497,773.96
497,773.96
Maintenance and Operation
6,398,044.29
27,880.80
6,425,925.09
Student Transportation
4,780,722.22
57,730.00
4,838,452.22
Central Support Services
385,893.55
385,893.55
Other Support Services
16,750.00
0.00
16,750.00
Food Service Operations
3,890,635.98
3,890,635.98
Community Service Operations
450,000.00
450,000.00
Capital Outlay
$
20,093,722.00
20,093,722.00
Debt Service
$
4,374,849.58
4,374,849.58
$
65,993,465.30 $
4,374,849.58 $
20,093,722.00 $
8,248,749.26 $
98,710,786.14
Excess Revenues over/(under) Expenditures
$
(3,679,458.30) $
(665,849.58) $
(15,918,000.00) $
(156,561.06) $
(20,419,868.94)
Other Financing Sources/(Uses)
Proceeds from the Sale of Bonds
$
15,000,000.00
$
15,000,000.00
Operating Transfers In
$
0.00
17,540,000.00 $
161,230.08 $
17,701,230.08
Operating Transfers Out
$
(161,230.08)
0.00
(17,540,000.00)
0.00
(17,701,230.08)
$
(161,230.08) $
0.00
15,000,000.00 $
161,230.08 $
15,000,000.00
Excess Revenues and Other Financing Sources
Over/(Under) Expenditures and Other Financing Uses
$
(3,840,688.38) $
(665,849.58) $
(918,000.00) $
4,669.02 $
(5,419,868.94)
Fund Balance July 1, 2022
8,750,000.00
3,597,500.00
6,800,000.00
265,000.00
19,412,500.00
Fund Balance June 30, 2023
$
4,909,311.62 $
2,931,650.42 $
5,882,000.00 $
269,669.02 $
13,992,631.06
In compliance with O.C.G.A. 20-2-167.1, the Lee County Board of Eduction will hold two budget hearings for public input on Monday, May 23rd
at 5:00pm and Monday, June 13th at 5:00pm in the board room of the central office at 126 Starksville Avenue North, Leesburg, Georgia.
The Lee County Board of Education will meet in regular session to adopt a final budget for Fiscal Year 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in the board room of
the central office on June 13, 2022.