The Holly Springs City Council on Monday night approved its 2011 budget at $5.1 million, down from the current budget of $5.5 million. The city's budget runs on a calendar year.
The budget is made up of the general fund used for operating the city government as well as special revenue funds and a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax fund.
The general fund budget is set at $3.7 million for 2011, down from the current $3.8 million budget.
"For the third straight year, the city has had to go through a lot of belt-tightening," Mayor Tim Downing said.
Downing said the budget doesn't call for any cuts in personnel or any furloughs, nor does it include raises for staff.
"Everybody is buckling down and doing the job of two or three people," Councilman Jeremy Smith said. "People won't see a significant drop-off in services."
The budget is based on the 5.148 millage rate approved earlier this year. The city has about $500,000 in reserves, the same as last year, according to Downing.
The SPLOST fund was budgeted at $703,940 in 2011, down from approximately $1 million budgeted in the current budget. The SPLOST funds will be put to projects such as bringing sewer to the downtown area and new police cars.
The council did vote Monday night to defer the city's Livable Centers Initiative and Transportation Enhancement project until 2015.
The project includes new sidewalks, streetscapes and street lights along Holly Springs Parkway from Childers Road on the west side of the road and from the city's Municipal Building on the east side to Crossroads High/Middle School, and along the north side of Hickory Road from Palm Street stretching just short of Hickory Springs Industrial Drive. The total length of the project is 1.1 miles.
The city's match for the project will be close to $1 million, and it was scheduled for the upcoming state budget year.
Brantley Day, community services director for the city, said both the Atlanta Regional Commission, which funds LCI projects, and the Department of Transportation, which funds TE projects, are OK with the delay.
"It became a victim of the economy," Downing said of the project.
Holly Springs agenda
The Holly Springs City Council on Monday night considered the following agenda items:
* Approved the final brand proposal for the city;
* Approved the city’s updated zoning map;
* Tabled consideration of a conditional-use permit request by Old Towne Developers LLC to operate a self-storage establishment at 2615 Holly Springs Parkway. The Holly Springs Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval;
* Approved the proposed public works safety manual;
* Approved the property tax software contract with SureCourt LLC;
* Approved 2010 budget amendments;
* Approved a Lung Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation;
* Approved a resolution requesting the deferment of both the Livable Centers Initiative Transportation and Transportation Enhancement projects; and
* David Giaimo spoke to the council about granting a tax exemption for fully medically disabled residents. No action was taken.
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