Stephens Co. Holding First FY16 Budget Hearing This Morning

Stephens County Commissioners will hold the first public hearing on the county’s proposed Fiscal Year 2016 budget at their meeting this morning.

County commissioners will meet at 8:30 a.m. today in the second-floor courtroom of the historic Stephens County Courthouse in downtown Toccoa.

The first item on the commission agenda is that budget public hearing.

Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said she is putting forth a proposed Fiscal Year 2016 budget that totals about $12.97 million in the general fund budget.

Ayers said that is about $70,000 more than the general fund budget approved for the current fiscal year.

According to Ayers, the Fiscal Year 2016 proposed budget does include a .25 mill decrease. That would take the county’s millage rate from 13.66 to 13.41 mills.

She said one of the main reasons that the county is able to look at decreasing the millage rate in the coming year is through savings in this year’s budget that the county has been able to set aside to put towards the budget for next year.

Also, Ayers said that tax collections and Local Option Sales Taxes were both higher than budgeted this year and that money can be put aside for next year as well.

Following the budget public hearing, Stephens County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on planning commission items.

The work session to talk about the meeting agenda will follow the planning commission public hearing and the business meeting to vote on agenda items will follow the work session.

Today’s 8:30 a.m. Stephens County Commission meeting also allows time for public comment.