Macon-Bibb seeks to shore up budget with $1.3 million adjustment

Macon-Bibb County’s budget could be adjusted by about $1.3 million as officials look to shore up numbers halfway into the budget year.

On Tuesday, commissioners are expected to vote on adjusting the general fund budget up to $144.1 million as part of a mid-year review. The original fiscal 2017 general fund budget, approved in June, was $142.8 million.

The $1.3 million budget adjustment would provide a more accurate reflection of what expenses are expected to be as the fiscal year comes to an end in June 2017, Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore said.

The county continues to operate on a tight budget, with many departments, including the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, staffed lower than the number of allotted employees. A mid-year budget review is standard for governments and is a transparent way to show how money is being spent, Floore said.

“It’s across the board,” he said of proposed change in expenses. “We’re running pretty bare bones. It’s not as if there is one major expense there. It’s a lot of things that we have to take care of.”

Commissioner Bert Bivins said his impression of the adjustment is that it’s standard bookkeeping, but he wants to get more information when it’s presented at Tuesday’s commission meeting.

“I’m looking forward to hearing the details,” he said. “This was mentioned and kind of brought up briefly (last week). I want to get the details to make sure this is nothing more than a routine thing.”

Commissioner Scotty Shepherd said he’s reviewed the request and didn’t have major questions about it.

“I know some of (the commissioners) were taken aback because it was sprung on them without warning,” he said. “Traditionally at this time of the year you make changes, and we’ve had some personnel changes. I guess I went through it so much with the county budget I didn’t see anything that jumped out to me that I had any real questions with.”

The county would determine how to cover the extra expenses as revenue from sales and property taxes and other areas such as franchise fees continue to flow in. Throughout the year, there are various additional budget requests that commissioners vote on.

Even with the adjustment, the county’s general fund budget would still be about $22 million lower than the combined Macon and Bibb County governments in fiscal 2014.

The general fund budget includes a 1.5 percent pay increase for employees, and it kept the countywide property tax rate at 14.65 mills. The previous budget was lowered by $2.9 million because of widespread employee buyouts offered in 2015.

Tuesday’s budget resolution also includes the government’s organizational chart and a capital improvement plan.

This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb seeks to shore up budget with $1.3 million adjustment."