Budget

City Budget 

If you have budget related questions, contact Andrea Arnold, City Manager at andrea.arnold@decaturga.com or Meredith Roark, Chief of Staff at meredith.roark@decaturga.com or 404-370-4102.

Where We Are in the Budget Process 

The City's budget preparation process begins in February culminating with budget adoption by the City Commission in June.

Budget milestones will be listed below throughout the budget process.

February 23 Department budget requests due to the City Manager's Office
March 4 City Commission adopts billing ordinance

April 1

Tax bill mailing deadline

May 20

Budget presented to City Commission and tentative adoption of 2024 millage rates at 7:30 P.M.
June 3 Public Hearing on Budget at 7:30 P.M - (Zoom link coming soon.)
June 5

Extended Work Session on Budget at 5:00 P.M. - (Zoom link coming soon.)

June 10

Public Hearing on Budget and Millage Rates at 6:00 P.M. (If needed.)

June 17

Public Hearing on Budget and Millage Rates at 11:30 A.M. (If needed.)
Public Hearing on Budget and Millage Rates at 7:30 P.M. (If needed.)
Adoption of FY 2024-2025 Budget and FY 2023-2024 Revised Budget Adoption of Final 2024 Millage Rates at 7:30 P.M.

 

Public Hearings

This year's budget and millage rate public hearings will be held in-person at Decatur City Hall as well virtually. All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings to listen and participate. To participate via the Zoom video platform, click on the registration links listed above (once available) or you may call in by dialing (929) 205-6099 and entering the 11-digit meeting I.D. when prompted.

Background

The City's charter requires the City Manager to prepare an annual budget on the basis of estimates submitted by the directors of departments and approved by the City Commission. The budget document is the result of months of planning. The budget allocates the City's limited financial resources to provide services based on organizational and community priorities. The resulting document becomes the plan that guides departments' operations throughout the fiscal year. 

The budget period is the City's fiscal year, which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. While budgeting is an ongoing process, departments officially submit budget requests to the City Manager and the Chief of Staff, in March. The budget is typically adopted by the City Commission on the third Monday in June.

A hard copy of the City's annual revised budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 and proposed budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 will be available for review in the Chief of Staff/City Clerk's Office at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street (after May 20, 2024) as well as the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street.

Vision Based Budgeting 

With guidance of the 2020 Strategic Plan, the annual budget is the primary implementation tool to make the community’s vision come to life. The budget links that follow highlight the six themes outlined in the 2020 strategic plan.  Under each theme is a description of how the city implements the goals and tasks of that theme, past accomplishments, proposed projects for this fiscal year, performance measures and unique partnerships. We call this process Vision-Based Budgeting.

 

Budget Files