After considerable discussion, community input and refinement, the Johns Creek City Council approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Operating Budget of $60.4 million with a unanimous vote. The City Council also committed more than 75 percent of its estimated $54 million in reserves.
I am pleased with the efforts of the City Council and staff to work together to deliver Johns Creek’s 10th consecutive balanced budget, which will fund traffic congestion relief, public safety improvements, park enhancements and community-based planning for the future. This budget incorporates significant improvements to our budget process and addresses the community’s desire for a clearer picture of city expenditures.
With a relatively new council and a new look to the budget, we have fundamentally changed the way we have incorporated input from the City Council, city staff and the public, and I’m grateful to all involved. The FY 2016 Budget is the product of a new, strategic planning process that utilizes a 10-year financial forecast model, complemented by a scorecard method to prioritize capital requests.
Our new process, which is driven in part by keeping an eye on the long-term future, enabled us to more precisely resource our key priorities, as well as enabled us to make cuts totaling more than $2 million in operational and expenditure funds.
The budget also addresses the critical need to ensure Public Safety continues to be properly resourced. We cannot take for granted our status as Georgia’s safest city. The city is growing, and we have planned ahead to ensure our police and fire departments keep pace.
We have committed $643,842 for four new police officers, which includes vehicles and equipment to help improve response times and available community outreach programs.
The Public Safety budget also includes $314,698 for personnel costs for three new fire fighters and an additional fire marshal, which includes critical equipment, such as additional oxygen tanks, to keep them safe. The additional fire department personnel increases resources for conducting fire inspections, which greatly assists our business community.
The FY 2016 Budget was also designed to aggressively address our traffic congestion issues, as well as other key infrastructure needs. Specifically, we have funded traffic congestion relief projects for key transportation corridors, including McGinnis Ferry Road, Kimball Bridge Road, Abbotts Bridge Road, Jones Bridge Road, Barnwell Road and Haynes Bridge Road. Also, we have committed $5 million towards neighborhood road resurfacing.
We also heard you loud and clear regarding the need for additional parks and recreational opportunities. To that end, we are committing more than $1.5 million for park improvements, in addition to eventual development of pocket parks on Morton Road and State Bridge road. We also hope to purchase additional land for new parks.
For a more comprehensive look at the approved FY 2016 Budget, please visit our budget webpage.
Your input plays a critical role in helping us shape each budget, so please remain engaged with us throughout the year. This is your city, and we value your thoughts and input regarding how best to spend your tax dollars. Please connect with us by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
to your business!