Sandy Springs City Council began its budget deliberations by hearing staff recommendations to give all employees a 5 percent cost of living pay increase.
The budget would also cover an estimated 12 percent increase in employee health insurance premiums.
Those budget assumptions were part of the $37.3 million FY 2025 operating budget.
“As you all are aware each year we are very conservative budgeters. We underestimate revenues and overestimate our expenditures so that we don’t end up with unpleasant surprises at the end of the year,” City Manager Eden Freeman said.
The city’s general liability insurance will also increase by 12 percent to $1.97 million. The COLA increase is projected to cost $2.4 million. Health insurance costs will increase to $8.9 million.
Between costs for the principal and interest on bonds issued through the city’s Public Facilities Authority and its debt service for fire apparatus and equipment, the city projects to spend $14.3 million.
Capital budget requests top $27 million
The city’s capital budget requests were almost $27.4 million. Those requests include parks, including Old Riverside Park ($2.5 million), trails, paving and sidewalks ($7.5 million), stormwater improvements ($4.5 million) traffic management, police radio, body-worn camera, TASER and mapping software, ($1.2 million) fire equipment, work on fire stations ($1 million), IT infrastructure hardware and workstation replacements ($1 million), City Springs cistern work ($1.5 million) and the demolition of five buildings owned by the city within the City Springs District ($3 million).
Another $3.6 million in capital budget requests exist, but Freeman said an estimated $1.85 million would be available for use. The City Council must decide which of these projects it wants to fund:
- Heritage Lawn band shell –$1.75 million.
- Internally illuminated street name signs rehab — $300,000.
- Morgan Falls Dog Park Improvements — $750,000.
- Perimeter Small Area Plan — $200,000 for updates.
- Ridgeview Park improvements — $400,000 to add a bathroom facility.
- Roswell Road safety project study – $200,000.
The Fleet Fund in the capital budget would add $1.63 million to the budget, with Community Development, police, fire, public works, and recreation and parks getting replacement vehicles. The majority of the funds – $1.25 million – would be for the scheduled replacement of 16 police vehicles.