Department heads are expected to discuss their department budgets with the mayor and city council at the meeting that is scheduled at 6 p.m. at Kennesaw City Hall. Officials said a proposed overall budget for the city will be presented at a later date.
Unlike other cities in Cobb County, Kennesaw’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
On Wednesday, a special called work session was conducted at city hall. Mayor Mark Mathews and council members briefly discussed their mayor and council departmental budget for Fiscal Year 2013. Councilman Bill Thrash was absent.
Mathews said the city was about $15,000 away from having a totally balanced budget. He said that spurred a $15,000 reduction in the mayor and council departmental budget to help fill in the gap. The city’s current fiscal year budget is $17.18 million and its property tax rate is 8.0 mills.
“That should help to balance the whole thing,” Mathews said of the city’s budget.
The $15,000 that will go toward the city’s overall budget came out of the mayor and council departmental budget’s election expenses. There are no city elections this year.
“Normally, the expense is to cover total costs when we consolidate our
elections and contract with Cobb County Board of Elections,” said City Clerk Debra Taylor.
In total, the proposed mayor and council departmental budget presented on Wednesday is $496,743, a 1 percent increase over the current budget of $491,865. Taylor said the proposed budget is very similar to what was approved last year.
The department’s proposed budget includes $199,875 for the annual salaries of the mayor and five council members, in addition to that of the city clerk and assistant city clerk, which are full-time positions. The budget item represents a 1.1 percent increase.
The mayor is paid $19,200 per year and council members receive $12,000 per year. Both serve four-year terms.
Other expense items include $76,586 for group insurance, $45,494 for retirement contributions, $19,000 for travel expenses, $11,900 for organizational memberships, and $30,000 for contingency expenses, which cover unplanned expenses.
After the city’s proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget is finalized, two public hearings on the budget will take place at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 4 and Sept. 17 at city hall.
In related news, a town hall meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw.
Officials are expected to discuss the budget, give updates on projects and answer questions from the public.
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