As we posted yesterday, Cobb Commission chairman Mike Boyce is outlining his priorities for the county’s fiscal year 2020 budget.
At his State of the County remarks Monday morning at the Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Boyce offered his general priorities, but didn’t offer many specifics.
Among them is no tax increase, following last year’s hike of 1.7 mills in the current $454 million FY 2019 budget that runs through October.
He also wants to offer all county employees a pay raise and to reduce the amount of Cobb Water Department revenues transferred to the county general fund budget from 10 percent to nine percent.
Also on his wish list is expanding Sunday public library hours to all branches and eliminating membership and user fees for senior services that were imposed in 2018.
Last month, the leader of the county senior citizens council asked that those fees be reconsidered.
Another proposal will call for additional public health spending to address opioid addiction and neo-natal deaths.
In his remarks to the Chamber, which he previewed in this video presentation, Boyce explained what additional services county government provided in what he called a “restoration budget.” (His remarks about the budget come around the 15:20 mark).
Boyce didn’t indicate how much his priorities would cost, or how they would be paid for without another tax increase.
Town hall meetings about the budget will take place in June and July, with final adoption expected in late July.
“I’m very optimistic about the future of Cobb,” he said in the video. “Yes, we have challenges, but they’re ones that can be confidently addressed by our county staff and board of commissioners.”
Boyce will be speaking to the East Cobb Business Association on Jan. 15 and to the East Cobb Civic Association on Jan. 30.
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