Gwinnett’s proposed budget comes up $43 million short

The first draft of Gwinnett County’s 2009 budget is out, and it shows county officials still have hard choices to make.

The proposal made public Monday includes a $43 million shortfall in the county’s primary operating fund, the general fund, a gap that could only be closed by cutting millions of dollars in spending, raising taxes or depleting the county’s shrinking rainy day fund.

The $1.4 billion budget includes $919 million for operating costs and $503 million for building projects, roads and major equipment purchases. The operating fund would go up 6.3 percent over 2008, mostly to pay for more firefighters and police. The capital budget would go down 35 percent.

The proposal doesn’t make a recommendation on the property tax residents will pay in 2009. That comes in spring, during the annual effort to reassess taxable properties, acting finance director Maria Woods said.

If the County Commission were to approve the plan as is and without raising taxes, the rainy day fund would likely slip below the two months of operating expenses recommended by county policy, budget director Chad Teague said.

The county already expects to spend $45 million from that fund this year to cover increased expenses and costs for its new baseball stadium.

The proposed budget does not include savings from the announced elimination of 93 jobs last month or other cost-cutting moves being studied by a county task force. Those recommendations may not be complete before the budget’s Jan. 6 adoption.

The County Commission will hold a public hearing on the budget Dec. 11.