Atlanta city councilmembers are expected to vote Monday on Mayor Kasim Reed’s $539 million budget proposal. But with just days left before the final vote, the administration remains in negotiations with union labor officials over raises for most of the city’s workforce.
Whether city workers will receive more than a 3 percent raise remains the primary question, a battle that could stall the mayor’s other initiatives, including his request to use $750,000 for a public art gallery within the Department of Watershed Management’s Marietta Street location.
Should the mayor not reach a resolution on salary increases, the council could call a special meeting next week.
But councilmembers are expected to approve much of the budget, one that commits the highest-ever funding to public safety. And the administration, working with $100 million fewer dollars than it did four years ago due to a drop in property tax revenue, has also replenished well over $100 million to the city’s reserve funds in the same time period through a series of razor-sharp efficiencies.
While the mayor’s proposal came with few surprises, officials are still wrangling over a few key issues that could delay the vote. A list of topics to watch:
Salary increases
What's at stake: The mayor and union leaders continue to wrangle over salary increases for the majority of city workers, including police officers and firefighters. Reed proposes to spend $2.7 million on raises ranging from 1 to 3 percent; city workers have asked for 5 percent with a plan for additional increases over time. The initial proposal endorsed by the union would cost between $10 million and $12 million.
The mayor is expected to meet again with union heads before Monday’s vote to finalize the salary increase options. The topic is especially sensitive months after the council voted to give itself a 50 percent pay raise beginning January 2014. Reed, however, hasn’t increased his $147,000 salary since taking office in 2009.
72 Marietta St. art gallery
What's at stake: Since the former site of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was donated to the city in 2010, 72 Marietta St. has been occupied by employees from the Department of Watershed Management. Reed's administration proposes to spend $750,000 to refurbish the building and construct an art gallery that would be open to the public. Administration officials say the spending is in line with the mayor's public art initiatives, but some councilmembers are hesitant to approve the funds in light of the salary raise battle.
Trust fund moves
What's at stake: About $5.5 million in cuts are on the line for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs general fund. Around $2 million will be stripped from the department to relocate cultural affairs operations to the mayor's office. In addition, just under $2 million of parks and recreation services will be paid for out of multiple trust funds.
However, the trust funds face possible depletion in coming years, earning the ire of critics who worry the move could mean certain parks and recreation services, such as salaries for arborists, could ultimately be canceled. Officials say the move is temporary and is designed to free up general fund dollars while the city recovers from a Recession-based drop in the tax digest. They expect just over a million dollars will revert back to the general fund next year.
The parks department has also slashed its budget by $1.7 million through attrition and reduction in utility costs, such as using well water instead of tap water in city parks.
Film office funding
What's at stake: Councilmembers have yet to vote on the mayor's request for an Office of Film and Entertainment, one that would be housed in the executive office alongside the Office of Special Events and the Office of Cultural Affairs. Officials say the film office would streamline the process for distributing permits and collecting fees. Some councilmembers, notably Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean, who represents Buckhead, have called for the cultural affairs, special events and film offices to share administrative duties as a cost-saver.
The director of the new office would be paid anywhere from $63,000 to $105,000 annually. The finance committee will hold a public hearing over the creation of that office Wednesday and the issue could be voted on by the full council as early as July 1.
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