The DeKalb County Commission reached a compromise Friday to approve a $1.3 billion budget that includes money for hiring more police officers.
The 2015 budget passed on a 4-2 vote and pays for services to about 713,000 residents, including public safety, courts, water, sewer, libraries, parks and more.
Commissioners agreed to pay for county government after amending the budget with $2.4 million more for police, which could allow for the hiring of up to 51 officers.
The half of the budget that’s funded by taxes grew by about 1 percent compared to last year.
Commissioners Kathie Gannon and Nancy Jester voted against the budget, in part because it’s spending more money at the same time as new cities are forming and taking over services from the county.
Four DeKalb communities are seeking to become cities this year: Greenhaven, LaVista Hills, Stonecrest and Tucker. If they all incorporate, almost all residents in the county would live in a city.
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