Kennesaw passes $19 million budget

The city of Kennesaw passed its fiscal 2011 budget this week. The spending plan is down 12 percent, or $2.4 million, from last year’s budget.

The $18.95 million budget, which begins Oct. 1, does not include employee furloughs for its 250 employees or a millage increase for residents, but includes a range of cuts and reductions.

“We are using all our ingenuity to find ways to offer the same level of service to our citizens, even with budget cuts,” said Mayor Mark Mathews.

The city has saved money by limiting overtime and not paying employee merit increases or filling vacancies, said Gina Auld, the city’s finance director.

“We have been taking the cuts over the last few years preparing for the decline in tax revenues,” Auld said.

The city also reduced spending on travel and training, delayed economic development projects and cut software purchases.