Social Circle council approves $9 million general fund budget

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — With a unanimous vote at its June 16 meeting, the Social Circle City Council approved a general fund budget totaling slightly less than $9 million.

On the revenue side of the ledger, property taxes are slated to provide $2,762,870 to fund the $8,995,665 spending plan for the upcoming 2027 fiscal year.

Other major revenue sources for the city’s general fund budget, which funds emergency services and other day-to-day government operations, include a $1.6 million transfer of funds from the city’s gas utility operations; $1.13 million in the city’s share of countywide local-option sales tax revenue; $641,000 in electric franchise tax funds; $610,000 in insurance premium tax funding; a $300,000 infusion from the city’s fund balance reserves, $280,000 in court fines and forfeitures; $224,000 in state transportation project grant funding, and $165,000 from municipal issuance of building permits and sign permits.

Among the incidental revenue sources projected for the upcoming fiscal year are $300 from the city’s issuance of permits for golf carts, which are allowed on city streets, and $100 in revenue anticipated to come from filings seeking city documents subject to release under the state’s open records laws, as well as $120 in municipal mobile home tax receipts.

On the expense side of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the city’s police and fire departments claim the largest share of planned municipal expenditures. The police department budget is set at $2,291,642, with the fire department set to claim $2,064,009 in the 2027 fiscal year.

Salaries and overtime pay for police personnel are budgeted at nearly $1.4 million, with those same items budgeted at slightly more than $1.4 million for firefighting personnel.

The city’s Community Development Department, which handles planning, zoning and development code issues, is budgeted at $424,844 for the upcoming fiscal year, while the city’s downtown development initiative is slated to receive $254,041 for the 2027 fiscal year.    

Finance director resigns

In other business at Tuesday’s council meeting, Social Circle City Manager Eric Taylor announced the resignation of Toni Jo Howard, the city’s finance director. Howard had been with the city for less than two years, having been named to the post in late 2024. She came to Social Circle after working with the cities of Johns Creek, Norcross, Sandy Springs and Tucker.

While a search is under way for Howard’s successor, the post will be held on an interim basis by David Jahns, who has served in various capacities, including finance director and city clerk, in communities across the area.

Taylor indicated Tuesday that the search for Howard’s successor is expected to be completed relatively quickly.

New chief judge appointed

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council ratified the appointment of Monroe criminal defense attorney Samuel Barth as the city’s new Municipal Court chief judge.

Barth had been serving as an associate Municipal Court judge in Social Circle under Chief Judge Robbie Ballard, another Monroe attorney. Ballard recently announced that he will be retiring from Municipal Court as of July 31.

Ballard recommended Barth as his replacement in the chief judge post. Under a contract approved Tuesday by the city council, Barth will be paid $1,250 per month for service as the Municipal Court’s chief judge.

As Barth takes the bench in Social Circle Municipal Court, two other area attorneys, John Toney and Taylor Newberry, will remain as associate Municipal Court judges – posts to which they were appointed in August of last year — to assist Barth.

Other council action

Also at its June 16 meeting, the council awarded a $4,792,803 contract to Macon-based Pro Construction of GA, LLC, for construction of a maintenance facility for the city’s public works vehicles. Pro Construction submitted the lowest responsive bid among the 12 businesses that submitted bids for the project. The highest bid for the work was $5,782,000.

Council members also gave their unanimous approval Tuesday to an engineering services agreement, at a cost not to exceed $50,000, with Kimley-Horn and Associates, a nationwide engineering, planning and consulting firm. Under the agreement, Kimley-Horn will evaluate how a planned renovation of a Georgia Highway 138 bridge in Monroe could impact Social Circle natural gas infrastructure kin the area. The work could include preliminary assistance with utilities relocation scenarios.

Also earning unanimous council approval at the June 16 meeting was an engineering services agreement with Precision Planning, Inc. in Lawrenceville for construction design and other work associated with a new 1-million-gallon water tank off Tower Road to replace an existing 100,000-gallon tank. The work is slated to cost $197,050, according to documentation from Tuesday’s council meeting.