§ 6-301. Budget commission.

(a)

There is hereby created a budget commission consisting of the mayor, chief financial officer, chairperson of the finance committee or equivalent committee of the governing body, and two governing body members nominated and confirmed by the governing body at large for one-year terms.

(b)

The budget commission:

(1)

Shall annually prepare and file with the governing body for submission to the mayor the budget revenue anticipations for the city, provided that such anticipations shall not exceed 99 percent of the normal revenue collected during the previous year, with the following exceptions: (A) the normal revenue which the city may be expected to collect from the taxable property in newly annexed territory may be anticipated; (B) collections from tax executions on real estate and on personal property and choses in actions owned by the city may be anticipated, provided that revenues from such anticipations shall not exceed 85 percent of tax executions on real estate and 50 percent of tax executions on personal property not more than three years old and choses in actions certified solvent and collectable by the tax assessor. When such revenue anticipations have been filed, they shall be binding upon the governing body without any action of approval or disapproval;

(2)

Shall allocate a sum sufficient to provide for debt service, including sinking fund and interest on bonded indebtedness; a general fund budget reserve equal to the amount, if any, specified under Section 6-315, Fund Balance Policy;

(3)

In the event the income of the city should be decreased by law, either by act of the General Assembly or by the governing body, it shall be the duty of the budget commission to immediately adjust the budget revenue anticipations to comply with such decreased revenue. In the event of an increase in the tax rate, or if the schedule of charges for city service, such as water service, sanitary service, or any other similar assessments or charges should be changed by law, the budget commission may revise the budget revenue anticipations and considering assessments, sanitary service charges, or any other similar assessments or charges of the previous year apply new rates thereto and adjust the budget revenue anticipations accordingly;

(4)

In the event the city receives any money, income, or revenue from any extraordinary source, either by sale of its property, gift, grant, or otherwise, which has not been considered in the preparation of the budget revenue anticipations or other normal revenue in excess of appropriations, the budget commission shall have the right to allocate immediately such increased revenue for lawful purposes. However, in the preparation of the budget for the next year no such extraordinary revenue shall be considered as a part of the normal revenue of the city;

(5)

If at any time during any year, the expenditures exceed the revenues collected and a deficit is created, it shall be the duty of the budget commission before appropriating any other sum for any purpose other than the interest and sinking fund on the bonded indebtedness to appropriate a sufficient sum to immediately discharge any deficit which has accrued during the preceding year.

(6)

The members of the budget commission shall be personally liable for the over-anticipation of receipts.

(1996 Ga. L. (Act No. 1019), p. 4469; Ord. No. 2002-17, § 1, 3-12-02; Ord. No. 2002-18, § 1, 3-12-02; Ord. No. 2008-39(08-O-1019), § 1, 6-11-08; Ord. No. 2012-26(12-O-0501), § 1, 6-13-12)