Council allocates remaining 2018, 2019 budgets

Published 3:00 am Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Various departments for the City of Athens will now have some more funds to use for requested items.

The City Council voted unanimously Feb. 22 to allocate $1,124,000 in capital appropriations funds to six different departments.

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According to Mayor Ronnie Marks, the City had some money left over in the appropriations funds from fiscal years 2018, 2019 and 2020. These funds were rolled together with the fiscal year 2021 capital appropriations budget before being allocated to six different departments.

“This gives us a great opportunity to roll what surplus we had in and allocate it,” Marks said after the Council’s vote.

Once the remaining funds from the previous three years were included, the City had $1,435,808 in the current capital appropriations fund. The street department, Athens Fire & Rescue and Athens Police Department received the largest allocations at $393,000, $270,000 and $250,000, respectively.

The information technology department received $151,000, the building department was allocated $35,000, and cemeteries, parks and recreation got $25,000.

The funds will be used in various ways to fill each department’s needs. Purchases made with the funds must come back before the Council for approval.

“Every one of them had specific requests,” Marks said. “We took in those requests and honored those.”

After the appropriations, $311,808 remains in the current capital appropriations fund, which Marks said can be used by the City if there is a “critical need” that comes before the Council.