Lavonia Looking at FY 16 Budget

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Members of the Lavonia City Council are looking over their Fiscal 2016 budget.

Lavonia’s fiscal year begins January 1 and last week, the council got a first glimpse of the new budget from City Manager Gary Fesperman.

“We worked diligently and we’ve done a lot of creative things with the budget taking into consideration that we’re working with a little less money in property tax revenue this year, but it worked out,” Fesperman told the Council.

Fesperman said the FY16 budget General Fund is projected to be $2.185 million with about $55-thousand dollars less than that in anticipated expenses.

Additionally, Fesperman went over some of the capital projects in the current General Fund.

Most he said, have been completed, but one of the last projects is the Streetscape project which he expects to get underway next year.

“Hopefully this will go to bid and be let out in December,” Fesperman said. “With the $200,000 grant coming from GDOT and a $50,000 match from the City, which has already been paid to the engineers.”

According to Fesperman two other projects slated for next fiscal year include repair work on the Cultural Center and at the Rec Complex.

Under the Water Fund, Fesperman said in addition to the northern sewer trunk line project, the City plans to make some upgrades at the Water Treatment plant.

“We need to look at replacing some filter valves, some actuators and replacing the reporting system from the intake and the tanks. We’re looking at funding that program through a GEFA loan/debt forgiveness program. It’s about a $250,000 project,” he said.

The City Manager said the first read of the new budget will be at the November meeting with the final read and passage coming in December