FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Board of Commissioners authorized County Manager Kevin Tanner to proceed with advertisement of a public hearing regarding the proposed FY 2023 county budget and occupational tax on August 18.

Tanner presented the county’s spending plan at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting. As required by state law, the budget is balanced with an estimated $186,100,000 in both revenue and expenditures which represents a 13.4 percent increase in the 2022 adopted budget.

Assumptions made in the preparation of the budget, include a millage rate unchanged from 2022, a net tax digest growth of 13.45 percent, and 97 percent property tax collection rate.

Highlights include a 4 percent increase in the cost of living allowance (COLA) for county employees and a total of 16 new county employees, including one in the fire department, and one each in Engineering, Solid waste and water and Sewer. The new positions will cost $1.34 million.

Public Safety, which includes ambulance service, coroner’s office, Emergency Management Agency, Public Safety radio system and sheriff’s office will receive the biggest share of the budget at $64,016,950.

In presenting the budget, Tanner said, “We on the management side of the house try not to recommend anything to the Board that will put us in a bad position if the economy does fall back. One thing we do not want is to have to furlough employees, lay employees off or freeze positions and I think we are in a good place.”

The vote to advertise the budget was 4-0 with Commissioner Todd Levent absent.