The City of Suwanee has initiated its fiscal year with a substantial $19.0 million balanced operating budget for FY 2025. Reflecting a modest 6.5% increase in expenditures from the previous period, the budget highlights investment in city personnel, healthcare, infrastructure, and the emerging shift towards electric vehicles. With the fiscal year commencing on July 1, 2024, Suwanee city officials appear poised to maintain service levels and city development in alignment with a growing population and shifting municipal needs.
Key expenditures outlined by official communication from the City of Suwanee include the addition of two new full-time positions, a judges and solicitors' rate adjustment of $26,400, a 3.0 percent group health insurance renewal, and a $50,000 allocation for a continued transition to an electric administration fleet vehicle. The budget further accommodates a $45,000 classification and compensation study, alongside an additional $300,000 for operating costs at the Town Center on Main Park.
Infrastructure and maintenance are also significant benefactors in the new budget, obtaining $430,000 for facilities landscaping and right-of-way maintenance and $340,000 dedicated to repairs involving vehicles, parks, and buildings. Moreover, capital funding has been set at $612,000—a fund that likely ensures the ongoing commitment to bolstering the city's long-term structural assets and community facilities.
Despite these spendings, the millage rate in Suwanee is projected to stay fixed at 4.93 mills, an unaltered figure for the past twelve years. This proposed rate is in fact, a rollback millage rate increase of about .328 mills, which indicates a 7.13 percent rise in property taxes owed to market value growth—a measure that underscores the city's expanding economic footprint. Property taxes stand as a foundational revenue stream necessary to execute the city's financial plans and aspirations.
Looking ahead, the Suwanee City Council will hold three public hearings to discuss and engage with constituents concerning the millage rate. Residents can express their views on August 15 at 5:30 p.m., and on August 27 at noon and 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The final adoption of the FY 2025 millage rate is slated for the regular City Council meeting occurring on August 27, after the public has been given the opportunity to weigh in on the fiscal future of their community.
