On Tuesday, members of the Milledgeville City Council heard from more departments on their budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year budget.
The special work session was the third in a series of meetings allowing various departments to justify and explain their budgetary requests to the mayor and council.
“Our budget request centers around pay increases for your firefighters,” said William Collier, chief of Milledgeville Fire Rescue Services. “The competition for trained professional personnel is very steep, and in order to retain that personnel, we need to be able to pay them accordingly.”
According to the chief, firefighters in Metro Atlanta make $43,000 on average, and Middle Georgia departments are becoming increasingly competitive.
“Greene County is starting their pay off between $39,000 and $43,000 depending on their medical certifications; Putnam County offers very competitive pay as well, it’s $41,000 in firefighter pay,” Collier said. “It makes it very difficult to attract and retain fire professionals when in your own region you have so much steep competition.”
Currently, Milledgeville Fire Rescue Services employs 41 people, and Collier’s proposal would give all of those employees a $4,000 pay raise. According to the department, one employee who would not see a pay increase would be Sergeant Walter Peeler, who is in the maximum pay range. Collier also touched on the department’s career development program and its 5-year capital improvements plan.
This includes using money collected from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
“The meat and potatoes of what you see there is a plan to replace fire stations and the need to replace a 23-year-old aerial ladder,” Collier told the council.
Milledgeville Mainstreet Director Carlee Schulte said her proposal only includes small increases in money for advertising. She said increasing prices for goods and services means that everything is costing more, including the printing of brochures. She also said the cost of live entertainment for events had gone up.
“We used to be able to get bands for $250 to $500 for our events, and now those same types of bands are asking for $1,000 to $2,000,” Schulte said. “We do try to fundraise to counteract that increase.”
In her remarks, Schulte expressed frustration with the maintenance of the downtown area. She said she had heard from merchants about the increase in trash and leaves.
“It was the showcase of our city, and now some days, walking downtown is an embarrassment,” she said. “I know public works is spread thin, and I know they are doing the best they can, but I am begging to get some help for that.”
Councilman Richard “Boo” Mullins questioned if allowing sidewalk dining was causing the issue, something Schulte disagreed with.
Public Works Director Timothy Thomas delivered his proposals and updated the council on his department’s work. His biggest requests are for equipment and vehicle replacement.
This includes a Ford Ranger, two Ford F-150 Regular Cab trucks, F-250 Crewcab Service Body, and an F700 Dump Truck for the Stormwater team. A new excavator with a mulcher was also among the requests.
“These are needed so we can provide rapid quality service for the whole city,” Thomas said.
The fourth and final work session will include budget requests from the Library, Allied Arts and the Boys and Girls Club.