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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Clayton County Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting – FY2026 Budget Hearing – June 17, 2025

Board of Commissioners — Thursday, February 12, 2026

BodyClayton County, Georgia

SessionBoard of Commissioners

DateThursday, February 12, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 49:36

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:07

The special call board meeting for the Clayton County Board of Commissioners is now called to order.

0:12

The date is June 17th, 2025.

0:15

Handle time is 501 p.m.

0:18

We will next have roll call district one, district three, district two, and district four.

0:25

All right.

0:26

Thank you.

0:26

Now we will have next our pledge of allegiance.

0:29

Would you please stand for the pledge of allegiance to our flag?

0:34

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:47

Thank you.

0:50

All right.

0:51

At this time, I need a motion to adopt the agenda.

0:55

So may I get a second?

0:58

Is there any discussion at this time, board members?

1:01

Are you ready for the question?

1:02

All in favor say aye.

1:03

Aye.

1:04

All opposed.

1:05

Any abstentions?

1:06

The ayes have it, and the motion passes.

1:08

Item five will be our agenda items.

1:11

The first one will be presentation of the FY2026 budget.

1:18

And that will be coming from our CFO.

1:25

Good afternoon, everyone.

1:27

The FY26 proposed budget.

1:29

The public hearing is today at 5 o'clock.

1:33

The budget process.

1:34

On November 21st, 2024, budget instructions and details were sent to departments.

1:40

December 5th, 2024, we had a mandatory budget class for all department directors and anyone in their department they chose to send.

1:48

December 13, 2024, non-elected budgets were due to the COO's office, which was an addition to the process this year.

1:57

That was one of the changes.

2:00

February 3rd, 2025, the budget request deadline for all departments to have their budgets in the MUNIS software module.

2:08

March 10th through May 6th were the meetings with departments.

2:13

Some of the meetings, because there was a change during the process, involved the chairwoman, the CFO, the COO, the DCOO, and the budget team.

2:22

Once the change was made, we then had meetings with the budget committee, the CFO, the COO, the DCOO, and the budget team.

2:31

June 17th, 2025 is our budget hearing.

2:35

June 24th, 2025 is the scheduled budget adoption.

2:40

This year's proposed FY26 general fund budget is 335 million.

2:47

It represents a 6% increase over the FY25 adopted budget.

2:53

And a 3% decrease from the FY25 amended budget, which includes any amendments brought before the governing authority for approval.

3:03

Revenues.

3:04

Our property taxes represent 63.7% of the proposed FY26 budget.

3:10

Other taxes and assessments represent 23.2%.

3:14

Within that category, you have local option sales tax and insurance premium taxes are the biggest items within that category.

3:22

Licenses and permits represent 2.2% of our budget.

3:26

Intergovernmental revenue, which is revenue between the cities and between the development authority represents 1% of this budget.

3:33

Contributions and donations represent 0.6%.

3:36

Charges for services represent 7.7%.

3:44

Other revenues 0.2% and other financing sources 0.1%.

3:49

The expenses in this budget are divided between the categories of general government, which represent 30% of our budget, and include such departments as the commissioner's office, finance, IT, HR, Central Services, Professional Services, Elections, Fleet Refuge, Buildings and Maintenance, Extension Services, and other general government.

4:12

Tax assessment and collections represents 2% of the budget and represents the tax commissioner and tax assessor's office.

4:20

Courts and law enforcement represent 37% and include superior court, state court, probation services, magistrate court, juvenile court, probate court, clerk of superior, clerk of state, the solicitor's office, the DA's office, the prison, and the sheriff's office.

4:38

Public safety represents 21% of the budget and includes police, EMS, and the Office of Resilience and Sustainability slash EMA.

4:50

TND represents 2% of this year's proposed budget.

4:54

Library services represent 1% of the proposed budget.

5:00

Parks and senior services together represent 5% of the FY26 proposed budget.

5:06

Department budget requests totaled 409.6 million.

5:11

The FY26 budget is 335 million.

5:14

There have been budget reductions totaling 74.6 million from the departmental request for the proposed FY26 budget.

5:24

Budget enhancements.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████████████53%

Public Comment██████████████16%

Court Operations█████████████15%

Public Safety██████7%

Procedural████5%

Property Tax███4%

Summary of Proceedings

Clayton County Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting – FY2026 Budget Hearing – June 17, 2025

The Board of Commissioners held a special called meeting on June 17, 2025, at 5:01 PM to present the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget, conduct a public hearing, and discuss next steps. The meeting included a detailed budget presentation by the CFO, public testimony from elected officials and citizens, and board discussion regarding the millage rate, potential cuts, and the amendment process. The budget adoption is scheduled for June 24, 2025, at 2:00 PM.

Public Comments & Testimony

Charles Brooks (Solicitor General, District 1): Requested an additional $375,661 to address salary compression issues that prevent promotions and to support investigation and prosecution of illegal boarding houses. He noted his office has historically returned money through vacancy savings.
Doug Smith (Circuit Public Defender): Asked the board to reconsider his budget, citing a caseload of 7,900 cases in 2024 — three times the recommended 150 felony cases per attorney. He stated he lost two attorneys to private practice due to workload and that current staffing cannot meet constitutional requirements for effective assistance. He requested funding to attract and retain experienced attorneys.
Orlando Gooden (District 3 resident): Urged the board to prioritize public safety (police, sheriff, fire, EMS, district attorney, solicitor, public defender) and avoid tax increases unless justified. He criticized “stupid projects” like a sports council and mandatory trash service, and said he would review the budget further.
Mickey Garber (Unincorporated Rex): Supported the requests of the public defender and solicitor general, emphasizing that public safety requires full adjudication from arrest through courts.
Pam Ferguson (Chief Probate Judge): Requested $17,466 to adjust the salary of fiduciary clerks, who have higher responsibilities than other positions but are paid less, leading to high turnover. She warned that failure to meet statutory mandates could result in lawsuits against the county.

Discussion Items

Presentation of FY26 Budget (CFO Angela Jackson): Proposed general fund budget of $335 million, a 6% increase over FY25 adopted budget (3% decrease from amended). Revenue sources: property taxes (63.7%), other taxes/assessments (23.2%), charges for services (7.7%), licenses/permits (2.2%), other categories. Expenses: courts/law enforcement (37%), general government (30%), public safety (21%), parks/senior services (5%), TND (2%), library (1%), tax assessment/collections (2%). Budget reductions of $74.6 million from departmental requests. Salary adjustment: 1.25% increase for employees earning >$80,000 effective July 5, 2025, with 6-month employment requirement. Proposed net millage rate: 15.126 mills. Rollback rate (estimated, as of April 17): 14.579 mills. Adopting the proposed rate would require advertising a tax increase and three public hearings. Capital projects listed for FY26 include fire stations, parks, IT bunker, senior center, pocket parks, amphitheater, and $4 million in vehicles.
Board Questions and Discussion: Commissioner Allen asked if public utility tax is included in property taxes (yes). Commissioner Hambrick asked about District 2 pocket park (location in Riverdale off East Fayetteville Road). Commissioner Reeves asked for the rollback rate (14.579 mills) and calculated a $9.8 million reduction needed to reach that rate. Commissioner Allen raised concerns about the optics of advertising a tax increase after the board opted out of HB 581 (homestead valuation freeze) — she questioned whether rolling back the millage rate would force fire station closures. CFO Jackson clarified that the general fund millage rollback does not affect the fire millage rate. Commissioner Allen proposed a $5,000 reduction from the board’s travel/training line to fund $17,466 for probate court. Commissioner Davis stated he has been reviewing potential cuts across the board. Commissioner Allen expressed frustration that the full board was not given the rollback rate information earlier and that the budget subcommittee process did not allow for collective decision-making on the millage rate. CFO Jackson noted she had raised the issue in budget subcommittee meetings and via email. The board discussed the amendment process: commissioners submit amendments individually, which are shared with all members, and final votes occur at the June 24 budget adoption.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were taken on budget amendments during this meeting.
The public hearing was adjourned at 5:50 PM.
Budget adoption is scheduled for June 24, 2025, at 2:00 PM, at which time commissioners will consider amendments and finalize the FY26 budget.
The board must decide whether to adopt the proposed millage rate of 15.126 mills (requiring a tax increase advertisement) or reduce the budget by $9.8 million to the rollback rate of 14.579 mills (avoiding the tax increase advertisement).

Meeting Transcript

The special call board meeting for the Clayton County Board of Commissioners is now called to order. The date is June 17th, 2025. Handle time is 501 p.m. We will next have roll call district one, district three, district two, and district four. All right. Thank you. Now we will have next our pledge of allegiance. Would you please stand for the pledge of allegiance to our flag? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. All right. At this time, I need a motion to adopt the agenda. So may I get a second? Is there any discussion at this time, board members? Are you ready for the question? All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed. Any abstentions? The ayes have it, and the motion passes. Item five will be our agenda items. The first one will be presentation of the FY2026 budget. And that will be coming from our CFO. Good afternoon, everyone. The FY26 proposed budget. The public hearing is today at 5 o'clock. The budget process. On November 21st, 2024, budget instructions and details were sent to departments. December 5th, 2024, we had a mandatory budget class for all department directors and anyone in their department they chose to send. December 13, 2024, non-elected budgets were due to the COO's office, which was an addition to the process this year. That was one of the changes. February 3rd, 2025, the budget request deadline for all departments to have their budgets in the MUNIS software module. March 10th through May 6th were the meetings with departments. Some of the meetings, because there was a change during the process, involved the chairwoman, the CFO, the COO, the DCOO, and the budget team. Once the change was made, we then had meetings with the budget committee, the CFO, the COO, the DCOO, and the budget team. June 17th, 2025 is our budget hearing. June 24th, 2025 is the scheduled budget adoption. This year's proposed FY26 general fund budget is 335 million. It represents a 6% increase over the FY25 adopted budget. And a 3% decrease from the FY25 amended budget, which includes any amendments brought before the governing authority for approval. Revenues. Our property taxes represent 63.7% of the proposed FY26 budget. Other taxes and assessments represent 23.2%. Within that category, you have local option sales tax and insurance premium taxes are the biggest items within that category. Licenses and permits represent 2.2% of our budget. Intergovernmental revenue, which is revenue between the cities and between the development authority represents 1% of this budget. Contributions and donations represent 0.6%. Charges for services represent 7.7%. Other revenues 0.2% and other financing sources 0.1%. The expenses in this budget are divided between the categories of general government, which represent 30% of our budget, and include such departments as the commissioner's office, finance, IT, HR, Central Services, Professional Services, Elections, Fleet Refuge, Buildings and Maintenance, Extension Services, and other general government.

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