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5 Gainesville departments give updates at retreat
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Judge Hammond Law presides over Gainesville Municipal Court in the new public safety building Monday. Gainesville officials are considering how public facilities and services should be budgeted. - photo by Tom Reed

Gainesville officials begin budget process at annual retreat

Five departments gave updates at the annual retreat. The presenting departments are chosen on a rotating basis.

Administrative services and finances

  • Property taxes are a larger chunk of overall revenue since 2005, and sales taxes are still relatively flat.
  • Outside factors, such as statewide bills passed during the 2011 legislative session, could influence job creation incentives, franchise fees and various taxes.
  • Gainesville council member George Wangemann asked the city to be more proactive in encouraging job growth by finding job incentives, promoting educational opportunities and working with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce on retail development.
  • Administrative services staff will create a more user-friendly budget report by incorporating narratives, photographs and sections that explain short-term and long-term goals, capital improvements and debt.

Public works

  • The new trash pickup program is running smoothly, though several residents have called with concerns about the $7 increase in fees.
  • Recent winter weather caused numerous road cracks and potholes around the city.
  • Public works staff have ranked the city’s 140 miles of road to determine which can be repaired depending on budget constraints. The top contenders for this year are Melody Lane, Piedmont Court, Virginia Circle, Etta Vista Circle and Harrison Square.
  • City staff have also applied for a grant to build sidewalks around Fair Street, New Holland and Centennial elementary schools, but the state Department of Transportation has yet to award the money.

Chattahoochee Golf Club

  • Golf course director Rodger Hogan has used his own funds to refurbish the golf shop counter, paint the pro shop and create a sign for Masters champion Tommy Aaron.
  • Hogan invited Gainesville High School’s girls and boys golf teams to outfit the locker rooms at the golf course.
  • The men’s and women’s locker rooms need significant aesthetic improvement, as well as carpet and lighting in the clubhouse.
  • The tee mower, spin grinder and bed knife grinder need repairs, and the course needs golf cart and equipment storage units in the long term.

Community development

  • Staff are starting to tackle the comprehensive plan, which is a 20-year blueprint for growth that will be adopted June 2012.
  • Adding to last year’s goals, staff will work on neighborhood planning units, impact fees, tax allocation districts and the Midtown overlap zone.
  • City crews are trying to finish the Midtown greenway by re-purposing the railroad loading dock, creating a stage area and connecting the greenway to downtown and Rock Creek.
  • Staff have applied for grants to connect the greenway to the Central Hall Trail by using sewage and right-of-way easement property near Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport.
  • The Community Development Block Grant and Gainesville Nonprofit Development Foundation will continue to help with housing rehabilitation, demolition assistance and down payment assistance.

Parks and Recreation

  • Staff are finishing up the Vision 2014 plan by April, which will include ideas for new recreational facilities and how to use taxpayer fees.
  • In more than 700 surveys given to residents, two requests rise to the top — greenways or open space and a youth athletic complex.
  • Long-term goals include blueways on Lake Lanier, regional events and national tournaments, which means a focus on the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue this year and discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.