Council approves Fiscal Year 2021 budget

The Atlanta City Council on Saturday approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2021, which begins July 1 (Legislative Reference №20-O-1260). The proposed general fund is approximately $673 million. The budget was approved by a 13–2 vote.

The Fiscal Year 2021 budget includes:

• No increase in the City of Atlanta’s millage rate.

• Adding $427,000 for the Atlanta Citizen Review Board to increase funding for outreach and communications, additional positions, and renovation and relocation efforts.

• $1.6 million to launch an Equitable Growth Grant program focused on the creation and attraction of high-quality, middle-wage jobs

• $1.5 million for the expansion of the Atlanta/Fulton County Pre-Arrest Diversion (PAD) Initiative to support the hiring of additional staff, other costs to cover direct participant expenses, the purchase of vehicles, and additional office space.

• $500,000 in funding to the Department of Transportation to install speed humps.

The Council also approved legislation adopting the personnel paper to provide for certain personnel actions in line with the Fiscal Year 2021 budget (Legislative Reference №20-O-1352).

Additionally, the Council approved legislation to create a Public Safety and Community Support Restricted Fund and authorize the chief operating officer to produce a report of recommendations to enhance the City’s approach to public safety (Legislative Reference №20-R-4068).