City of Cochran introduces budget proposal for FY2027

The mayor and council met on Monday to discuss the proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. Throughout the evening, council members and other city officials suggested changes to the budget based on department needs. Many department will see increased spending as the city moves to meet salary and benefits costs. 

The budget proposed is only a tentative budget and not finalized.

The police department is expected to receive an increase in budget salary and employee benefits from $988,400 to $1,097,308.91 as a result of increasing full-time salaries and decreasing part-time employees.

Funds budgeted for supplies will decrease from $82,600 to $79,250 including a $6,000 reduction to fuel costs. 

Costs for the police department debt service also decreased significantly from $46,500 to $33,094. 

Overall, the department budget increased from $1,253,800 to $1,314,462.91.

The fire department’s overall budget is expected to decrease from $876,850 to $857,603.59, even with an increase to salaries, due to falling costs for training and a capital expense only present in FY2026.

Fire Chief Brock Wilcher requested that part-time position pay be raised by $1 per hour to remain competitive for employees, increasing the part-time employee budget by over $30,000.

During this discussion, Wilcher also reported to the board that they should be reimbursed soon for mutual aid provided to Brantley County during the wildfire earlier this year. 

The street department budget is expected to increase from $954,800 to $981,558.26, primarily due to an increase in the budget for full-time employee salaries. Purchased and contracted services are expected to decrease from $148,400 to $132,069 due to a decrease in the cost of purchased services and education and training.

The budget for animal control is expected to increase by nearly $10,000 from $96,950 to $106,732.30 due to an increase in full-time employee salaries, Social Security, Medicare contribution and worker’s compensation.

The budget requested for municipal court increased from $68,140 to $75,094. According to Interim City Manager Angela Redding, this was due to an employee who moved from part-time to full-time which increased costs to salary, Social Security and Medicare. 

Professional services at municipal court have already exceeded the $55,000 budget set for FY2026 by over $3,000, leading Redding to request the 2027 budget be set to $60,000.

Education and training costs decreased from $1,100 to $750 but the bond refunds budget increased significantly from $500 to $2,500.

Administrative costs are set to decrease by over $10,000 from $1,253,170 to $1,243,154.82 even with an increase to contracted services. 

During FY2026, administration had to match a CHIP grant in the amount $70,000 – a cost they don’t have to allot in the FY2027 budget. Salaries in both full-time and part-time positions decreased but the cost of group insurance rose from $77,600 to $99,511.

Legislative costs also decreased from $62,864 to $60,768.25 after a significant cut to the printing and binding budget. The previous budget, $12,000 is expected to drop to $5,000 in FY2027. The salary budget is expected to increase from $32,834 to $33,818.25.

The budget for Cochran Municipal Airport is expected to be cut in half. In FY2026, the airport budget was listed at $51,600, but is expected to be reduced to $25,500 per the proposed budget. 

Though insurance and supplies remained roughly the same, last year the airport was required to match money for a DOT Grant, setting them back an additional $26,300 – an expense they will not have to pay again in FY2027.

Code enforcement is expected to decrease in budget from $117,950 to $112,779.32 due to slight decreases in purchases and contract services and in supplies, and a decrease in cost for group insurance. 

The budget for full-time employees is expected to increase from $46,200 to $50,642.

Payments to the Industrial Development Authority, rec department, library and the Downtown Development Authority are expected to stay the same.

The rec department is again set at an overall budget of $84,000. The Industrial Development Authority is set at $51,700. The library budget is expected to total $42,650, and the Downtown Development Authority budget is set to total $32,000.

Lastly, the elections budget is expected to increase from $4,000 to $5,100 after a $900 increase in employee salaries and a $200 increase in equipment and materials.

Also during the meeting, Mayor Carla Coley proposed the board look into implementing a rule that would require city employees who receive certifications to reimburse the city if they leave before a certain time period. She suggested either six months or one year.

According to Coley, the city has had issues in the past with employees receiving free training for expensive certifications and then leaving shortly after. Coley said she spoke with another city who already has a rule like it and would like to implement something similar.

Council member Shane Savant also proposed the board consider a pay increase to council member salaries to ensure quality candidates continue to run for office in the future. To combat those running for office solely for the money, he recommended arranging salaries to be paid every few months instead of regularly.

The council is expected to pick up the budget discussion at Thursday’s work session.