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Cumming closes year with balanced budget
Officials praise efforts of staff
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Forsyth County News
It’s been a difficult year for Dave Horton.

An exceptionally wet 2009, with heavy rain seemingly at least once a week, has been the bane of the Cumming Fairgrounds administrator’s events and budget.

“It seemed like most of our events in the spring got hit by weather,” he said. “It’s just been one of those years that weather was not kind to us.”

Between soggy spring events and the annual fall fair having six of 11 days washed out, Horton was about $303,850 short of meeting the fairgrounds' $1.03 million budget.

But while the fairgrounds struggled, the city’s parks and recreation department flourished, bringing in about $151,750 in unexpected revenue.

The additional money goes into the general fund, which City Administrator Gerald Blackburn said “can compensate in other areas.”

Between revenue surpluses and nearly $1.26 million in its contingency fund, the city was able to balance the 2009 budget.

The city council approved the budget amendment Tuesday night during its final meeting of the year. All of the $9.35 million in the budget was accounted for.

Council is expected to approve the city's 2010 budget during its next meeting, Jan. 20.

Though the 2009 budget ends Dec. 31, the city will continue regular operations during the three-week gap.

Reflecting on the economy, Blackburn said the community is “in the toughest market that anybody can remember now."

"Things are being attacked more than ever before and that makes it tough,” Blackburn said.

“The mayor and council have insisted that there be a substantial amount of money in the contingency fund and it be watched very closely to make sure that there was money to cover whatever shortfalls may be occurring in the year.”

The Cumming Playhouse had a booming 2009, said director Linda Heard. But even with a high turnout, the downtown theater made less money than expected.

“It’s just because we dropped a lot of the price of the tickets, it’s not because of a drop in attendance,” Heard said. “We dropped those prices because of the economy.”

More than half of the city’s capital project expenditures were amended out. Blackburn said that $443,150 would have funded a combination of three to four projects that instead were delayed.

Blackburn also noted while they have not hired any new employees this year, the city has seen an increase in the cost of health insurance, its retirement program and other employee services.

But he credited the city’s employees with easing financial difficulties.

“Everybody has to work a little bit harder and pick up the slack where numbers have been dropped,” he said. “They have done that, and by doing that, the end result is the city has not had to do any layoffs and no furloughs.

“They have done a good job, and it shows. It’s made a difference.”