The city of Cumming’s proposed $23.1 million budget for 2011, which is the subject of a public hearing Tuesday night, reflects little change from previous years.

The city council could approve the spending plan during a meeting that follows the hearing.

“Everything has been pretty well tight as it was last year as far as the economy is concerned, so there’s no new activities that have been added,” said Gerald Blackburn, city administrator.

“This is a budget that is a conservative budget, but it’s a budget that the mayor, council and department heads feel can be lived with, and all of the programs that are offered by the city can be met with the budget that is proposed.”

The city’s general fund budget is about $9.31 million, compared to $9.39 million for 2010 and $9.28 million in 2009.

The budget will need one major modification sometime after May, when the city’s aquatic center is scheduled to open.

Exact operating costs for the facility, which is going up off Pilgrim Mill Road near Ga. 400, are still being discussed. Assistant City Administrator Steve Bennett said the goal is to “strive to make it break even.”

The aquatic center’s operating costs likely will come from the $1.2 million that has been set aside in the city’s contingency fund.

Bennett said the city didn’t want to include operating costs in the 2011 budget, in case the center’s opening is delayed or occurs earlier than expected.

“It’s all going to depend on when we can get it open,” he said. “We really don’t know how much of the year we need to budget for.

“It will be part of the parks and recreation budget, but I think it will have its own individual budget.”

The proposed 2011 budget of $23.1 million is an increase of about $900,000 from the current year budget of $22.2 million. In 2009, the city’s budget was about $21.3 million.

Some departments will see slight cuts in funding. They include the Cumming Playhouse, which will drop from nearly $384,000 to about $332,500.

The city’s administrative department will also dip slightly, from $812,000 to about $804,550.

Also of note, the Cumming Fairgrounds’ budget is projected to rise from $1.07 million to $1.09 million. The Cumming Country Fair & Festival in October was one of the most well-attended in the event’s history.

The city does not assess property taxes. One other item that is unlikely to change is the municipal staffing level.

“There are no job cutbacks and there are none expected,” Blackburn said. “We hope to retain all the employees we have and that’s important, because anytime that you have employees, you have an investment in [them].”