The East Point City Council Passes It’s FY 2027 Budget–Without Additional Councilmember Funds And No Mention Of Reduced Work Days: What To Know + Council Meeting Video

The East Point City Council passed its FY 2027 budget at last night’s Council meeting. This came after the budget was delayed due to widespread concerns from members of the community who were unclear about inclusions and cuts that were proposed in the budget, particularly as it related to senior programs.

To inform the community about the budget, Ward C Councilmembers Tremayne Mitchell and Starr Cummings along with Ward D Councilmembers Latonya Martin-Rogers and Andrea Caldwell held a series of budget town halls which also helped to raise awareness about the budgeting process.

The city’s budget was due to be passed on June 30.

The road to the budget’s passage featured some unexpected turns after community members were told that the budget included enhanced funding for a vehicle allowance for the city manager and members of his staff, sparking concern from the community. A proposal by Ward A At-Large City Council member Japera Hemming to “realign” $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars also raised community concerns.

Several community members, including three formerly elected East Point officials, spoke out about those proposed expenditures and changes at previous Council meetings. But as the controversy over what the final budget would look like loomed, along with its approaching submission deadline, a citywide robocall featuring an unidentified female voice urged voters to ignore the concerns of community members and demand the budget be passed, regardless of cuts to senior programs.

Last month, all four Councilmembers from both Ward A and Ward B, including Eric Friedly, Hemming, Carrie Ziegler and Shean Atkins skipped a pre-announced budget meeting that further delayed the budget’s implementation, which drew community criticism.

At last week’s Council meeting, Councilmembers Hemming and Atkins expressed interest in unlocking $5,000 in additional funding for Ward representatives–an idea that saw immediate community pushback and criticism.

But in last night’s meeting, Councilmember Tremayne Mitchell successfully made the motion to strip those funds from the budget.

After a discussion over spending, Ward D Councilmember Andrea Caldwell made the motion to pass the budget, which was adopted unanimously.

Another idea both Hemming and Atkins expressed an interest in at last week’s Council meeting was reducing Council meeting days from 3 per month to 2, in addition to a proposed “recess” period where the Council would not meet at all. Both Councilmembers offered supportive commentary regarding the ideas during open Council discussion.

However, the community expressed disinterest in those ideas as well and neither was submitted for consideration or adoption at last night’s Council meeting.