The Locust Grove City Council voted at its December 16 workshop meeting, the final scheduled meeting of 2019, to approve a total budget of $16,471,510 for the 2020 fiscal year.

  The general fund budget is $8,301,570, with most of that money coming from taxes and user fees along with fines, grants and other minimal sources.

  The city’s enterprise funds, which include utilities and hotel-motel tax revenue as well as SPLOST and impact fees, total $8,169,940.

  The budget report from city staff stated that the population is now more than 7,200 and the 2020 census total will be nearly double that from the 2010 census. The report also put the number of businesses in the city at nearly 500.

  In other business, the council voted to hold water and sewer rates steady for the first half of 2020, despite a fee schedule adopted in 2015 that calls for automatic two-percent increases in January 1 and July 1 of each year.

  The move was made possible, according to city staff, “due to efficiencies in the system that do not require the automatic increase on January 1, 2020, and, under further review as the 2020 fiscal year develops, may allow for future adjustments as well that may partially offset parts of future rate increases.”

  City staff also indicated that a considerable amount of debt has been paid down from prior years of investment in the system, including a large number of tap fees from new development.

  The council also adopted an annual update of the city’s Capital Improvement Element as well as a resolution to authorize a capital lease through United Bank for the acquisition of a new excavator in the Stormwater, Utilities and Public Works departments. Another resolution passed by the council authorizes an application for the Local Maintenance Improvement Grant 2020 cycle.