2026 2 20 Strategic Summit Packet

Unverified text extraction. Check the original page for numbers, names, and layout.

Strategy Affordability 
To fund the above-mentioned strategies, the city has the financial resources to do so. According to the FYE 
June 30, 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the General Fund unassigned fund balance was 
$15,759,791 (including transfers) or 80.47% of General Fund expenditures, slightly over the city policy 
amount of75%. As of January 2026, the General Fund has over $17M in reserves, the Capital Improvement 
Fund has over $12M in reserves, the Fleet Management Fund has $7M in reserves, the Sanitation Fund has 
over $2M in reserves, the 2021 GO Bond Fund earmarked for specific projects has almost $1 M in reserves, 
and the Hotel/Motel Tax Fund has over $IM in reserves. In addition, the city enjoys a favorable Aa3 bond 
rating that would reduce the cost of borrowing. Furthermore, compared to adjacent counties' and cities' 
total property tax rates, Athens enjoys a relatively low property tax rate that, even if increased, would still 
be lower or the same as the surrounding communities. 
Seven-Year Strategic Plan 
A Seven-Year and Long-Range Capital Improvement Program (CIP) has been developed to incorporate 
these general strategies into a specific working plan including cost estimates and funding sources. 
5