Dunwoody's City Council reviewed a proposed $64.4 million budget for fiscal year 2027 (FY2027) at a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Dunwoody Nature Center's North Woods Pavilion.
The spending plan, presented by Mayor Lynn Deutsch and City Manager Eric Linton, represents an 18.2% decrease from the amended FY2026 budget. The city said the budget focuses on public safety and customer service while reflecting slow revenue growth and lean operations. Details of the council's discussion at the Sept. 30 session were not publicly available as of Oct. 1.
The decrease stems largely from the expected spend-down of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) II funds, Capital and SPLOST I (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) reserves, and one-time use of General Fund reserves for capital projects in FY2026, as reported by Rough Draft Atlanta.
In the Sept. 28 budget letter, Deutsch and Linton said the city remains in a strong financial position heading into FY2027 but acknowledged that some major revenue sources are growing slowly while inflation continues to push spending categories higher.
Police funding leads the proposed budget at $17.5 million, covering personnel, operations and capital needs. Infrastructure and public works would receive $13.4 million in combined funding, including SPLOST and grant dollars earmarked for road, stormwater and capital improvement projects. Parks and recreation is set at $5.9 million for facilities, programs and capital improvements.
Together, those three categories account for roughly $36.8 million of the $64.4 million plan.
The city's announcement said the proposed budget maintains six months of fund balance reserves. The Dunwoody City Charter requires a minimum of four months in reserves. The extra cushion is meant to ensure stability during emergencies, according to the city.
Two required public hearings are scheduled for Nov. 16 and Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. at Dunwoody City Hall before final adoption later this fall. The full budget document is available for public review on the city's website. Residents seeking more information can contact Communications Director Jennifer Boettcher at 678-382-6881.
