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City of Fayetteville, Georgia | 770-461-6029 | fayetteville-ga.gov
Fayetteville featured in KNOW Atlanta relocation magazine

More than 15,000 people call the City of Fayetteville "home", and many thousands more enjoy the benefits of living in the Fayetteville area.

Relocation guide KNOW Atlanta featured Fayetteville in its Summer 2017 magazine edition and highlighted many of the reasons people love to live here.

City earns 21st consecutive Financial Reporting award

Pictured (l-r) are City Council Members Kathaleen Brewer and Paul Oddo, Mayor Ed Johnson, Councilman Harlan Shirley, Finance Director Mike Bush, Councilmen Scott Stacy and Jim Williams, and Assistant Finance Director Carleetha Talmadge. (Photo/City of Fayetteville)
The City of Fayetteville Finance Department for its 21st consecutive year has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

The award was given for reporting associated with the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, and it is the highest form of recognition for governmental and financial reporting.

"We are grateful to receive this award every year and to have a Finance Department committed to excellence in managing and reporting the city's budgeting process," said City Manager Ray Gibson. "We often say Fayetteville is becoming a 'premier city', and having financial accountability and transparency is foundational to that goal."

Finance Director Mike Bush and Assistant Finance Director Carleetha Talmadge were recognized during Thursday night's city council meeting and presented with the award by the mayor and city council members.
Police Department welcomes K-9 Finn

Pictured (l-r) are Police Officer Josh Riviere, K-9 Finn, city council members Harlan Shirley, Kathaleen Brewer and Paul Oddo, and Mayor Ed Johnson. (Photo/City of Fayetteville)
The Fayetteville Police Department earlier this month introduced their newest officer, K-9 Finn, to the public at a city council meeting. K-9 Finn is a 16-month-old dual-purpose German Shepherd, who can track suspects and drugs.

Finn and his partner, Officer Josh Riviere, completed a six-week training course at the Alabama K-9 Law Enforcement Officers Training Center in Northport, Alabama.

Be sure to keep up with the latest Fayetteville Police Department news on their Facebook page.
Additional property tax revenue earmarked for public safety

The City of Fayetteville is in the annual process of setting its property tax millage rate, and just as they have done since 2014, city management is recommending keeping that rate at 3.874 mills.

The City is not recommending a millage rate increase, but because appraised property values have gone up in the last year, City of Fayetteville residents may see a 9.5-percent increase on average in the city portion of their property tax bill. For homes valued at $150,000, that increase would amount to about $20 a year or $1.68 a month.

This extra tax revenue is expected to add up to almost $308,000, which will be put toward maintaining and strengthening Fayetteville's police and fire protection.

"Through a combination of town hall meetings, online surveys and other forms of constituent engagement, we have heard over the last year or so that public safety is a top priority for City of Fayetteville residents," said City Manager Ray Gibson. "As we work to improve our overall service delivery, we echo this public sentiment. This additional funding will be put toward maintaining nine fire fighters who were hired with recently-expired SAFER Grant money, and it will be used to help fund three police officer positions added to the force this year."

"According to the Fayette County Tax Assessor's Office, real property value assessments have risen by nearly $80 million in the City of Fayetteville over the previous year," said Finance Director Mike Bush. "Some city property owners will see a property tax increase on the city portion of their tax bill."

By state law, when property assessments go up and the millage rate stays the same, municipalities must inform the public that property owners may experience an overall tax increase if their property value assessment has increased over the last year. Three public hearings must also be held. The first two public hearings were held on Thursday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and the third and final public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m.

Are you connected to the City through Nextdoor?

The City of Fayetteville earlier this year partnered with social media app Nextdoor, and since then we have been tweaking our page, including upgrading the interactive map of the city. This fall, you will hear more about Nextdoor, and those of you signed up on Nextdoor will receive more alerts and community information on that platform. It will be a helpful tool as we roll out our new citywide communication strategy.
City of Fayetteville, Georgia | 770-461-6029 | fayetteville-ga.gov