Athens-Clarke County commissioners appear ready to approve most provisions of Mayor Nancy Denson's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013—which begins in July—but they won't end night bus service or kill ACC's (presently unfilled) environmental coordinator position. "There's a difference between people riding the bus to support their livelihoods and people riding home from the bar at night," Commissioner Kathy Hoard observed at a budget work session last week. Despite statistically low ridership in the last hours before 10 p.m., "there are generally persons there in the evenings in those bus shelters"—and Hoard said she learned through talking to them that they are typically travelling to get groceries or medicine.

Only a few routes run past 7 p.m.; after that, demand drops precipitously, Transit Director Butch McDuffie said. But "you're always going to have a reduced use that last hour," Commissioner Kelly Girtz pointed out, because people won't take outbound trips they can't get home from later. Commissioners proposed keeping the late-night routes intact in part by raising fares from $1.50 to $1.60 for all rides, which Girtz said would cover about two-thirds of the cost.

The budget will be voted on June 5. Recent budgets have been unusually tight for local governments like ACC's; next year's will continue that trend. With home values continuing to decline, ACC now collects 9 percent less property tax revenue than three years ago (although some revenues, like sales taxes, are up slightly). County departments long accustomed to expansion and yearly employee raises have instead mostly seen cuts for several years; no raises have been given since 2008–09. But this year, Denson proposes a $500 permanent annual raise for all county employees at a total cost of $910,000, and commissioners seem to agree one is due. Such a flat, across-the-board raise would proportionally benefit lower-paid employees more than the percentage-based raises that the county has given in the past.

Again this year, departmental cuts outnumber the very few increases proposed in Mayor Denson's budget. The increases include higher costs for fuel and for computer software. "As you know, Mr. Bill Gates continues to need to make a little more money," ACC Manager Alan Reddish told commissioners. "We are totally dependent upon our computers."

Denson's proposals to eliminate seven county positions included "suspending" the presently-unfilled environmental coordinator position—a job originally created to be an internal government watchdog for the environment, advising commissioners and attending public meetings. But since Dick Field, who originally held the position, retired, questions have been raised about its effectiveness. Commissioners told Reddish in November they wanted to see the environmental coordinator be "more proactive" and involved in public meetings and discussions; Reddish denied "hiding him somewhere." Last week, commissioners said they want to keep the position (although perhaps save money by leaving it unfilled until January).

The county has exhausted what savings it can make by reducing contingency funds, and must make more real and sustainable reductions (and service cuts) to meet new financial realities, Reddish said. The only increases that should be allowed are operating funds required by SPLOST projects, he said. The budget doesn't propose a tax hike, but commissioner Jared Bailey thought maybe it should—since county budget documents always point out that ACC's effective tax rates are among the state's lowest, he asked, wouldn't raising taxes be better than cutting services?