ALTO — The Alto Town Council held a public hearing and work session Tuesday evening, approving an updated Local Emergency Operations Plan while tabling a decision on the town’s proposed 2026 budget until next month.
No residents attended or spoke during the public hearing on the budget. Alto Chief Financial Officer Lisa Turner said the final draft closely mirrors the version discussed last month, with revenues based on a 6.2 millage rate and pending figures from state public utility taxes. She said increases in insurance, retirement, and contracted service costs are expected in 2026, while franchise and insurance premium taxes are projected to rise slightly.
The draft 2026 balanced budget stands at $1,221,620 but doesn’t address the town’s current $79,109.55 deficit. Mayor Gail Armour told Now Habersham the vote was tabled to make further corrections on the proposed draft.
Local Emergency Operations Plan
During the work session, Armour outlined updates to the Local Emergency Operations Plan, which she said ensures the town’s readiness “to prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate emergencies or disasters.” Armour noted that the plan, in place for many years, was recently revised to reflect current procedures and available resources.
The Habersham County Emergency Management Agency partnered with local governments and community organizations to identify primary responsibilities for emergency support functions. A copy of the updated plan will be submitted to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
The council approved the updated plan unanimously. The budget vote was postponed until the council’s December 10 meeting to allow additional review.
