Tallulah Falls council to take up budget, police audit follow-up Thursday

TALLULAH FALLS — The Town Council will meet Thursday with a packed agenda that includes final adoption of the fiscal year 2027 budget, new police hires and continued discussion of a recent audit of the town’s police department.

The meeting is set for 6 p.m. June 11 at 255 Main Street and will be streamed on YouTube.

Council members are expected to consider adoption of the FY2027 budget following earlier public discussions that included funding tied to the town’s school camera safety program and other public safety expenditures. The proposed budget follows a broader review process that has centered on balancing operational costs with capital and public safety needs.

Also on the agenda is approval of two part-time police hires — David Perkins, currently with the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, and Riley Owens, with the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office — as the town continues staffing adjustments within its police department.

The council is also set to vote on a resolution to surplus a 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe and a 2017 Dodge Charger, both former police vehicles.

Other business includes consideration of a new property and capital asset policy, as well as appointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Downtown Development Authority.

Attention is also expected on the police department audit, which Mayor Mike Early  previously described as “eye-opening” and which found no evidence of payroll misuse but recommended policy changes. The audit has already prompted discussion of procedural and oversight adjustments within the department.

Following an executive session, council members are scheduled to return to new business for a personnel policy discussion, which could signal further changes to internal employment procedures.