The Conyers City Council this morning approved the city's Fiscal Year 2014 budget, covering roughly $14 million in spending.

New budget items include creating the city's first-ever strategic plan and a study for a new City Hall complex.

Thanks to higher revenues, the budget also features a new pay scale and classification system for city employees. It offers performance-based pay boosts of roughly 5 percent, mostly for lower-level city employees, to bring them closer to the statewide averages, Chief Financial Officer Isabel Rogers previously told the council.

City employee pay has not increased in recent years due to the economy, but revenues are projected to rise. The council approved that new system separately at a previous meeting.

Also factored into the budget is a 4.7 percent increase in employee health insurance costs that previously was praised by the council as notably small in current times.

The budget was reviewed at two separate council meetings this month. It was approved in a special council meeting held this morning in the city manager's office to make the Fiscal Year deadline of June 30. The council approved the budget unanimously among members present, with Councilman Chris Bowen not in attendance, according to city spokeswoman Jennifer Edwards.