Budget and Revenue

Dear Friends and Neighbors,


The hot topic for the DeKalb County Commission is our County budget and just like many of you, we are still looking for ways to do what we can with less income.   On June 22, we passed the mid-year Budget adjustments proposed by CEO Burrell Ellis with several amendments to restore some funding to the courts, police, recreation centers, the Board of Health and mental health programs and no tax increase. 

Our budget discussions are not over, however, and we will continue to explore ways to reduce spending and enhance revenue.  We need your input as we continue to cut services and reorganize.  Watch for a survey this fall on my website, to lend your voice to the debate.

On Tuesday, June 22, the County Commission also voted to use $36 million in federal stimulus bonds to support the redevelopment of the old GM plant site in Doraville.  This is NOT a finished product but the start of an on-going negotiation with the city of Doraville and the developer to find ways to support a redevelopment without placing additional burdens on taxpayers.  The negotiations will also define what the development will actually consist of including the types of jobs and public assets. The approval at this stage is only to keep the process going by applying for a state required extension. The Commission has a final vote before any bonds can be issued.  The important pieces of this project are a) the need for additional commercial property taxes, which subsidize services for the residential property tax payer, b) the need for quality jobs; approximately 4,000 were lost when GM closed and our economic recovery depends on job creation c) a needed boost in sales taxes which go to our HOST, our transportation projects and MARTA.  Doraville is a partner at the table and is supportive of moving forward in a manner that can benefit all.

We have long talked about looking outside the box at revenue options.  This budget round has made the need for additional revenue sources even more critical.  The CEO and the Board of Commissioners recognize that now is the time for additional revenue enhancement.  I will be moving forward with a joint CEO and the Board of Commissioners Revenue Enhancement Commission.   The Commission is charged to identify and explore new external and internal revenue systems to develop recommendations for the DeKalb County Governing Authority that will enhance revenue and decrease the property tax burden for general government operations in order to maintain and improve quality of life for DeKalb Citizens.  The Commission includes appointees from throughout DeKalb’s finance and business communities and will begin meetings on July 13th.

Note: New Email Address

Please take note that our county email addresses are changing to a simpler version. My new address is kgannon@dekalbcountyga.gov

Green Commission 

Our Green Commission hosted a quarterly workshop, Saturday, May 15 at Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston campus on “Take Back Your Power; How to Be More Energy Efficient At Home and Work”.  Co-sponsored by the Georgia Beverage Association, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) and the Reznick Group, the program consisted of 7 panel presentations on topics such as Energy Audits, Energy Efficient Appliances, Remodeling and New Home Design, Greening Small Businesses and Renewable Energy Options for the Future.

Guest panelist featured experts on the topic of sustainability from Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas Light, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), The Reznick Group, Southface, OneWorld Sustainable, Radiance Solar and the US Green Building Council. Exhibitors included: Lowes, Home Depot, The Towers High School “Energy City”, The Clean Air Campaign, DWCE Construction, Green Grease, Renewal System Solutions, Green Chamber of the South, GA Green Loans, Oneida Builders, Water, Color Stone, Weston Solutions and Verus Carbon Neutral.

Visit our Tips for Going Green and other information at the Green Commission tab under Constituent Info on my website at Green Commission.

HOLD the date for The Green Products Expo tentatively set for November 13th.

Seniors Update

The new North and South DeKalb Senior Centers are getting closer to the construction phase.  These two new centers will be funded with Federal CDBG dollars and each will be a state of the art 15,000 square foot facility. The centers will include commercial kitchens, community meeting rooms, computer labs, fitness centers, walking trails and courtyards. The new Central Senior Center is on the drawing board and will include the same amenities.  Meetings have been completed with the South Center seniors and will be scheduled soon for North and Central. Construction for each center will take about two years.

Speaking of seniors, one of our hidden treasures in DeKalb County is the Mountain View Personal Care Home.  This non-profit facility was founded just after the Civil War as the “alms house” for the needy elderly of DeKalb County.  Today, it continues to provide a haven for those with few options and resources. 

Located at 3675 Kensington Road, Mountain View continues to rely on donations and volunteers from our community.  Some of the services they always need are help with picking up food from various churches and the DeKalb Farmers Market, maintenance of the grounds and building, and additional supplies from canned goods to cleaning materials.  Volunteers of all types are welcome!  Contact Mountain View at 404-508-7593 or www.mountainviewpch.org.

Park Updates

The Friends of Kittredge Park met with the design team and the final plan is ready for permit review. A final Community review meeting is being scheduled, so we can kick off construction this fall.

Fork Creek Mountain Park is also in the final design stage and a final community meeting will be scheduled to review them once complete.

Mason Mill design plans are final and a groundbreaking for phase 1 was held June 19.

I co-hosted with District 4 Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton a community meeting on June 17 at the Tobie Grant Recreation Center to begin discussions on the development plans for a new facility.

I have started discussion with our county Parks Department about Intrenchment Creek park improvements.  Tentative plans include an enhanced area for the flying of radio controlled model airplanes, horse trails as well as PATH walking/bike trails.  All plans for this park will be designed to have minimal environmental impact.

Recorders Court

For those with business in DeKalb County’s Recorders Court, new rules are now in effect to make the process more orderly and efficient.  Trials will be held on Wednesday of each week and sessions for trial will begin at 9:00 am, 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm.  Code enforcement trials and arraignment calendars are now on Tuesday and will be held all day.  To expedite cases, a pilot project will be initiated for a Solicitor to be available in Recorders Court to discuss cases and help work out solutions. Information about tickets will be available through a link on the Recorders Court website.

Please note: cell phones will not be allowed in Recorders Court.

Vote!

A number of important races are on the calendar, including electing a new Governor and a new commissioner (District 7), so please take time to vote.  Early voting is open now at the Voter Registration Office on Memorial Drive and Advance voting sites for the July 20 primary election day open July 12, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm at the Memorial Drive main office, in Decatur at the Historic Courthouse, the Chamblee Civic Center, the DeKalb County Fire Headquarters in Tucker and at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center.  For information about where you vote and your representatives, visit, voter registration and elections. 

The party primaries are on July 20 and the General Election is November 2, 2010.

Movies in the Park

Looking for something cool on a hot summer night? Check out the free movies in DeKalb County Parks.  The next movie in District 6 is July 24 at the Tobie Grant Park, 644 Parkdale Drive, Scottdale.  For more information and to see what’s scheduled, visit movies in the park.

Libraries

Our DeKalb County libraries are under the same budget pressures as all our departments and we are taking a hard look at how to economize.  Out of necessity, the materials budget has been cut and we have to look at operational reductions.  We are considering closing two very small neighborhood branches and transferring the staff to branches with staff vacancies. We’ll keep you updated as decisions are made.

New Sidewalk in District 6

The design phase is currently underway for a long planned sidewalk along Flat Shoals Road from Second Avenue to Whites Mill Road.  This is part of a larger county-wide project in a federally funded Georgia Department of Transportation program.  

Welcome

Claire McLeveighn is our New District 6 Policy and Projects Manager.  We’ll hear more from her in the next update.  We bid a fond farewell and Thank You to Rita Morgan but she won’t be far away as she will continue to work with the Green Commission.

Have a great summer and be safe. Kathie