"The proposal would allow staff to retire without penalty before the minimum age of 50 if they have worked at least 25 years for the county".
Get ready, here it comes!
Click here for AJC article.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
We're going to see a lot of experienced people hit the road over the next 6 months.
Does the reduction in services mean that I get to demand lower property taxes?
Well, we are struggling to keep up with calls for service demands as it is. It is hard for me to slimming us down any further. I think it is hard to justify, fiscally, starting any more academies but I admit I am not looking at any "real numbers" in front of me. And roughly thinking about current county services, what can be eliminated and deferred to the private sector. Perhaps just suspended for a little while. I can only think of sanitation.
The way I see it, we have to get a strong grip on public safety in DeKalb in order to keep the good citizens of DeKalb County safe in their homes, schools, and businesses so that they don't leave or incorporate.
Attaining this goal appears to me to be pretty challenging given our current level of resources, both personnel and equipment. So what's the solution? More personnel + more equipment = yep, you guessed it, more expense (more tax).
It looks like we have no choice right now but to bite this bullet even if it means furloughs or reduction is pay that one news story I saw mentioned. Personally, give me the furlough so that I can at least try to find something constructive to earn income on that or those days. For those of us who get to keep our jobs, we will just have to continue to do our absolute best if we ever hope to weather this storm in an attempt to turn the tide in our favor. I can only hope that once that tide has turned (thriving economy), the county will show its appreciation and reward us (reimburse).
Citizens of DeKalb County, you too have a role in this. If you want the recovery bad enough, if you want to feel as safe as you can imagine, we will need your support. And I don't just mean paying more taxes. Get involved in your communities if you are not already. Care about the little things because if those go unchecked, they turn in to bigger things that most certainly will have negative impacts on you. I am talking about quality of life issues. If you have neighbors doing questionable things, kindly talk to them. Be nice. Don't be fearful. Ask them to please turn down their music. You don't need to always call on us. Tell them to slow down. Keep up your property. Maybe as a community, you might need to put the spotlight on certain people. Public humility once was pretty effective. But, please, be peaceful about it.
When the time comes, and historically it should, the CEO and the BOC all need to make public safety their #1 priority to get DeKalb County back to the most desired place to live, work, have a business, and go to school. People will come back. Homes will be filled. Businesses will open and/or expand. Revenue will increase. More schools then could be built and more teachers hired. And then bring back lost services and expand. Eventually, and hopefully sooner rather than later, there should be no reason why tax breaks and cuts could not come back to the good citizens of DeKalb County. Abviously, it would just need to be done wisely to maintain balance so as not to swing the pendulum back too far in the wrong direction again.
This model is reasonably simple. It requires awareness, excellent leadership to implement it, and see it through. It requires the support of both citizens and employees.
Mr. Ellis and BOC, let's get it done. DeKalb County, its citizens and employees, deserve it.
Ladies/Gentleman,
Its as simple as this: Worry about what you can control, the rest will take care of itself.
Show up on time and put in a good day's work. Do what you normally do. Its about YOU...what gets you excited?
If you like finding 28, do it!
If you like busting 42 perps, do it!
If you like DUI's, do it.
If you like being a detective, do it!
If you like investigating a traffic fatality, do it!
If you like doing traffic enforcement, do it!
The county is the county and the department doesn't give a rat's ass about you. You are a badge number and someone on the watch list. Five years after you're gone, hardly anyone with the department will remember your name.
Go out and do what you do.
Get fulfillment from what you do best. You can control that part of your life. Forget the rest and find what makes you "love coming to work".
Reductions, cutbacks....yeah, its a little nerve racking, but we can't do anything about it.
I, a citizen, appreciate all that you officers do. Just know that.
Same crap here. Check it once a month same crap. Get a life.
No! I will not eat that cat poop!
Yep, its the same stuff anon6 because the same stuff keeps on happening.
Ellis is correct in stating that the county must maintain its core functions, but I have some doubts to his sincerity when his budget proposal reduces every departments budget except the CEO's which he wants increased by 14 percent. Doesn't that seem just a little hypocritical?
The county has two bond issues in process, library and Parks and Recs, both bonds will require additional employees to staff the projects.
The county has a skatebord park, and aqua park, the Lou Walker center, the performing arts center, and a horse farm, all would be rated as nonessential and better left to commercial or non-profits to fund and run.
If you meet the criteria in DeKalb, you can get cradle to grave welfare. You can be born at Grady, receive free health care at the government clinics, Food stamps and section 8 housing funding from the feds, and rest in the lap of luxury at Lou Walker all at no cost as long as you stay below the poverty level.
The price of socialism is high taxes and big government, and DeKalb government is bloated and in-efficient to boot.
I will likely take the early retirement incentive, just doing my part to help the county guys!
Post a Comment