Wednesday, May 11, 2011

When Is Recovering 60 Million Dollars NOT feasible?

Did Burrell Ellis really say "if it makes good fiscal sense" he would consider trying to recover 60 million dollars owed to the county? WTH!

Not once during this segment did you hear the word "accountability." Some department heads need to be held accountable for not bringing this to the attention to the commission long before it got to this point.

So typical of Burrell Ellis. Sweep it under the rug and stick it to the taxpayers.

Just wait, one of Burrell's buddy's will be named some sort of director that comes along with a deputy director, administrative aides and take home cars, to "look into" this matter.

The madness continues.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

The really sad part about this story, besides the loss of money due to the County, is that the only reason the County will try to recover these funds is because of the media.

Why couldn't the County identify this problem on its own and then move forward to solve it? I think I know the answer and it gets back to competent leadership and a lack of it.

How many more times do we have to see the BOC and CEO on TV saying, " Wow, really?!? How much money did we waste? Hmmmm, that sounds like a lot....I guess we should look into this...."

Also did we have any follow up on the tens of millions not collected by the Recorders Court? Have not heard anything lately on it.

-JW

Anonymous said...

"If it makes good fiscal sense"?
Burrell, guess you're not doing so well without Shelia Edwards. Right about now, she's lookin like a brain surgeon.

Anonymous said...

Old news really. We've known about the uncollected fines in numerous departments for some time. It's been said before that they're going to be collected on, but nobody's effectively acted on it yet. This has been addressed by the media before too, remember a couple of years ago when all the local news agencies were doing stories on recorders' court? It still hasn't been fixed. Saying "we'll look into it" and then doing nothing is not going to fix anything. It's just a feeble attempt to shut the taxpayers up.

Anonymous said...

Does it make fiscal sense to try to collect $60 million? You're kidding right? Does it make sense to collect money you're owed? Who the hell asks a stupid question like that?

Anonymous said...

DeKalb Chief Operating Officer Richard Stogner said, “before we can quantify cuts, we need to know the millage rate.”

Will someone please ask Ellis/Stogner Stogner/Ellis siamese twins cut from the same cloth:

Rather than waiting for the millage rate, why aren't you making ALL POSSIBLE cuts now, such as OneDekalb and Public Safety Office, and if you end up with a SURPLUS, (which you won't anyway) dump it into reserves? Do you think you should spend paychecktopaycheck, every penny you have? Your lame LAME justification for refusing to make requested cuts is so transparent, tells me what an arrogant ass you are.

Anonymous said...

Sorry! I posted this earlier, but in the wrong section!! :-)

This is just one example of why we (Brookhaven area residents) are considering the formation of The City of Brookhaven. Absolute waste and total financial mismanagement. The services offered to us such as police and fire are great to say the least. We've maintained a fabulous relationship with our local officers and see them quite often now. But the overall management of total government services outside the police and fire is beyond poor. To think that DeKalb has squandered so much of taxpayer funds, then deplete our reserve funds is without a doubt inexcusable. This rests with no one but the BOC. It's time they look at themselves in the mirror and ask themselves if it's just not time to resign thier position.

The thought of furloughs, layoffs and position elimination already makes one wonder (1)Why was such a budget passed in the 1st place and (2) Why did the BOC pass the budget knowing the financial difficulty the County faced already? As a resident, I am deeply concerned if our county employees are truly respected with the honor and dignity they deserve. Not just the police and fire officials, but all of them. Private businesses have been investigated for a lot less issues, I certainly believe the State Attorney Generals office should at least investigate.

I for one, was against Cityhood for Brookhaven, but when things like this come out, I seriously have to reconsider not just for the sake of my friends and family, but for the sake of better government.

CEO and BOC, it's time to look in the mirror and ask yourself are you really the best elected representative to handle these issues, or is it time for you to step down.

Anonymous said...

Anon May 11, 2011 12:42 PM,

From my experience, I'm going to have to disagree with you regarding Recorders Court not moving forward on outstanding collections from tickets. I have been having to testify recently on some very old, out-dated cases I can barely even remember issuing the tickets for. And I am seeing other officers having to do so as well.

Are they caught up? I doubt it, but they are trying. Will they ever catch up? I think that may be very hard to do since the BOC has cut the budget for Recorders Court too. So, they have less people to process all the outstanding and current citations. And at the rate officers are still being pressed to write a gazillion tickets, it certainly makes it all but impossible. But, to be fair, Recorders Court thanks to Chief Judge Withers deserves a lot of credit.

Cerebration said...

I also posted this elsewhere - but this post is more appropriate.

Hi guys -- Over at DeKalb School Watch, we're curious. We have been looking into the costs for school security. According to the 2010 Salary Report downloaded at the state's website, DCSS has 211 security officers ranging in pay from a few thousand (part time or newly hired late in the year) to $92,599. Total salaries -- over $9.5 million. The average salary therefore is around $45,000.

We're curious - what is the average pay for a DeKalb county officer? How does it compare to what the school system is paying our security staff? Could the taxpayers possibly save money and get better security by the two separate systems working together? As in - all school security provided by DeKalb county police department? In these days of budget slashing - we think this is a place where some savings could occur... What do you say?

Anonymous said...

The Dekalb County Police will go the way of Fulton County. Patrolling only the soutside ghettos while the majority of tax payers create a halfway normal government.

Anonymous said...

Blogger Cerebration said...

I also posted this elsewhere - but this post is more appropriate.

Hi guys -- Over at DeKalb School Watch, we're curious. We have been looking into the costs for school security. According to the 2010 Salary Report downloaded at the state's website, DCSS has 211 security officers ranging in pay from a few thousand (part time or newly hired late in the year) to $92,599. Total salaries -- over $9.5 million. The average salary therefore is around $45,000.

We're curious - what is the average pay for a DeKalb county officer? How does it compare to what the school system is paying our security staff? Could the taxpayers possibly save money and get better security by the two separate systems working together? As in - all school security provided by DeKalb county police department? In these days of budget slashing - we think this is a place where some savings could occur... What do you say?

Dekalb County Schools have their own police department, these are school police officers not security officers.

Gwinnett County, the states largest school system, has only 39 police officers and about 1 unarmed guard at each school. They pay their school officers a min of 72,000 a year with take home car. Of course you must have 10 years prior experiance, a degree if not a masters, and significant investigative or juvi experience.

The fact that Dekalb schools, with far less students than Gwinnett has needs 211 police officers versus Gwinnetts 39 officers tells you something about the children in Dekalb and their parents.

Anonymous said...

Heaven forbid this county tries to make some of these deadbeats actually pay up. For the CEO and BOC to say they didn't know about it or some other lame excuse is BS. Fact is, they never wanted to collect because of the "why we always picking on the poor old people" argument....freaking left wing pansies!!!

Anonymous said...

why are you babies soooo against raising taxes?? The county I live in raises it every year for the last 10 years (except for last year) the price for providing public service goes up, so we have to raise the bill. Gas was $2.29 a gallon 4 years ago, its almost twice that now, so im not sure what the millage would be, but an extra $50 a year per taxpayer is not to much to ask. Us taxpayers give 25 percent of DeKalb County enough, along with their government checks cause they to damn lazy to look for work. Yes times are difficult, but if you havent gotten off your ass in 3 years to look for a job, then kiss my ass

Anonymous said...

Burrell Ellis and his crooked cronies do not want to "bother" his brothers and sisters in asking for funds that are due the county.

This might considered an imposition and he doesn't want to insult anyone. One the other hand, asking those people on the northside, who pay for the majority of the taxes for the WHOLE COUNTY, would not be an imposition because they are known for paying their taxes anyway.

Bearing all this mind, it just would much simpler to raise the taxes on those who pay, then those who go through life relying on someone else to take care of themselves.

It doesn't make "a hill of beans as to how much is owed to the county, just who pays for it all".

This is the Burrell Ellis and his crooked cronies line of thinking.
This is why Dekalb is in the shape that it is in.

Everyone thought that Vernon Jones was a big, self centered ego maniac, but the truth is that Burrell Ellis took lessons from VJ and became more ruthless.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:31, some good points. Many DeKalb employees are totally disgusted with the trend of DeKalb government in its headlong race to the bottom of the dung-heap of efficient and ethical government.
Some of the major issues were born with good intentions. The three major bond issues over the last decade (Greenspace I, Greenspace II and library bond issues) were created with the intention of improving the quality of life for DeKalb citizens.
The inefficient minority purchasing set-asides were intended to foster minority business development but instead resulted in businesses gaming the contract system to obtain lucrative contracts with inflated profits.
Unfortunately in this time of financial recession the county cannot sustain the inefficiency inherent to these well meaning programs.
With DeKalb political leadership alternately indecisive, asinine or just plain stupid with their solutions to the loss of revenue, Brookhaven should seriously look at Dunwoody's seccession from DeKalb and the serious start-up costs of creating a government from scratch. So far Dunwoody citizens are very pleased with their new government and its focus on the citizens and the community that was absent from DeKalb government political leadership.
Should Brookhaven follow Dunwoody and create their own local government? Absolutely, when a government refuses to address the concerns of the citizens for a decade, authority has been abdicated and it is time to move on and develop a government responsive to the individual citizens.
DeKalb political leadership need to address the concerns of all the citizens, not just favored districts or interest groups.
The CEO and BOC has zero interest in Brookhaven community issues. Their only interest is in the tax revenue generated by Brookhaven citizens to apply to their favored constituents that reelect them as career politicians.

Cerebration said...

Thanks for the info, Anon. Do you think (do any of you think) it would be worthwhile to look into combining the school police with the DeKalb police?

Cerebration said...

Basically, we're concerned that the school police are not professional enough. Check out this story, for example,

DeKalb schools officer shoots student near Redan High School

A DeKalb County school resource officer shot a 16-year-old student near Redan High's campus Friday afternoon, a school system spokesman confirmed.

The 16-year-old attends DeKalb Alternative School, spokesman Jeff Dickerson told the AJC. It is believed he was tussling with students from Redan.

At around 3:30 p.m., the resource officer responded to Field Green Drive in the Hidden Hills subdivision, where the scuffle had intensified. According to the officer, he heard a gunshot and then witnessed the 16-year-old holding a weapon. The officer responded, shooting the teen four times, Dickerson said. . . .

“[The school resource officer] was hovering over the kid and keeping everybody back with his revolver” said Brown, adding that he was disturbed by the sight of an officer pointing his gun at the dozen or so students standing nearby.


We have never been privy as to what became of this officer. We have also not been privy as to investigations into 150 stolen laptops and several stolen HVAC units (for copper). Is there protocol for county police when a shooting occurs as it did in the story above? The child didn't die, thankfully. But we are very concerned that a school police officer would leave campus to track a disturbance, shoot the student and then hold back the rest by wielding his gun. Just seems unprofessional. And the school system is content to sweep it all under the rug. We aren't even allowed to know the name of the officer or if he or she was reprimanded or retrained.

Anonymous said...

The story at Redan High School is incorrect. The student was armed with a handgun and began firing it into the air at a brawl involving approximately 30 animal type students. There were even ghetto parents present for this event. As the juvenile, who wasn't even a student at this school, started shooting, everybody began to run. The officer challenged the subject and he proceed to run. The subject pointed the gun at the officer and he fired. The subject was struck only twice, the upper back and leg.

With that said, I question the facts on what the school officers and security guards make per year. I'm still in agreement that maybe the two departments should combined if it would cut the budget.

Anonymous said...

Were you there Cerebration?