The commission chose to raise taxes on the homeowners, yet refuse to downsize non-critical workers.
So, with home foreclosure notices at a 30 month high, what will 2012 hold for us?
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
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18 comments:
No surprise. I commented in another post that this is what would happen. Lil Vern and the Board of Crooks are stupid cowards. They don't know how to restructure government and even if they did, they wouldn't do it.
This tax increase will not affect most of the central and south DeKalb property owners because their assessed values have tanked. The idiots who complain about the value of their home dropping by more than half don't understand that means their tax bill is also going to be cut in half. Any millage rate increase will have a minimal, if any at all, effect on their actual property taxes.
The Board of Crooks is happy to sock it to north DeKalb property owners once again. But north DeKalb property owners seemed resigned to taking it up the ass so that south DeKalb residents can have their community centers, libraries and PD to break up the never-ending fights between Dontae and Daneesha. Hell, Jeff Rader just voted for a hugh tax increase for his constituents and hardly any of them care that he was eager to overpay a political contributor for park land.
But there is good that will come out of this decision. Get ready for a city of Brookhaven.
http://dunwoody.patch.com/articles/commissioner-elaine-boyer-chides-burrell-ellis-on-police-funding
That's a far cry from the zero increase they were claiming for homeowners just weeks ago. Do they have ANY idea of what they are doing or what is happening economically in this country or their own county? Obviously they DO NOT.
look im sick of the BOC too, but this is the first half way smart thing they have done. Its not like DeKalb County has seen a tax hike in YEARS like every other county has. Public Safety has its expense. This will effect about 10 percent of the counties residents anyways.
Right now is a critical time the county has to make other wise decisions. Starting with eliminating bullshit positions and cake jobs some of us have had for years. Obviously starting with civilian employees and sanatation. How often do we arrest these thugs while they are still wearing their reflective traffic vests in the first place.
http://dunwoody.patch.com/articles/commissioner-elaine-boyer-chides-burrell-ellis-on-police-funding
There aren't enough words for me to express my disappointment and astonishment at your mid-year budget proposal for DeKalb County. There are many reasons ranging from estimated revenue to expenditures. But what I would specifically like to address in this letter today zeroes in on the most critical role of county government – public safety.
You have utterly failed to abide by legislation adopted by the General Assembly this year to separate out the levy for DeKalb Police Services in a Special Tax District - a fund designated to protect the most vital service this county provides its citizens.
In all its wisdom, the Legislature adopted this separate line-item for a police millage so that it would somewhat insulated from the politics of budgeting when Commissioners and the CEO decide how to raise and spend money in DeKalb County.
As CEO, you and your staff did not participate in any discussion about the need for a police millage. Nor did you object to this concept. That is why I am now flabbergasted at your underhanded tactics as the CEO to again co-mingle police funds with other departments –departments that the Legislature clearly did not believe had as high a priority as public safety.
I want to note that just because police services are earning a dedicated portion of the millage, this carve out does not require a tax increase. The General Assembly also saw that as it adopted this legislative policy.
During budget committee meetings, your staff informed me that the new law only impacted the millage rate and that a law is not needed to separate out a budgetary fund of a tax nature. I understand it difficult to make this book keeping change on tax bills, but the law is the law and the public wants transparency on how tax money is dedicated to public safety.
The public is willing and even encouraged us to separate out a police tax, as long as that funding stayed within the Police Department. With this move, you have destroyed public confidence of county government, and especially the confidence of members of the General Assembly who passed this legislation with a single purpose in mind.
I am writing you this letter based on my experience in recent budget committee meetings and handouts received from your office. It's obvious your staff needs more educating on abiding by state law and the protocol of working with another respected body - the Board of Commissioners.
To disregard the will of the General Assembly, the desire of the elected Board of Commissioners and the desires of the DeKalb taxpayers shows your office is not only out of touch with its constituencies, but does not know the realities of a political environment. This action or inaction, I should say, creates a serious invitation for the 2012 session of the Georgia General Assembly to change the county form of government to one more responsive to the people that elect it.
Anon #1: I am a constituent of Commissioner Boyer. So I pay attention to what she does. I take major offense that you would lump her into a broad category such as "stupid cowards". She is neither stupid or a coward, I assure you. And I truly hope you are not a public safety employee. If you are, you have done nothing to inform yourself on the issues. These unsubstantiated blanket accusations are getting a little tired. (And if you have no clue as to where you can get more information, post a comment and I will give you a few sources.)
To Anon 457,
I'm with you Boyer has BIG BALLS.
I own a home in an unincorporated area of N. Dekalb, which I built at a cost of more than half a million dollars in 2001. I am selling it...at a loss and getting the hell out of Dekalb. As a business owner, resident, and Rotary member...I have always supported the police officers....but I can no longer support the county you work for. So I am pulling my support out in the best way I know how, with my pocket book.
I know MANY people who have or are considering moving into Gwinnett, North Fulton, Hall, Forsyth, Cherokee, etc. They are tired of the crooks in Dekalb and those of us who have supported the county with A LOT of tax dollars are leaving.
All that will be left are the hard working middle class that cant leave and the droves of welfare queens, thugs, and criminals that pollute much of the county now.
"That's a far cry from the zero increase they were claiming for homeowners just weeks ago."
This is exactly what I'm talking about - I hope those making those types of comments are not detectives. Start reading, asking questions, and discussing with with sources before you spout off.
The BOC tried to get the CEO to adopt a budget that would have resulted in NO tax increase - but the CEO REFUSED to accept and adopt their recommendations. This tax increase is HIS increase and HIS alone. So stop saying "they". It is "he".
anon 2:01
You sir are an idiot.
DeKalb County has become the only County in the state to provide a special tax fund and seperate millage rate for the DeKalb County police department.
Your helicopters will be back in the air, car fully equipped and your recruiting classes will be back and fully funded, All those actions after Commissiner Boyer met with the Chief and his staff to outline exactly what you needed.
The furlough days explicitly remove the police from the folks who will be forced to take the day off.
If you work you get paid.
The BOC even changed the wording from the CEO suggestion of unpaid holidays to furloughs so those of you who have to work would not get short changed by the county's insane policy of only paying 8 hours of Holiday pay even though your shifts are 10 hours.
So my dear sir you are the idiot and COWARD. If you have a complaint have the balls to step up and set a meeting to voice it.
If you have no idea what you are talking about just shut the fu#@
up because you add nothing of value to the conversation.
Being a commeter on ablog does not make you the expert you think you are
You biggest supporters have been Boyer and May.
may be a good idea if you read up before you all throw everyone under the bus
Anon 11:26PM,
If you're going to call someone an idiot, before you hit the "Publish Your Comment" button, you might want to proof read your post. Sure, we all make typos and little errors here and there, but you write like English is your second language, perhaps even your third. Are you a product of the cheating Atlanta Public Schools?
I too have discovered that Commissioner Boyer is not the stereotypical DeKalb County Commissioner.
If the county had three more like her on the BOC the county might have a fighting chance of reversing the obvious decline of DeKalb government for the last decade and a half.
The other half of local government is the school system and it appears to have the same type of leadership deficiencies as the BOC.
As the employees and citizens research the issues and driving forces that lead to the decline of DeKalb government, It is readily apparent that a combination of a government dominated by progressive Democrats for the last two decades, and a changing population of citizens consistently electing extremely poor candidates with some pretty radical ideas of the function of government in their lives has lead to DeKalb government's decline.
Cynthia McKinney, Sheriff Dorsey and Vernon Jones are all examples of misguided voting by the citizens of DeKalb.
Until DeKalb gets better informed voters and start electing candidates who understand leadership by example, understand the core functions of local government and are frugal with the citizens hard-earned cash, then DeKalb government will be mired in expensive, progressive mediocrity for the foreseeable future.
DeKalb can do better, and we all know it. It is the duty of the citizens to elect honest, effective leadership appropiate to the times. It is obvious that the CEO and most of the BOC do not have the qualities needed for leadership of DeKalb government in this financial crises.
Best of luck, guys!
KenC
I'm the one who wrote the first comment. I stand by my assertion that the board -- as a collective whole -- is stupid and cowardly.
They refuse to conduct a proper restructuring of county government. Instead they relied on an early retirement program that caused more problems than it fixed.
Some board members talk a good game of fiscal restraint, but then we see their actions: hundreds of dollars a night for hotel rooms, thousands and thousands of dollars for catered meals, thousands of dollars for new office furniture, raises for their staff, extra police protection, wanting to pay hundreds of thousands more for park land than it's worth, etc.
Now they voted to raise property taxes on the segment of property owners in this county who have the means to further incoporate or leave altogether. The actions -- or inactions -- of Vern and the BOC led to the city of Dunwoody. We'll see what Lil Vern and the BOC will give us. I'm guessing a fully incorporated North DeKalb.
The commenter @4:02 is happy to admit this tax increase will actually only affect a small percentage of property owners. As long as you "get yours" I guess it doesn't matter if a smaller and smaller percentage of property owners continue to subsidize the rest of the county. We'll see if this commenter is singing the same tune when North DeKalb is fully incorporated and county government depends on huge tax increases from South DeKalb.
I'm so sorry if I upset some of the other commenters by indirectly disparaging their precious Elaine Boyer. Apparently folks are happy they "got theirs". Or at least they think they did. If Boyer was half as smart and effective as some people here want to think, then tell me why she couldn't convince Rader and Gannon to vote no on the millage increase. Maybe she didn't want them to vote no. Maybe you didn't either.
And now maybe as long as some people "get theirs" they don't care who pays for it. A lot of people here will complain about the BOC, but as soon as they promise you a little something the complaints stop. No more worries about unfair tax burdens or the need to restructure government.
anon 201
The more you write the dumber you sound. You have no grasp that Boyer is a conservative Rep and Gannon and Rader are LIBERAL Dems.
Boyer is not smart because she could not convince the bonehead Rader and the financial wizard Gannon to vote against a tax increase?
Stop being such a hater, take the time to do some research before you spout off.
Trying to shoot your friends on the BOC is not very productive or very smart
@Anon 9:10
The more you and your kind write, the more it becomes obvious that you all aren't truly concerned about unfair tax burdens and restructuring county government. People here are soooooo concerned about defending Elaine Boyer, so long as you all get promised more money, more equipment, and more staff. Methinks there would be no complaints from PD so long as you all had all your needs met. You'd be like all the other people in this county that don't care where the money comes from just so long as they "get theirs."
Yes, I want public safety to have the resources they need but not if that means I'm going to keep paying more and more to subsidize south DeKalb's fair share, and if the county refuses to restructure the government.
The Entire BOC are nothing less than "carpetbaggerws". Each and All ! Just because some seem not as bad as others, don't mean that they are keepers.
As the New Graduates of The DeKalb Fire Department were being TERMINATED instead of being brought on board Elaine Boyer and Lee May were both feeding their "fat asses" on the food being charged to all Tasxpayers in DeKalb ! Without our knowledge !
I agree the entire BOC are crooks. I was one of the ones hit by a 25% increase in taxes and my prop values have been going down year after year, and went down about 25% in the last year. These crooks snuck this thru late in the year, the day after protests in valuations could be raised. Folks let small increases in taxes go year after yea, because of the hassle in fighting it. I will bet a lot complacent folks contest their values this year, and these crooks will raise our millage rates again. I have never seen a Dekalb Officer on my street. All the services in this county go to all the crooks and deadbeats that drain every other program in our county and state. Look what is going on with the Schoolboard. Funny how the property owners of South Dekalb get honest valuations but we don't. One more racial thing going on in this county.
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