Chairman's Proposed FY2010 Budget

[Tahoe]

http://www.paulding.gov/newsupdates/details.asp?id=528

[Myprayers77]

Looks like even if the millage rate does go up as much as the 1.5 I am still in for a drastic cut on my taxes, considering my home value went down 80 grand.

[smy34]

Folks if we could get by with this...is not pretty but may be the best that we can do. David Austin did not build courthouse, was not around, and we voted for greenspace. So, maybe with the when the economy comes up we can go down. Look and see how they paid for this last year...

[winston1972]

I give the new administration credit for being very frank about the current situation and what the different scenarios would be if services were cut.

[surepip]

The pitiful part is all of this austerity would not be necessary had King Jerry done the right thing last year and propose increasing the bond to pay for the courthouse.

 

Instead, fearing he would get his butt kicked in the election [which he did anyway] he and his BOC swept the proposed increase under the rug, and paid the bond payment from the reserve fund.

 

Now, we have had some serious cutbacks, more proposed, and will still get the increase we should have gotten last year.

 

"Oh the tangled webs we weave, when we practice to deceive....."

[NewsJunky]

I give the new administration credit for being very frank about the current situation and what the different scenarios would be if services were cut.

I agree!

[gpatt0n]

I just got back from the courthouse and there are some folks who are saying no to a tax increase.

 

When I think that each of the county's employees gave up, probably on average close to a $1,000 in paid holiday pay this year ... I find the couple of hundred dollars in additional taxes to balance the county's budget that I'll pay - yes my assessment actually went up so I'll be paying more - a fair contribution to the community.

 

Oh well, since labor day is now an unpaid holiday for county workers, I'd almost suggest a pot luck at one of the county parks would be a great way to show our appreciation for the county employee's personal contribution to the community.

 

pubby

[Jim Smith]

I just got back from the courthouse and there are some folks who are saying no to a tax increase.

 

When I think that each of the county's employees gave up, probably on average close to a $1,000 in paid holiday pay this year ... I find the couple of hundred dollars in additional taxes to balance the county's budget that I'll pay - yes my assessment actually went up so I'll be paying more - a fair contribution to the community.

 

Oh well, since labor day is now an unpaid holiday for county workers, I'd almost suggest a pot luck at one of the county parks would be a great way to show our appreciation for the county employee's personal contribution to the community.

 

pubby

 

Not a bad idea. If you can get it worked out let us know what we can do to help.

[surepip]

I just got back from the courthouse and there are some folks who are saying no to a tax increase.

 

When I think that each of the county's employees gave up, probably on average close to a $1,000 in paid holiday pay this year ... I find the couple of hundred dollars in additional taxes to balance the county's budget that I'll pay - yes my assessment actually went up so I'll be paying more - a fair contribution to the community.

 

Oh well, since labor day is now an unpaid holiday for county workers, I'd almost suggest a pot luck at one of the county parks would be a great way to show our appreciation for the county employee's personal contribution to the community.

 

pubby

 

I agree Pubby.

 

I look at it this way:

1] We should have had an increase in 2007 when the decision was made to build the extravagant TajMahal out on 278. I mean we were not given the opportunity to vote, at least we could have attended the town hall meetings and lodged our protests before it was built. I would perfer to see David Austin and the BOC go on and raise it what they have proposed, plus another .5 mil extra to loosen up some on the cutbacks they have already put in place.

 

2] To cut back further on Police, Parks & Rec, and PDOT would be foolish economically and for the Public Safety side as well. It will cost us far more to repair damaged roads in 2-3 years than it will cost to properly maintain them now. Same with our Parks. If stop the maintenance, it will cost a small fortune to get them back into shape in 2011. Go on and bite the bullet and do proper up keep and maintenance now.

 

David and the BOC are going to catch hell for any increase, so why not go on and ask for a little more than what we need, and have some reserves to cover deficits.

 

Maybe we can go back and put a lien on King Jerry's holdings and get some of his foolish expenditures back like the $50,000 he paid out to Pat Crook or the $750,000 he paid out to Holland & Knight to try to block us from getting into the courtroom. At least make Holland & Knight donate back to the county what they gave in political donations.

[FreeBird]

if the courthouse is not needed, then why can't the county simply lease out all the extra space?

[gpatt0n]

if the courthouse is not needed, then why can't the county simply lease out all the extra space?

 

If there were that much demand for space, Griffin White's development at Seaboard Ave./Old Villa Rica highway would be full and expanding. It still has a few vacancies from recollection.

 

Surepip:

 

I too would have gone up the extra .1 mills ... that would be about $80 on a $200,000 home ... and done it right. Had the general assembly maintained the funding for homestead exemptions as in years past, there would be no real additional local taxes. . Indeed, had those funds been allocated as they had in years past, then the millage rate for M and O would not have been increased and the only hit would have been for the bond issues for the 7000 acres and the courthouse facility.

 

I would have also sought the emergency power to us SPLOST funds for something other than capital improvements. Whether the General Assembly could do that I don't know but there should be a way to use those funds given that ... if say Adam Gregory had his way and the parks and rec were totally shut down - an act he says is preferable to raising taxes - that money would be banked and sit in an account with no possible way of spending that amount allocated to parks and rec ... because there is no parks and rec.

 

Another for instance is, right now we continue to get SPLOST funds that have to be spent on, among other things, roads. In one of the preliminary budgets presented, the county was going to bring in house some of the engineering work that heretofore it has had to purchase, sometimes at $100,000 - $200,000 a project. Those funds, totalled together, make up a significant amount of the expense of every project and it would seem to make sense that the county could hire and equip a few engineers in house to do that kind of design work at tremendous savings to the taxpayer.

 

But the engineer position was removed from the budget because while such a position would save taxpayers money, the plain fact is it would have to come out of the M and O budget while 'per project' engineering through private firms can come out of the SPLOST funds. Since the county can't afford an engineering staff from the M and O budget and can't use those SPLOST funds for that purpose, we'll again end up foregoing those savings because of the rules regarding spending of SPLOST funds.

 

Watcher:

 

I had the thought and if someone wants to run with it, PCOM will help get it together.

 

pubby

 

 

[zoo]

I just got back from the courthouse and there are some folks who are saying no to a tax increase.

 

When I think that each of the county's employees gave up, probably on average close to a $1,000 in paid holiday pay this year ... I find the couple of hundred dollars in additional taxes to balance the county's budget that I'll pay - yes my assessment actually went up so I'll be paying more - a fair contribution to the community.

 

Oh well, since labor day is now an unpaid holiday for county workers, I'd almost suggest a pot luck at one of the county parks would be a great way to show our appreciation for the county employee's personal contribution to the community.

 

pubby

 

remember its not just the holidays, they have been taking furlough days and will continue doing so.

 

 

Unfortunatly there is not going to be any good solution so we are probably going to have to just suck up a few raises to get back on track.

[beulah boy]

remember its not just the holidays, they have been taking furlough days and will continue doing so.

 

 

Unfortunatly there is not going to be any good solution so we are probably going to have to just suck up a few raises to get back on track.

 

or be glad your not like many of us that have 0 days to give up, no benefits, and all the time off we can spare..

bb

[zoo]

or be glad your not like many of us that have 0 days to give up, no benefits, and all the time off we can spare..

bb

 

I know how you feel. My dh is so happy/greatful for his job and hasnt complained one bit. They have been very good to him and we understand that we have to make sacrifices so furlough and no paid holiday are nothing in comparison to the time he was laid off from the IT field and we lost everything

[Tahoe]

Okay people....everyone had SO much to say before the facts were posted by the county. What are your thoughts now on what our new administration is facing?

 

It's too quiet considering everyone was vocal in the last topic regarding the budget.

Edited July 15, 2009 by Tahoe