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County Commission passes $9.8M budget reduction
by Jonathan Cribbs
jonathan@dekalbchamp.com
The DeKalb County Commission passed $9.8 million in budget cuts on June 23 that reduce the 2010 budget to about $607 million – a reaction to dwindling tax revenues and the incorporation of the value-rich city of Dunwoody, officials said.
Of the $9.8 million, $6 million are spending cuts, county finance director Mike Bell said. The remainder is fund transfers and other adjustments. The commission voted 5-2 to approve the adjustments as Bell offered grim revenue projections for next year’s budget. Revenues could slip $32 million to just $575 million next year.
“The trend is downward,” Bell said. “And commissioners are correct: In 2010, we’re going to have to continue that trend.”
Among the major cuts: All county employees will forgo pay on one holiday this year. The county’s juvenile court will also reduce lease payments to the building authority by about $1.4 million. The county also cut 274 positions from the payroll –not necessarily through layoffs.
However, it added another 168 positions.
Commission members Elaine Boyer and Jeff Rader voted against the reduction, arguing deeper cuts were necessary. The county expanded over several prosperous years and now needs to contract significantly, Boyer said. She also said she wants scheduled audits of county departments to ensure they’re staffed properly.
Commissioner Kathie Gannon agreed.
“I would like to see every department start from zero and have to rationalize every part of their budget,” she said. “We have got to keep cutting. I won’t support the budget next year unless it comes down.”
The county’s millage rate remains the same as it was set in February at 16.86 mills, an increase over last year’s 16.07 mills. The county also lost a state homeowner’s credit – a large blow to the county’s bottom line, Bell said.
Rader said he was upset that budget fixes, in some cases, relied on one-time money, including federal stimulus money, which will become problematic in coming years if the money isn’t there.
“[The adjustments do] not make any structural changes necessary to sustain a balanced budget,” he said. “This is creating a situation that will be extremely difficult next year.”
Commissioner Connie Stokes, who heads the commission’s budget committee, defended the adjustments, saying the county needs to move slowly and precisely with cuts – not across-the-board slashing.
“You can’t just disrupt services,” she said.
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