Budget forces Atlanta to cut employee hours

By Gordon

Dec 13, 2008 6:40 AM | Link to this

There's a saying that goes like this: Make hay while the sun shines. Mayor Shirley looked real good when the revenues were increasing. She should have had the foresight to realize that the good times don't last. Futhermore, she should have planned for this over the last several years instead of wasting tax payer money. I don't believe she is a crook, just a moron

By Real Fireman

Dec 13, 2008 1:06 AM | Link to this

I think its a good thing you guys are being laid off.I am very happy the older guys are leaving because they are the ones who refuse to become paramedics and quality EMT's.Most of E911 calls are 80%EMS.Johns Creek(drug users alcoholics and bad records firefighters) and the other up north Departments are getting the same old ,un- educated Firefighters.Firefighters should work more harder than they do and should bring in revenue,by transporting.Atlanta has the get in to the 21Century and it starts by letting go dead apples.The city and up north fire depts. are putting folks lives at risk by having un qualified Non Ems F/F's.If you did know ,no one cries more than a sorry F/F, who hate serving Blacks.

By Earthy

Nov 28, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this

I am a 5 year Atlanta fireman that just took a 10% pay cut and is being forced not to come to work. The fire department is is barely able to staff the fire trucks with the minimum number of FF's, which is ridiculaous for a city the size of Atlanta. We fight numerous fires and respond to numerous medical emergencies where man power and equipment can make the difference in life and death and a big fire and small fire. We have yet to start the furloughs, which will close stations. In the next year to two years we will lose 250 experianced firemen with no way to replace them. Did I mention we are on a hiring freeze! When we do hire they are mostly inner city kids who have no business being on a firetruck and have no desire to run into a burning building. Atlanta has some of the best fire men I have ever seen, but they are all retiring or heading for greener pastures (Johns Creek). They have closed the special operations truck (Squad 4) that handles all the rope rescues, haz-mat calls, possible bomb threats, etc. (Matt Moseley hanging from a helicopter). The city is asking for something bad to happen and that usually means big fires and death. God forbid if we have a terrorist attack. We are grossly un-prepared. I worry for my safety as well as the other REAL fireman that are left on the job. You cannot send fireman home and CLOSE fire stations and expect no reprecussions.

By Fireman's Wife

Nov 20, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this

My husband has been on the AFD for 15 years. We've had many "close calls" and terrible moments with exposer to deadly deseases when he treated people in the streets. How can anyone justify these kind of cuts? Has the public read the audit of the budget? It is outrageous. I'm am truly embarrassed by the incompetence of this Mayor and her so called administration. What is wrong with the citizens of ATL that are voting these idots into office. Wasn't Campbell bad enough? Didn't you learn anything from that fiasco?

By MRichardson

Nov 18, 2008 10:48 AM | Link to this

Beltline project through crime ridden neighborhoods through which I wouldn't dare drive: 2.5 million

Five public toilets for homeless persons: $1.5 million

Homeless meters: $40K

Archive of Kingýs papers, including an early draft of his ýI Have a Dreamý speech: $32 million

The forming of Brand Atlanta, Inc. by Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Atlanta Committee for Progress (recall Atlanta's theme song): unknown

The look on the face of my husband (Atlanta fire, 16 years) when he told me of his 10 hours per 2 weeks unpaid leave for the next 6-8 months: priceless.

By Rookie Atlanta Police Officer

Nov 16, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this

I am what you would consider a rookie Police Officer. I have been with the city for 3 years. I have never complained and have always tried to be positive but I just thought you should all know that I am done with this place, I am in the process with another police department that gives raises and guess what else??? 40 HOUR WORK WEEKS, WOW what a concept... Have fun with your retarded Mayor and City morons (council)

By Cliff Jordan

Nov 16, 2008 2:31 PM | Link to this

The task of cleaning up the financial mess facing the city of Atlanta should not fall upon the Federal Government, AKA taxpayers. We can neither afford nor should we accept that solution to this problem or any of the other financial issues we face. The welfare mentality sweeping this country has got to be reversed so we are once again focused on the core values on which this country was founded.

Mayor Franklin is one person and while she has the overall responsiblity for managing city operations, the performance of department managers and their ability to ethically manage budgets and personnel is a key factor for the future of Atlanta. Waste and corruption are issues that must be contained as the city strives to remain an attractive place for businesses to operate and for families to live. Citizens of Atlanta expect an efficient and effective city government along with a safe, clean environment to raise families and conduct business.

Taxpayers have had their fill of the waste at Federal, State and local levels and we must hold ourselves and our elected officals accountable.

Demand more of your elected officials while also demanding more from your own community, government is not the solution to our problems and our founding fathers warned us of this fact over 200 years ago.

By City-Employee-With-Ideas

Nov 15, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this

More than 75% of City of Atlanta employees do NOT..I repeat do NOT live within the City of Atlanta. This includes everyone from Sanitation Workers to Police Officers to Managers and CEO's. Just take a moment and think about this. Why should they care about what goes on in the City. Atlanta will always suffer with incompetant,lazy, useless workers that don't give a damn as long as they continue to hire people that do not live in this city. My suggestion: Every new employee under a grade 18 should be required to reside in the city. The only exceptions should be those hard to fill positions.

By Mad wife

Nov 14, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this

I am the wife of a police officer for the city of Atlanta. Everyday my husband comes home and tells me of the crime and situations he has dealt with. Not that this is "new" news to anyone out there, but we all live in or near one of the most dangerous cities in our nation.Proposing to take them off the streets for 10% of what they are currenting working is disasterous. He already works without enough support and back-up, endangering his life because of it, he works overtime without pay compensation and now they propose leaving him with even less man-power to get his job done. Crime is not going to take a "budget cut" or a day off every two weeks. Cutting budgets may be needed to fix fiscal problems, but taking more officers and firefighters of the streets is not the answer. If the highers up want some real ideas on how to find extra money in their budgets they should ask for the ideas and insight of the people down in the trenches- a completely free and untapped resource of knowledge. The company I work for challenged our "front line" people to make a difference and to find ways to "raise" or "save" several million dollars needed to build an expansion and through the strength and ideas of these people we found ways to cut waste and restructure our departments. We all took ownership-from the janitors all the way up to management.

By Thunder

Nov 14, 2008 4:29 AM | Link to this

Hey Shirley....why don't you return or sell those million dollar public toilets?