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DEL.ICIO.USThe mayor of Athens to Sonny Perdue: ‘You mind your budget, we’ll mind ours’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Consider the plight of the poor mayor, county commissioner or school board member.
Throughout the entire winter and into the spring, they had to worry about the assault by House Speaker Glenn Richardson, who was out to eliminate property taxes in favor of a hike in the sales tax. Local governments were
Cash for local governments was to be funneled to the hinterlands through an enlightened state government.
Local officials beat back that idea, only to find themselves under attack this week by Gov. Sonny Perdue. To meet a building state budget deficit, the governor has suggested eliminating a $428 million property tax credit offered since the late ‘90s, worth about $200 to $300 to an average homeowner.
Perdue has suggested that this can be accomplished with no pain to homeowners if only county and city governments, and school boards, would oblige him and cut their spending to absorb the loss. The governor knows they have fat in their budgets, and says he’s prepared to prove it.
Now, as you might imagine, this isn’t going down well with some hinterland officials. Heidi Davison, mayor of Athens-Clarke County, was on WGAU (1340AM) in Athens this morning. If she were a porcupine, the governor would be feeling a few quills right now.
Here’s the sound that host Tim Bryant sent.
Said Davison:
“If he wants to come and look at our budget, and then show us how we’re being wasteful, that’s fine. But I don’t think the governor’s job is to fix local problems and to tell local people how to spend their money.
“Local citizens have the right to expect a certain level of services and to pay for those — and that’s what they do. It’s the governor’s job to focus on the state. State income tax has also been growing, as incomes have gone up, but I haven’t seen any effort on the part of the state to limit the amount of money that they’re taking ….
“Yet he wants to come in here and take money out of our property taxes and tell us we’re spending too much money. It might be nice if the Legislature would focus on their spending, and where their funds are coming from…”
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Comments
By bigdawg
August 21, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
What in idiot Mayor Davidson proved herself to be. The state is cutting the budget…counties and cities should try to do more with less instead of whining to the masses. Just shut up and get to work! I’m thinking legislators for the Athens area are not going to be pleased that she is balking at the Gov.
By ATL
August 21, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
Atlanta has cut its budget to the bone. 25% and then another 2.5%.
And most other local governments have already made painful cuts too.
The State has cut itself a measley 4%. Gov. Purdue is not standing on high moral ground here. The State needs to balance its budget itself and not overburden our already suffering local governments.
By ATL
August 21, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
Atlanta has cut its budget to the bone. 25% and then another 2.5%.
And most other local governments have already made painful cuts too.
The State has cut itself a measley 4%. Gov. Purdue is not standing on high moral ground here. The State needs to balance its budget itself and not overburden our already suffering local governments.
By bo
August 21, 2008 5:41 PM | Link to this
local control is good.
By gafarmer
August 21, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
Bo @ 5:41 ain’t exactly right. Local control ain’t always good but it’s almost always better than state control.
By bigdawg clueless
August 21, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
bigdawg, you’re the fool. If you lived in Athens-Clarke County and/or read their annual budget, they run a tight ship. They don’t wate a penny, and have won multiple awards for county government operations. It may be the best run county in the state. Someone give bigdawg a dollar so he can buy a clue.
By RJ
August 21, 2008 6:04 PM | Link to this
Well said Mayor Davison! These hypocrits run for office under the banner of state and local rights and when they get in office they do just the opposite.
Once again property owners are taking the hit. These Republican leaders favor Special Interests in their efforts to make up the revenue shortfall. As long as the electorate rewards poor performance we will have more of the same.
By catlady
August 21, 2008 6:35 PM | Link to this
What gets me is the state passing expenses off on county government and then claiming county government is running up the property taxes too much. Bull hockey!
By catlady
August 21, 2008 6:58 PM | Link to this
What gets me is the state passing expenses off on county government and then claiming county government is running up the property taxes too much. Bull hockey!
By Sonny Did
August 21, 2008 7:11 PM | Link to this
Why does this surprise anyone? This is where Georgia has been headed since Perdue took office.
Remember the 1 billion dollar tax cut he gave to big business? More recently all the special tax cuts he has given out to businesses like the hog farmers.
The trend has been to cut state contributions to education and have property tax pick up the slack.
He has some gall blaming this mess on the cities and counties. This is the result of a conscious effort to shift the tax base from business to the individual.
By madisoncounty
August 21, 2008 11:43 PM | Link to this
Good job mayor! I think bigdawg needs to get a clue! The local legislators are clueless! My state senator here in Madison county is an idiot, he does not care about us at all and I think he reps part of Athens too! If I lived in Athens I would support the mayor and I am a republican! This is just what that guy running against my senator told us would happen and he was right, that is why I am changing to Riley. I can’t believe I am voting for a democrat but something has got to change and I think that guy can do it.
By madisoncounty
August 22, 2008 12:00 AM | Link to this
Good job mayor! I think bigdawg needs to get a clue! The local legislators are clueless! My state senator here in Madison county is an idiot, he does not care about us at all and I think he reps part of Athens too! If I lived in Athens I would support the mayor and I am a republican! This is just what that guy running against my senator told us would happen and he was right, that is why I am changing to Riley. I can’t believe I am voting for a democrat but something has got to change and I think that guy can do it.
By madisoncounty
August 22, 2008 12:00 AM | Link to this
Good job mayor! I think bigdawg needs to get a clue! The local legislators are clueless! My state senator here in Madison county is an idiot, he does not care about us at all and I think he reps part of Athens too! If I lived in Athens I would support the mayor and I am a republican! This is just what that guy running against my senator told us would happen and he was right, that is why I am changing to Riley. I can’t believe I am voting for a democrat but something has got to change and I think that guy can do it.
By Andy
August 22, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
Catlady is right. The Governor and the other “vote for me and I’ll cut your taxes” idiots in the State legislature really don;t cut your taxes. All they do is pass the buck down to the local folks, which inevitably means an increase in property taxes (unless you want to go without fire, police, roads, libraries etc). And, don’t forget that some of your property tax also goes to your local school board.
By Brian
August 22, 2008 10:43 AM | Link to this
The record over the past 7 years is pretty clear — the state is pulling away any money it provides to local governments and school systems and expects us to fend for ourselves. They hit the schools first by underfunding the mandate of QBE, and now the next target is local governments.
By I ain't that stupid
August 22, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
Sonny and his good ol’ boys are counting heavily on Georgians to be idiots. Sadly, that usually works out fine for them.
All they’ve been doing it shifting the tax burden down to the local levels. They have not cut one dime out of real taxes or real spending. In fact, it’s probably gone up as they have abandoned the economies of scale that could (not always) be possible.
In November, we’ll have another referendum to determine if the majority of the people of Georgia continue to be stupid. My guess is that the answer will be “yes” for the state but, “no” for Athens.
By Dunwoody Dame
August 22, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
Such exciting times to start a new city! Which Dunwoody City Council candidate will be the first to call for a tax increase?
By Cathy
August 22, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
Those of us in ACC would rather not see our rents go up again because the state can’t get its act together. Since Mayor Davidson took over, we have seen our town transformed — bike lanes, three laned roads, neighborhood revitilization, you name it — all without a significant tax hike. Baxter Street is unrecognizeable as the same slum from ten years ago. This is waste? This is what they want us to cut? Sonny Purdue can take his budget and stick it up his bum, where he obviously pulled it out of to begin with.
By I ain't that stupid
August 22, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this
Sonny and his good ol’ boys are counting heavily on Georgians to be idiots. Sadly, that usually works out fine for them.
All they’ve been doing it shifting the tax burden down to the local levels. They have not cut one dime out of real taxes or real spending. In fact, it’s probably gone up as they have abandoned the economies of scale that could (not always) be possible.
In November, we’ll have another referendum to determine if the majority of the people of Georgia continue to be stupid. My guess is that the answer will be “yes” for the state but, “no” for Athens.
By I ain't that stupid
August 22, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
Sonny and his good ol’ boys are counting heavily on Georgians to be idiots. Sadly, that usually works out fine for them.
All they’ve been doing it shifting the tax burden down to the local levels. They have not cut one dime out of real taxes or real spending. In fact, it’s probably gone up as they have abandoned the economies of scale that could (not always) be possible.
In November, we’ll have another referendum to determine if the majority of the people of Georgia continue to be stupid. My guess is that the answer will be “yes” for the state but, “no” for Athens.
By Anon
August 22, 2008 11:29 PM | Link to this
let Sonny get off his fat a* and actually go and talk to local elected officials and show them where there is fat in the budget. Maybe we could take the money he stuck in the GA budget for fishing in his home county or the post-dated tax cut that applied only to him that he got passed by the Assembly a few years ago. Sonny and all the other “vote for me and I’ll lower your taxes but really just pass the buck to the local folks” idiots at the State Assembly need to be voted out of office. They are lying to you.