DeKalb board switches stance on stimulus bonds

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

About $36 million in federal stimulus bonds will help alleviate lines at DeKalb County's traffic court, relocate police officers and improve water quality, officials said.

With only two days left before the deadline, the DeKalb County Commission voted Tuesday to use the low-interest bonds.

The commission’s decision is a turnaround from two weeks ago, when commissioners were celebrating not using the federal loans, saying that any use of the money would require a property tax increase.

CEO Burrell Ellis said Tuesday that it’s too early to say if taxes will go up next year, but he said that the bonds will not be the reason for any increase in the millage rate.

“There will be a number of pressures on the budget; there could be a millage increase,” Ellis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But [Tuesday's] today’s action is not going to be what dictates a millage increase. That will be the result of the tax digest and sales tax revenues.”

The low-interest federal bonds are expected to save the county $1 million over 20 years, Ellis said.

The bulk of the bonds -- $28.4 million -- will go toward the $1.5 billion the county has already pledged to improve its aging water and sewer system. That money will come from increased water bills rather than property taxes, Commissioner Lee May said.

“This is a good example of the non-sexy things we do as county commissioners,” May said. “This is one of the most important things. You can’t do much without being able to turn on the water, being able to take a shower, wash dishes and flush the toilet.”

Another $4.04 million will go to expand the crowded Recorders Court, known for lines that extend out the door and down the street. The money will be used to add two courtrooms and restrooms, said Burke Brennan, spokesman for the CEO.

Another $2.9 million will be used to relocate the police department’s North Precinct, now in Dunwoody. The precinct was never relocated when the city incorporated and added its own police force.

Commissioner Jeff Rader said he expects that the precinct, which houses about 60 officers per shift, will be relocated to county property on Buford Highway or in the Druid Hills neighborhood. The relocation should mean quicker response time.

Another $1 million of the bonds will help transform an old county building on Candler Road into a family protection center, which will house services for victims of rape, child abuse and domestic violence.

DeKalb residents will have to pay $7.95 million in interest on the bonds, spread over 20 years, Ellis said.

Commissioner Larry Johnson, who proposed using the bonds for public safety, said he hopes the annual $200,000-$300,000 interest payment can be absorbed in next year’s budget.

But that will be tough. Commissioner Kathie Gannon said the county already anticipates cutting $30-$50 million from next year’s budget because of revenue declines.

The commission will only consider a tax increase after the CEO restructures the government and makes deep cuts, Rader said.

The commission previously voted twice against using the federal bond money, including a previous proposal that involved a Florida developer's plan to turn the vacant GM plant in Doraville into an Atlantic Station-type development.

Commissioner Elaine Boyer, the commission’s lone Republican, was the only member who voted Tuesday against the bonds for the public safety projects. Two weeks ago, Boyer championed the commission's move to reject the federal loans, saying she didn’t want to increase taxes in a fragile economy.

Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, who also voted against the GM project, said the bonds will be put to better use for public safety and the court.

“Recorders Court has been a tremendous problem for many years. This will allow us to have a more efficient court system and allow us to alleviate many of the problems we have had,” she said. “We have more room for additional judges and will take care of many problems of the long lines.”

Ellis said he hopes Tuesday's vote is the start of a better working relationship between his office and the commission, which have exchanged insults over the bonds during the last few months.

“This is just the result of a lot of communication and a lot of consensus building,” he said.