DeKalb to vote on budget with no furloughs

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The DeKalb County budget committee recommended a budget Friday that calls for no tax increase and no furloughs.

The County Commission will vote on the final budget Tuesday.

The recommendation calls for a $560.7 million budget for 2010. It includes unpaid holidays for all 8,300 county employees starting March 1, but no furloughs.

“With this budget, we maintain all central services, all public safety and the courts,” Commissioner Connie Stokes said Friday.

County commissioners said they are still waiting to see how many employees take the early retirement package, which is available until April 15.

The county needs 551 employees to retire to prevent layoffs, said Stokes, chair of the budget committee.

“We thought this was a very fair recommendation given we have 8,300 employees,” Commissioner Elaine Boyer said.

The tentative budget also calls for cutting $4 million to Grady Memorial Hospital and 348 of the 415 take-home vehicles.

The cuts are necessary to meet a $100 million deficit because of a decline in revenue.

CEO Burrell Ellis said he is still making cuts and hopes to have his version of the budget complete by late Friday night, but still thinks the county needs to raise property taxes.

"People are saying we're willing to pay a modest tax increase to protect services," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.