The question of hiring for vacant jobs has again highlighted a power struggle between DeKalb County’s chief executive and commission.
At issue is whether the county should have abolished all 644 vacant jobs, as done by the County Commission as part of its July budget vote that raised the tax rate 26 percent, or if the CEO’s request to eliminate just 250 open jobs is a deep enough cut.
In a committee meeting Tuesday morning, department heads sided with Chief Executive Burrell Ellis. The Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, animal services operation and 911 center asked that a total of 259 jobs be restored.
Commissioners have so far resisted, though. Some fellow commissioners even applauded Jeff Rader when he argued that the CEO must first restructure government to show what jobs are truly needed.
“We’re looking at an agenda item asking us to restore vacant positions without scrutinizing whether we need them or others,” Rader said. “Our problem is we’re not getting any action in the simple area of finding opportunities for change.”
Rader was among four commissioners who approved the tax hike last month, but he also has long pushed for an internal auditor to help restructure DeKalb so that services are delivered with fewer people.
A Georgia State study from last year showed DeKalb has twice as many workers as similar-size counties and called for cutting at least 900 jobs.
Between the study's release and the July budget vote, DeKalb had cut about 600 jobs, but its 7,400 full-time positions still outpace Cobb’s 4,600 workers and Gwinnett's 4,800. The 7,400 in DeKalb includes the 600-plus that were recently eliminated.
County administrators argue that the positions eliminated this year include jobs specifically meant to be filled, such as 50 police officer positions in an academy later this year. The Police Department wants 162 jobs restored, 126 of which are for patrol officers or command staff. The 126 would include the 50 in the academy.
“Abolishing all vacant positions, which happens across all departments, I think that is a little bit much,” Chief Operating Officer Richard Stogner said.
Restoring the jobs except those Ellis wants cut would cost the county $22 million, money the county has only in reserves.
That has created other pushback, since restoring the reserve account, as a way to get the county’s bond rating up, was a key element of the recent tax hike.
A better rating can save millions in interest on borrowing every year.
“I only voted yes to rebuild our reserves, not to create new positions or fill others,” Larry Johnson, the commission's presiding officer, said of his approval of a tax hike. “I voted to fill our reserves, period.”
Commissioners also said the elimination of vacant jobs would not hurt public safety.
Animal services, which is affiliated with the Police Department, is the subject of a citizen review due out later this year. Commissioners want the recommendations from the task force before hiring there.
And commissioners gave the Police Department a $1 million bump to its part of the $540 million budget, which was designed to fully fund the department for the coming year. That money is being put in a separate police tax fund, to cover only police services.
“We have already said we want police funded,” Commissioner Elaine Boyer said.
That leaves the county with requests for 70 jobs in the Sheriff’s Office and 20 at the 911 center.
Sheriff Thomas Brown has already made his case for those jobs, half of which are for detention officers to help manage a jail population of 3,300 inmates daily.
Stogner said he will list every position open to bring to commissioners later this month. That also may require other department heads to show up, to justify why certain roles are critical to fill.
“We have explained we think all but 250 of those vacancies are needed,” Stogner said. “The board can have each department give an explanation if that’s what it takes for them to decide.”
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