Last week: Should taxpayers cover Snellville mayor’s legal fees?
Snellville Mayor Kelly Kautz filed the first of a series of lawsuits against city council members, the city clerk, and the city manager in 2013. In 2014 she also sued to fire the city’s attorney. In the matter against council members, the case was settled without a judge ruling. The city clerk resigned and the city manager is scheduled to leave at the end of 2015.
The city council has agreed to pay the city attorney’s fees totaling $115,000 but argue the mayor isn’t entitled to her attorney fees totaling more than $240,000, because the “prevailing” party is typically the only side to have their fees paid. The city also maintains the decision to sue was the mayor’s and her fees shouldn’t be paid for by taxpayers. Kautz’s three attorneys argue the mayor was successful in accomplishing some of her goals. What do you think?
Here’s what readers had to say:
Though I don’t live in Snellville any longer, I was raised there and have a parent that was on the city council for over ten years, and have followed local politics very closely. The mayor spent a very large amount of the city taxpayer funds even before these fees are accounted for. The mayor should have taken these fees into the thought process when evaluating whether or not to start this foolishness. A good politician and steward of taxpayer money should have handled these issues in a much different manner over time. The mayor should pay the fees in question!
— JR
Absolutely not. She was elected mayor, not dictator. Our city gets along just fine. We have a lot of positive things happening. She is the big negative! She wants to oust everyone and set up her own kingdom. NO! NO! NO!
— GailZ
This is ridiculous. The mayor did not win the lawsuit; she agreed to a settlement. Taxpayers get no benefit from this suit. I don’t understand why the judge is taking so long to decide. If you don’t win a lawsuit, you don’t get your fees paid. Seems pretty simple to me.
— Will Thompson
As a Snellville citizen of many years I would object to using public funds to pay Mayor Kautz’ legal fees. I object to her actions in council meetings to obstruct the majority. An example was the need to expedite action against a contractor to repair damage caused to the dam of the Summit Chase subdivision lake. Delays cost the city, since the repairs were not done promptly. She has a history of trying to force her actions at council meetings over objections by a majority of the members. Since she was the one who initiated these legal actions I believe she should pay her own legal fees.
— Fred H., colonel, USAF, retired
Karen Huppertz for the AJC
Effective Jan. 1, teachers in Fayette County were given a 1 percent salary increase as part of the board of education’s efforts to rebuild compensation levels. Teacher salaries were cut 4.5 percent in 2009, but Fayette is still working its way back from recession-related pay, staffing and program cuts.
Joining the school board this month is Diane Basham, a retired Fayette teacher who campaigned on a platform based on her classroom experience and economics background. She said on her website that some of the board’s previous decisions “have placed an undue burden on the already demanding and time-consuming job of teaching.”
In 2010, she spoke before the board to note that a state survey ranked Fayette’s teacher salaries 42nd out of 68 state school systems for entry-level educators, and 39th for more experienced teachers.
Since 2009, Fayette teachers have spoken out at public meetings regarding lower pay, higher benefits costs and the added workload created by class sizes, new assessment tests and other administrative demands, on top of keeping up with curricula. Fayette has been experiencing a dip in enrollment, which affects funding, and in teacher morale, which affects retention and recruitment. However, an increase in tax revenue last year may make further pay restoration possible.
So tell us, is Fayette County doing enough to support its teachers and the responsibilities they’re charged with? Do you have concerns about your child’s school, or have suggestions for keeping Fayette’s education reputation high? Leave comments here or send them via email to communitynews@ajc.com.
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