In nearly eight years as mayor of Snellville, Jerry Oberholtzer has never been one to back down from a fight.
Oberholtzer faced down a challenge to his authority to make key city job appointments. He once defied an attorney general’s ruling that he couldn’t legally fill the vacant city manager’s position. And there was the time his clash with a councilman became so noxious that he asked for a police escort to the City Hall restroom.
But facing a potentially disastrous deadlock over the city’s millage rate, Oberholtzer is taking on the role of peacemaker.
“This council has done really great things and I don’t want this to be a wedge,” Oberholtzer said last week.
Oberholtzer has said he will vote to lower the city’s property tax millage rate, a reversal of position that would break a stalemate on the City Council and preserve a two-year record of cooperation that has pleased local officials and residents.
“I think many of the things done over last two years have been positive and renewed energy in the city,” said state Rep. Brett Harrell, Oberholtzer’s predecessor.
Most observers attribute the change to the elections of November 2009, which brought in new council members Barbara Bender, Mike Sabbagh and Tom Witts after two years of infighting and deadlocked votes on issues ranging from a controversial crematory to Sunday alcohol sales.
During the past two years, Oberholtzer has found support — and reliable votes — in Bender, Witts and Tod Warner. As a result, the city has rallied to save its annual Christmas tree lighting, created a farmers market, formed the Snellville Trade and Tourism Association and opened a new Police Department and public works facility.
Snellville also has unveiled the vision for a new downtown area, a pivotal step in its plan to create a vibrant destination rivaling those in Gwinnett County cities such as Suwanee and Duluth.
“Since we’ve had election and a couple of the people have left, things have been very positive,” longtime resident Marilyn Swinney said. “We’re getting lots of things done and we’re bringing the community back together.”
But after failing to agree last week on a property tax millage rate for 2012, City Council members took turns accusing each other of political pandering, dishonesty and questionable motives.
Councilwoman Kelly Kautz accused Bender, who is running for mayor this fall, of playing politics by pushing for a lower tax rate of 5.7 mills. That would cut the bill on a $150,000 home by about $12, not counting homestead or other reductions. Kautz also raised questions about Bender’s mayoral campaign being placed prominently on T-shirts that were passed out at the city’s Independence Day celebration.
Bender vigorously denied that accusation and said Kautz, who’s running for re-election to the council, was turning the millage rate vote into a “political event.”
City Manager Russell Treadway has told the council that lowering the rate to 5.7 mills would create a deficit of about $128,000. Bender and other supporters said they aren’t concerned by that because city tax revenues should increase with the arrival of several new businesses.
Ultimately, Bender’s motion failed, with Kautz, Sabbagh and Oberholtzer voting against it. Kautz followed with a motion to keep the rate at 5.9 mills, which also resulted in a split vote. Oberholtzer eventually called off debate on the issue after council members seemed to be at an impasse.
In the hours after the vote, the resentment seemed reminiscent of the bad old days on the council.
“I hope that people aren’t slipping back into old patterns,” Bender said the next morning.
But Oberholtzer’s turnabout may have avoided another fight. If he follows through on his pledge, Bender will have enough support to get approval for her proposal at the city’s special-called meeting on Aug. 1. The county has set a deadline of Aug. 2 to add Snellville’s property tax bill to the county’s annual bill.
“You got to remember that [Oberholtzer] is basically throwing in the towel a little bit,” said Garry Lapides, a Snellville resident and the city’s appointee to the Evermore Community Improvement District. “You fight the fight that you can win. Why get an ulcer with only five months left?”
Many officials and residents are hopeful the council’s newfound harmony can survive following another round of elections in November.
“We were given a narrow majority after the last election and I think the community has been rewarded for that,” said Councilman Tod Warner, who will not run for re-election this fall. “Hopefully, they will keep that in mind when this election comes out.”
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