DeKalb County’s proposed 2012 budget would keep county services at their current level, while also keeping the county’s tax rate one of the highest in the region.
Chief Executive Burrell Ellis unveiled his $547.3 million proposed spending plan Thursday afternoon, a 1 percent increase over the current budget. The $7 million increase mostly covers additional expenses for the 2012 elections, restores money for holiday pay and funds a new tax software system.
“This budget is a conservative and responsible budget,” Ellis said. “It emphasizes the highest level of services for the lowest cost to our taxpayers.”
County commissioners, though, are likely to push for additional cuts before they approve the proposal. A split board agreed to raise the tax rate 26 percent to the current 21.21 millage rate this summer, increasing county taxes about $270 to about $878 on a home valued at $200,000.
Board members have been united in insisting on reductions going forward.
Commissioner Jeff Rader, who was among those who agreed to the tax hike in light of plunging real estate values, said he wanted to see at least a symbolic reduction to the 4-mil hike this summer.
“It’s about direction,” Rader said. “I’d like to see the millage rate going down, if it just at a marginal level.”
County commissioners in Gwinnett and Fulton, who are also deliberating next year’s budgets, are dealing with similar ongoing budget struggles. The proposal in Gwinnett calls for freezing vacant police and fire positions and no new employees to keep taxes the same. Fulton’s proposal calls for service cuts, layoffs and spending 65 percent of its savings to balance the budget.
All of the counties have seen tax revenue plunge with the real estate crash, though none have suffered as much as DeKalb. As previously reported, DeKalb has lost 21 percent of its tax digest in the past three years. Ellis’ budget projects another 5 percent loss next year.
That would cut county revenues by $10 million, while other costs such as healthcare benefits continue to rise. The county also has new costs for 2012. Paying for the presidential election will run an estimated $3.3 million, for instance.
Ellis said he has cut more than $100 million from the county’s budget since taking office three years ago and eliminated more than 900 positions. His proposal calls for examining outsourcing in some departments, including a study underway for animal services and mailroom services.
Some workers could lose their jobs if private firms take over those tasks, though the budget does not reflect any losses.
Commissioners have repeatedly asked for budget and job impacts of outsourcing, while officially requesting that at least three departments be targeted for privatization in 2012. On Thursday, Commissioner Lee May said the board may need to take up that re-organization itself by cutting department budgets that would force change.
He cited a Georgia State University study from last year that found DeKalb’s staff is bloated when compared to Gwinnett and Cobb. The county also filed about 600 of the 825 jobs lost in early retirement, he said.
“We have to rethink how we provide services in DeKalb County,” May said. “I don’t think the administration has done the work to get us to that point. This may be the year the commission makes those drastic changes.”
Ellis said he is open to changes to the budget but said the county cannot cut its budget further without affecting services. His previous recommended cuts, such as closing libraries and recreation centers, were rejected by the commission after a public outcry.
The public will get a chance to provide public input on the proposed budget at meetings in January and February before the board votes. The budget also will be available at the county's website, www.dekalbcountyga.gov, by next week.
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