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The Board needs to take the approach that it ‘WILL NOT RAISE TAXES”! The first goal would be to establish a budget amount that does not raise taxes and then go through and reduce requests to accommodate the revenue constraints.
AVOC
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May 24, 2009
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Oconee BOC needs Backbone on Taxes, Spending, Secret Meetings & County Administration
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By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc
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Oconee County Commissioners need to be more assertive
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BUDGET, REVENUE & TAXES
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Oconee County does not always have effective media coverage. Other area counties and their newspapers have been carrying reports for months about declining revenues and budget cuts. However, in Oconee County, we seem to have had our “heads in the sand” and saying everything is going fine. Yet, we knew sales tax income is down. We know that many large developers and property owners have been slow paying Ad Valorem taxes .Oconee.Delinquent.Taxes.List.1.8.09.pdf x
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Athens Banner-Herald reporter, Adam Thompson, in an article dated April 23, 2009, entitled “Oconee budget gap gets bigger” does acknowledge declining revenues and investment income and a $ 1.2 million budget deficit.
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SEE: 5-16-09 Barrow County Finance Outlook is bleak; 4-13-09 Tough year for Tax Collections
4-12-09 State revenues decline 14.5 % or $ 167 Million in March; 3-5-09 Oconee Declining Sales Tax Receipts – SPLOST Estimate Probably High
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Lee Becker, with Open Records Requests, has done a great job shedding some ‘light’ on the budget and revenue situation. Becker’s report shows significant budget pressures.“….$ 4 million less than the county had budgeted to spend this year. The budget approved for fiscal year 2008-2009 drew $ 2 million from county reserves to cover the $ 25.2 million in projected general fund expenditures….”
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The Board needs to take the approach that it ‘WILL NOT RAISE TAXES”! The first goal would be to establish a budget amount that does not raise taxes and then go through and reduce requests to accommodate the revenue constraints. Raising taxes is not a politically viable option at this time. To take money out of County Reserves for an operating budget deficit is also not a best management practice. It will be interesting to see if the incumbent BOC is reticent or assertive on Tax Issues at our coming Budget Approval on May 24, 2009.
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BOC SECRET MEETINGS
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Lee Becker has uncovered another Melvin Davis ‘secret meeting’ held at the Civic Center on December 1, 2008. His extensive report details the meetings and some pointed exchanges of Board of Education folks on the salary issue with State Legislators. This does not bode well for smooth governmental relations. There is no reason why the BOC and BOE cannot notify the local media and post a notice on the County Website for all meetings. They need to publish an agenda and send it to citizens who are on the Distribution List. Much of the grief they have experienced could have been reduced or eliminated had this been an “Open Meeting”.
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BOC members have been heard to say they do not know ahead of time about the subject of Executive Sessions. That can be cured by objecting to going into Executive Session without more than a generic excuse. That process has allowed many decisions to remain “private” in recent years. That is not healthy and leads to mistakes that may yet come to light, especially with the drastic slowdown in the Housing Industry that is not going away for a while. 5-8-09 Lawsuits, Executive Sessions, Open Meetings & Oconee BOC
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Past revenue projections on water and sales taxes are now suspect. As to sales taxes, most area counties now have Home Depot, Publix, Wal-Mart, Lowes etc. That will reduce traffic to Oconee Stores.
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BOC SESSIONS ON CHAIRMAN AUTHORITY
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Reports on the May 19, 2009, ‘work session’ seems to indicate little came from 3 hours of talk. The BOC then turned the “problem” over to County Attorney Daniel Haygood who has sat by while Chairman Davis has amassed a lot of power unchallenged by the Board of County Attorney. From observations of Mr Haygood’s past conduct, I think his loyalty will shift with any power shift.
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The BOC does not need to be giving orders as individuals. However, they should be able to talk to Dept heads and receive reasonable input. Sources say the Dept heads seem ‘anxious’ about talking to Commissioners. There appears to be fear of the Chair. The Board can quickly assert control by passing a Resolution requiring Board Approval of hiring, firing, compensation and discipline of Department Heads. That is a simple step that does not require Legislation or Legal Action. SEE suggested Resolution below.
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Lee Becker’s Report on the May 19 BOC meeting can be seen on his blog.
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COMMENTS TO AVOC:
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“….my personal disappointment in the non-results of the meeting. They seem to be establishing more power for Chairman,…. they have not stuck by their original purpose of forcing Chairman to vote and for greater involvement with the dept heads. The lawyers, excuse the thought, have inserted their opinions, and when doing so, have changed the direction of the discussion. ………
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“….It was disappointing, to say the least. I left after sitting through almost 3 hours of repetition, Melvin's justifying himself and stating the obvious, and, finally, Margaret saying "We have not done anything." She is right. Chuck was of the opinion that having Alan report directly to the Board will have an impact, but I am not sure how unless many other situations change (as in the Board having hiring and firing power, for example).
They DID get hung up on the org chart, though that discussion started as a way to curb Melvin…….”
5-15-09 Oconee BOC needs to stop studying & discussing role of Chair & do something or just move on
SAMPLE RESOLUTION:
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GEORGIA, OCONEE COUNTY
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RESOLUTION
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OF THE
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OCONEE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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RELATING TO
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PERSONNEL AND DEPARTMENT HEADS
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WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of Oconee County desires to clarify authority of the Board and that of the Chairman as to hiring, firing and disciplining of County Department Heads who serve under the Board of Commissioners; and
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WHEREAS, a majority of the Commissioners wants more involvement and input to and from County Department Heads; and
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WHERAS, a majority of the Commissioners want County Department Heads to understand more clearly the role of the Board in substantive personnel decisions involving Department Heads.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY the Oconee County Board of Commissioners as follows:
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1. The full Board will be consulted and shall approve the hiring, firing and disciplining of Department Heads in Oconee County.
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2. Any decision of the Chairman or Administrative Officer involving a Department Head shall be subject to appeal to and review by the Board of Commissioners.
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3. Department Head is defined as a person having supervisory and budget control of a County Department with at least three employees and specifically includes the positions set out on the attached Schedule.
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4. Any resolution, policy, organization chart or directive in conflict with this Resolution is hereby repealed.
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Done, in open session, this ____ day of _______________, 2009.
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_______________________
Chairman or Vice Chairman
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_____________________
Member
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Attest:_____________________ _______________________
County Clerk Member
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. _______________________
County Seal Member
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_______________________
Member
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SCHEDULE LISTING DEPARTMENT HEADS
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WHO ARE SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
FOR HIRING, FIRING AND DISCIPLINING
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1. County Administrative Officer
2. County Attorney
3. County Clerk
4. County Financial Officer
5. Planning Director
6. Code Enforcement Director
7. Public Works Director
8. County Engineer
9. Director of Public Utilities
10. Economic Development Director
11. Emergency Services Director
12. Human Resources Director
13. Road Superintendent
14. Chief of Fire Services
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