The county Board of Commissioners will vote on Feb. 16 to make temporary reductions in the many of the benefits county employees have received. Employees will no longer receive cost-of-living-allowances, longevity pay, and holiday pay for the ten county holidays including the $30 Christmas pay. Also, employees will no longer receive the deferred compensation retirement match of 5 percent.
“It is awful,” said board Chairman Alvin Long. “I have been awake for two nights worrying. Any-time you make decisions that affect a person and the way they take of their family, it’s awful.”
County Administrator Randy Dowlng said county government officials had monitored the climate of the local economy very closely for the past year and projected revenue figures indicated a decline in the 2010 fiscal budget.
The decision was based on previous revenue receipts and projections and revenues and expenditures from the past two years. Dowling said that revenue from sales taxes, interest income, and building permit fees dropped dramatically in the last year.
“We’re not out of money now, we still have a health reserve. But in order to save those reserves we have to make cuts somewhere,” Dowling said.
The benefit cuts will affect more than 330 people, but will save the county an estimated $1.3 million.
“This is a decision we did not want to have to make,” Dowling said.
The reductions will go into effect on March 1, but county employees were notified this past Wednesday.
The county did issue an official media statement, citing the cuts a preparation for next year’s budget, county officials predict further revenue declines in the area of sales tax, interest income, building inspection fees, and grant funds.
“Surrounding counties began furloughing employees a year ago, we were able to avoid that,” Dowling said.
The Board of Commissioners have also agreed to reduce their annual compensation by 5 percent.
“The county’s fiscal condition remains strong and these temporary reductions were extremely difficult for the Board to enact but necessary. Our main concern was that we kept all county employees working and providing for their families with their health insurance unchanged. These cuts will make it possible for the county to get through this economic situation that has been devastating to most other counties,” Long said.
Dowling said that officials will reevaluate the county’s revenue, and should the economic situation improve, many of benefits would be reinstated.
Now to the local mess, yes there are too may Sheriff Deputies manning the courthouse. I was and am concerned about using county resources in that way. I asked one of the commissioners about why the county was spending the counties money that way and he told me if he had his way it would not be happening. But, the State Legislature passed a law after the shooting in Atlanta at the insistence of the Superior Courts in Georgia saying the counties had to provide the security at each Superior Court in the State. It is a waste of resources and money and we as tax payers need to write our State Legislators and Superior Court Judges and let them know what we think about this. Should you fire our local State Legislators and Superior Court Judges, yea I think we should. They way we do that is come election day we elect different State Legislators and different Superior Court Judges and they all are up for election this year.
The way I read the news article is that there is no furlough days but the 10 Holidays normally paid to employees for not working are now not going to be paid. I ask and that includes all county people bosses and non bosses alike. I don’t think that can be any fairer. I am up set that the people of Gordon County thought the county was in great shape but it seems we are not in as good a shape as some of our county leaders indicated a short while ago. If we are not in good financial shape and I believe we are not then this cut in spending should have been done a long time ago, like most of the counties in Georgia have done. Again the only way we can fire our leaders is going to vote. We need to vote for people who put up good ideas of how this can change not for those who against everything but for potential leaders who are for things.
As a concerned taxpayer I have read the necessary requirements for the Chief Appraiser position. As members of the Board of Assessors I know you will take the selection process very seriously. However the qualifications for the position allows for a great deal of leeway in the selection process.
It is crucial the person hired has a bachelor’s degree, managerial experience and the correct licenses for the job. No one presently in the Tax Assessors Office meets the requirements. I’m hoping “The Good Old Boy” system will be put to the side and the greater concerns of the citizens be noted.
The Tax Assessors Office has suffered for many years from the incompetence of the present leadership and the citizens have suffered financially. This is a rare opportunity to replace someone who has ignored his responsibilities to the county, and I would appeal to the Board of Assessors and Board of Commissioners to select the most qualified person available for the job, and that does not include anyone presently employed in that office.
Concerned Taxpayer of Gordon County
If you think the county should not offer incentives to companies to locate here – then go and tell West Point, GA and tell them they should not have given incentives to KIA to build a factory there or you talk to the folks in Chattanooga that they were foolish to give incentives to Volkswagen to build a factory there. You need to start living in the real world and not some perfect place where businesses are not trying to make a profit. What you are talking about is the same things your wonderful Democrats in Washington would think is the way thing should be run. The free enterprise system is what made this county what it is today. I always get a little uncomfortable when some one starts talking about profiting from the labors of the citizens. Sound like either a union organizer talking or a fellow traveler of Karl Marx.
"I am now paying more property tax.... "
Another fine Gordon County edecation at work!!!!! Duh...
The timing of the reevaluation was not good be it needed to be done. I am now paying more property tax and I should but a bunch of folks are paying lower property taxes. I bought my home in 1970's and the property valuation had just not kept up, it was way past time for the people who had older homes and had real estate f or a long time to finally pay their fair share.
Board of Commissioners - $221,035.
To forget -- or ignore -- the needs of the people they were elected to serve.
Time to close the lid...and flush.
Never Wrong Long, his girl toy, sleepy, dopey and chatty bailey approved a fly over budget of $170,000. (that's the helicopter you see)
2008-09 budget (2010 can't be retrieved online)
Fleet management $484,000.
Board of Election and Voter Registration $213,664
Tax Assessor - $1,043,000
Financial Management Assessment: Standard (lowest score?)
~Dr. Laurence J. Peter
It looks as though the proverbial "hand-basket" is getting full...
It's getting more and more like Athens... is that where our commissioners go for training? are they their mentors?
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/010810/new_544111176.shtml