Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May proposed a 2015 budget Friday that would add customer service workers for water billing, resurface more roads and maintain current tax rates.
The $1.13 billion spending plan also begins the process of “rightsizing” county government by reducing staffing levels, May wrote in a letter Friday to the DeKalb Board of Commissioners. The reduction is a response to the formation of new cities, which collect some of the tax money that would have otherwise gone to the county.
No active county personnel will lose jobs, but the workforce will be reduced over time through attrition.
The DeKalb Board of Commissioners will review and modify May’s suggested budget before voting on it by the end of February.
The bottom line
The budget covers all county services for more than 700,000 residents, including police, fire, courts, libraries, economic development, elections, parks, roads and water. Total expenses are about the same as in this year’s budget. The budget is funded by property taxes and fees.
Property values are increasing across the county, with unincorporated areas forecast to grow slightly faster than cities. Net taxable property values were projected to rise 4.1 percent countywide.
But the county still hasn’t fully recovered from the recession, and revenue growth alone wasn’t adequate to cover expenses.
May balanced his budget in part by planning on $19 million in savings from refinancing bonds.
County commissioners have previously questioned May’s bond refinancing method, saying they prefer spreading out savings over the years rather than taking a significant amount up-front.
Customer service
Complaints about inaccurate water bills and long times spent on hold are among the reasons May wants to add 41 new customer service positions at a cost of $1.7 million.
In addition, the budget seeks $1.5 million to improve the county’s purchasing system and $827,000 for upgrades to the county’s permitting process.
“This makes DeKalb more business-friendly and promotes job growth,” May said.
The budget calls for $5 million for road resurfacing.
Sustained spending
The county’s 6,500 employees received a 3 percent pay raise in August, and next year’s budget would continue paying for that salary increase at a cost of $5.8 million.
The budget also continues spending for other initiatives that began last year, including 160 additional police officers, 100 new firefighters, strengthened code enforcement and intersection improvements.
Extra costs come from pension contributions, health insurance and vehicle replacement.
Debates ahead
If the commission rejects May’s bond refinancing proposal, it will have to find other ways to save money.
That could mean cutting government services or staff.
May also warned that commissioners will have to decide on reducing trash collection to one day a week or increasing fees.
