The Barrow County government will lay off from 25 to 35 county employees next Monday – on top of eight who last week either accepted voluntary layoffs or agreed to retire – in an effort to stem the flood of red ink from the county’s finances. Remaining county employees will face mandated hour and pay cuts.
In a 4-2 vote Tuesday night, the Barrow County Board of Commissioners authorized chairman Danny Yearwood to work out the details of the sweeping plan to cut county staffing. No positions were mentioned.
Those being laid off will be told June 15; the pay cuts are effective June 27.
The motion on the cuts was made by Eva Elder and seconded by Billy Parks. Elder and Parks were joined by commissioners Larry Joe Wilburn and Isaiah Berry in voting “yes.” Commissioners Steve Worley and Ben Hendrix voted “no.”
A projected shortfall in the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, drove the decision to make the cuts now. The county also faces a $7 million shortfall for FY2010 without major spending cuts.
Yearwood said before the vote that if the county didn’t address its financial problems, property taxes could double later this year.
Yearwood said after he came into office Jan. 2, he discovered the county was facing a $5 million deficit. Initial spending cuts have reduced the deficit by $3.5 million, but the projected deficit for the current fiscal year is still $1.6 million short.
“I begged all of you to quit spending money,” he said to the department heads, elected officials and employees filling the commission’s meeting room.
He said if the board didn’t act quickly, the county would run out of money by December.
Without passage of the cuts, he said, “your taxes are going to double. That’s a realistic figure. We are looking at dollars here, folks. It’s time for everybody to realize that and ante up the tax dollars.”
For the complete story and additional articles on the county's finanical situation, see the June 10 issue of the Barrow Journal.
Public safety personnel have to have mock exercises to know how to react when a real incident occurs. But you may not know that since you were only a "volunteer" firefighter...
You also said your house caught fire, causing 75,000 in damage, I have never seen a fire "Put out with a garden hose" do that much damage. Of course, there is always a first for everything. Like thinking our Teachers are underpaid! NOT!!
Oh, and by the way, salaries of teachers are set by the state, not the local government...
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/fbo_budget.aspx
Mike
I don't know about the rest of you, but personally I am tired of footing the bill(property taxes)to meet the whims of elected officials who think we have bottomless pockets.
So.. what can we do to FIX the situation at hand. Well instead of cutting just certain departments. I agree maybe we need a itemized list of salaries from top to bottom of ALL the County employees, and each departments budget. Then as taxpayers, let us tell you what WE THE PEOPLE want to cut. I say this firmly that without us paying taxes you guys and gals have NO JOB. Maybe you guys need to stand on the street corner selling donuts, that is what we the people have to do for our kids and other organizations when they need money. Not raise taxes.
As for returning your phone calls and schmoozing with you (as you seem to be a personal friend), well god bless him for that. And, BIG DEAL. However, he doesn't return mine nor does he answer emails. This is arrogance -- for which he merits chastisement. That you say he is responsive to you and yours in no way, shape or form rebuts my allegation. I've never gotten any service out of him -- except being totally ignored.
Too busy? Then he's too busy to be an elected public servant. How about this: He should come to MY house. After all I live in the heart of his district.
In 2010, I will eagerly vote AGAINST him.
I go to every BOC meeting, and I find it interesting, the new members are the ones who are "upset" about the media, the comments in the blogs, the emails from votes, etc .... while the old guard just sits there. Strikes me as they think they can do as they please - without regard to the citizens of Barrow County.
The big money is in the sheriff's dept. They certainly should be scrutinized when it comes to cuts.
I realize the prior administration caused a lot of problems, but I also don't think the new one is doing any better.
I still wonder why they had to give the county attorney an additional $100,000. I wonder what REALLY goes on in the litigation meetings -- you know the ones behind closed doors.
I agree with the gentleman who got up and asked why there were so many meetings that were not open to the public. It's my understanding, they should be open to the public and if held in private violate Georgia's Open Meeting Statue.
Not to long ago the child had a seizure. My neighbor when to check on the child and she was already blue and was in a full blown seizure.
They called 911 and it took the paramedics 20 minutes to get to the house. 20 MINUTES!! The nearest fire station with an ambulance - 2 miles. Could have loaded the child up in a car and drive to ST. Mary's by that time.
When the paramedics finally showed up - they took the child straight to St. Mary's and from there to The Children's Hospital of Atlanta.
Remember 20 minutes to go 2 miles the next time you want to cut fire, police, sheriff or paramedics. Next time you could be the one needing the fire, paramedics, sheriff or police.
Joy riding in an ambulance? Sounds like fun. Surely they wouldn't be returning from training or the hospital.
It makes no difference. I am sure my homeowners insurance will go up, whether taxes go up or not, I feel certain that I will end up paying in the end.
I appreciate our fire department. We could be like Atlanta, and fixing to pay a minimum of $200 more a year for homeowners insurance.
P.S. Steve quit grand standing, everyone is getting tired of hearing you run your mouth when we know you can't back it. Y
I really have to wonder why the tax commissioner still has a job. From where I sit, I think the uncollected past due taxes is a major part of the problem.
I also think the BOC needs to settle any and all litigation and stop wasting money on the county attorney. That $100,000 would go a long way in saving jobs.
Rather than lay off employees, why not take out a short term loan, collect the past due taxes, and STOP SPENDING MONEY.
REF. to
I agree with what you are saying,however the man that owned the land that the county just more or less took has said that he would give every penny back to the county, which was $900,000.00 plus if he could just have his land back. So Danny and Commissioners here is away to take a big chunk out of that 1.6 million dollar short fall!! And Then you could cut some of the cronies who are paid to much already and not have to lay off anybody!!
No we don't want Garrison back. But we will not survive 4 years of Yearwood. He has to go, and the spineless commissioners who cotinue to allow him to run amuck.
But here's an interesting twist -- why not use the same calculation formula used to cut employee's pay and use it on their own.
Also a few meetings back, the HR director was up there whining about some of the salaries "not being in line" with other counties. She stated they were being paid less and there was one in particular she was talking about. I took it to be hers.
Good old Danny told her, he would get with her later.
Barrow Journal - could you do an article on the salaries of the Chair, Commissioners, HR, etc and give salaries from a year ago and salaries now.
P.S. Just for the record I am not a fireman, emt, paramedic, deputy, nor am I employed by the County. Just a plain old Tax Paying Citizen.
I am willing to sign a petition today for the removal of Mr. Yearwood and will aid in getting the signatures.
Archer Study? I bet the answer will be YES! So why don't the elected
Officials minimum salary and mid-point salary for each Elected Officials
shall be determined, and this sum shall be divided by fifteen (15) to
determine the Elected new salary. (The division by fifteen (15) reflects
that it is anticipated that normally it would take an Elected fifteen (15)
years to reach the mid-point of the applicable salary range.). I bet you
all they will refuse to take their pay cut but will make the employee take
theirs with out a choice like they have! So if they are saying it only fair
to fix the archer study then their should be fixed as well!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Barrow
Make it official. Go to the Clerk's office and file a recall petition. Then get real signatures on paper that will stand up in court. An internet petition is just so much dinosaur f****. They stink, but they did not cause global warming. You have support. You have people on your side. Man up and file the legal documents. Last summer, the people of Barrow Count voted 65%-35% to change their government. Let's wsee if they will change it again.
The relevant legislation requires at least one of the following grounds for calling a recall election:
1. an act of malfeasance or misconduct while in office,
2. violation of the oath of office,
3. failure to perform duties prescribed by law, or
4. willfully misusing, converting, or misappropriating, without authority, public property or public funds entrusted to or associated with the elective office to which the official has been elected or appointed.
Signature requirement
The number of valid signatures required for a recall election is 15 percent of the number of persons that voted in the last preceding election for the office of incumbent being recalled. (approx 800)
Under English law malfeasance in public office is also a tort. In the House of Lords judgment on the BCCI Malfeasance Case it was held that this had 3 essential elements[1]:
1. The defendant must be a public officer
2. The defendant must have been exercising his power as a public officer
3. The defendant is either exercising targeted malice or exceeding his powers.
I would say Danny HAS EXCEEDED his powers. The ones that comes to mind is the "disciplining" employees for "not playing ball" or "not following his orders" by suspending the fire chief and the CFO for 40 hours without pay. The CFO has caused a lawsuit for the county. The firing of department heads and key employees without cause.
It would be interesting to look at the evaluations of those laid off and compare them to those who keep their jobs to see who gets cut.
My heart goes out to all of those effected and their families.
No employee has a lifetime right to their county job but all of them deserve better treatment than they have received through this mess.
The behavior, ignorance, and irresponsibility of both the previous and present Commissioners has been pathetic and the county as a whole will suffer for it.