IT'S ALIVE!!!

The DeKalb Government Operations Task Force lives! For REAL!

Yesterday, May 29, 2014, DeKalb Interim CEO finally issued details of the DeKalb Government Operations Task Force, tasked with EXPLORING and STUDYING various issues related to county government, city annexations and new city incorporation, and HOST distribution.

Its first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 5, 6 to 8PM, in the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, in downtown Decatur.

Lee May's original Executive Order for the Task Force can be found HERE.

Following is the complete news release from DeKalb County with photos and links for the Task Force members, followed by a quick commentary from the City of Briarcliff Initiative's esteemed Herman Lorenz.

ETA: Changes to the Task Force membership on June 2, 2014.

Announcement issued June 2, 2014, Additional Membership, Increased to 17 Members to Include Sen. Fran Millar and Rep. Mike Jacobs

            ______________________________________________________________________

June 2, 2014

DeKalb Government Operations Task Force Expanded

DECATUR – DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May has increased the membership of The Task Force on DeKalb County Operations (the Operations Task Force). The committee will be increased from 15 members to 17, and all task force members will have voting privileges.

“It is important that we leverage all of our partnerships as much as possible on the front end, to ensure a successful outcome,” said Interim CEO May. “Additional representation from the General Assembly, as well extending voting to the Georgia Municipal Association and Association of County Commissioners of Georgia gives us the balance we need.”

The Operations Task Force has scheduled its first meeting on June 5, 2014 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030. The Operations Task Force was created by DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May with the support of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners through an Executive Order in March 2014.

The Operations Task Force will explore and study (1) the financial, business, zoning and quality of life impact on residents and government operations caused by the creation of new cities and annexations; (2) the effectiveness of the current governance structure of DeKalb County and ethics and transparency in County operations; (3) the equitable distribution of Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST) proceeds and legacy pension costs between the DeKalb County and it’s cities; and (4) other related matters.

The Operations Task Force is comprised of:

• Commissioner Jeff Rader, District 2

• Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton, District 4

• Commissioner Stan Watson, District 7

• State Senator Gloria Butler

• State Senator Fran Millar

• State Representative Karla Drenner

• State Representative Billy Mitchell

• State Representative Mike Jacobs

• Former State Representative Elena Parent

• John Shelton, CEO of DeKalb Medical Center

• Jim McMahan, Vice Chair, DeKalb County Board of Education

• Vaughn Irons, Chairman of the Development Authority of DeKalb County

• Patrick Ejike, Director Community Development Department, Clayton County

   Government

• April Atkins, AICP; Community Affairs Specialist

• Bill Floyd, Former Mayor of Decatur

• Jim Grubiak, General Counsel, Association of County Commissioners

• David L. Sjoquist, Professor of Economics and Director of Domestic Programs at the

   Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

“It is my sincere hope this task force can come to a consensus on how we can fix DeKalb in one fell swoop, and make the most of the one year cooling off period that we asked the Georgia General Assembly to afford us,” said Interim CEO May.

March 11, 2014: DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May signs the executive order creating the Task Force on DeKalb County Operations and other Related Matters

DeKalb County is Georgia’s third largest county with more than 700,000 residents calling it

home. Known for its business and education hub, growing international community and natural wonders, DeKalb County Government is administered by Interim Chief Executive Officer Lee May and legislative policy is set by a seven-member Board of Commissioners.

            ______________________________________________________________________

May 29, 2014

Updated:  DeKalb Government Operations Task Force Schedules Inaugural Meeting

DECATUR – The Task Force on DeKalb County Operations (the Operations Task Force) has scheduled its first meeting on June 5, 2014 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.  The Operations Task Force was created by DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May with the support of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners through an Executive Order in March 2014. 

The 15-member committee is empowered to explore and study (1)the financial, business, zoning and quality of life impact on residents and government operations caused by the creation of new cities and annexations; (2) the effectiveness of the current governance structure of DeKalb County and ethics and transparency in County operations; (3) the equitable distribution of Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST) proceeds and legacy pension costs between the DeKalb County and it’s cities; and (4) other related matters.

March 11, 2014: DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May signs the executive order creating the Task Force on DeKalb County Operations and other Related Matters

“We need some fresh eyes on these issues, and we need representatives from a myriad of government agencies to participate, as these are complex issues,” said Interim CEO May.  “For instance, under the current law, the distribution of capital funding from HOST between unincorporated and incorporated portions of the County is extremely unequal.  Nearly seventy-five percent of the revenue goes to the cities with less than twenty percent of the population.”

The Operations Task Force is comprised of 15 members, as follows: 

·         Commissioner Jeff Radar (sic), District 2

·         Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton, District 4

·         Commissioner Stan Watson, District 7

·         State Senator Gloria Butler

·         State Senator (sic) Elena Parent

·         State Representative Karla Drenner

·         State Representative Billy Mitchell

·         David L. Sjoquist, Professor of Economics and Director of Domestic Programs at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Georgia State University

·         Bill Floyd, Former Mayor of Decatur

·         Jim Grubiak, General Counsel, Association of County Commissioners

·         John Shelton, CEO of DeKalb Medical Center

·         Jim McMahan, Vice Chair, DeKalb County Board of Education

·         Vaughn Irons, Chairman of the Development Authority of DeKalb County

·         Patrick Ejike, Director Community Development Department, Clayton County Board of Commissioners

·         April Atkins, AICP; Community Affairs Specialist

“It is my sincere hope this task force can come to a consensus on how we can fix DeKalb in one fell swoop, and make the most of the one year cooling off period that we asked the Georgia General Assembly to afford us,” said Interim CEO May.

DeKalb County is Georgia’s third largest county with more than 700,000 residents calling it home. Known for its business and education hub, growing international community and natural wonders, DeKalb County Government is administered by Interim Chief Executive Officer Lee May and legislative policy is set by a seven-member Board of Commissioners.

            ______________________________________________________________________

The Task Force's 15 Members, revealed.

Commissioner Jeffrey A. Rader

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, District 2

Commissioner Rader's official web site

Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, District 4

Commissioner Barnes Sutton's official web site

Commissioner Stan Watson

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, Super District 7

Commissioner Watson's official web site

State Senator Gloria Butler

Senate District 55, (D) - Stone Mountain

Senator Butler's Senate web site
Wikipedia entry
Ballotpedia entry

Elena Parent

Current Democratic nominee for State Senator, Senate District 42

Elena Parent's Senate campaign web site
House web site (archived)

Former State Representative, House District 81, (D) - Chamblee, 2011-2012

State Representative Karla Drenner

House District 85, (D) - Avondale Estates

Rep. Drenner's House web site

Wikipedia entry

State Representative Billy Mitchell

House District 88, (D) - Stone Mountain

Rep. Mitchell's House web site

Ballotpedia entry

Legislative sponsor, City of Tucker incorporation

David L. Sjoquist
Professor of Economics
Andrew Young School of Public Policy, GSU

Prof. Sjoquist's GSU web site

He collects ducks!

William F. Floyd
Former Mayor of Decatur

Pendleton Group web page
A Tribute to Bill Floyd (YouTube video)

Mayor of Decatur 1999-2013

James F. Grubiak
General Counsel
The Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG)

ACCG web page

John A. Shelton, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
DeKalb Medical Center

DeKalb Medical Announcement

Atlanta Business Chronicle article

Jim McMahan
Vice-Chairman
DeKalb County Board of Education

BOE Campaign web site
Ballotpedia entry

Vaughn Irons
Chairman
Development Authority of DeKalb County

Development Authority of DeKalb County
DeKalb Chamber DADC web page
APD Solutions

Patrick O. Ejike
Director - Community Development Authority
Clayton County Board of Commissioners

ZoomInfo web page
Clayton News Daily article

Naturalized citizen, originally from Nigeria

April Atkins, AICP
Community Affairs Specialist at FDIC

Former Administrative Project Manager, CEO's Office
DeKalb County

ZoomInfo web page

(AICP - American Institute of Certified Planners)

ETA: Additional members on the Task Force, appointed June 2, 2014

State Senator Fran Millar
Senate District 40, (R) - Dunwoody

Sen. Millar's Senate web site
Ballotpedia

Sen. Millar sponsored the failed bill for Lakeside incorporation in
2013-14.  He was a State Representative before election as a Senator.

State Representative Mike Jacobs

House District 80, (R) - Brookhaven

Rep. Jacob's House web site
Re-election campaign web site
Wikipedia
Ballotpedia

Rep. Jacobs changed parties, from Democrat to Republican,
in 2007. Sponsored Brookhaven incorporation in 2011-12
______________________________________________________________________

From the North Druid Hills / Briarcliff Patch

I know how to solve our problems! Appoint a Commission.

Posted by Herman Lorenz , May 30, 2014 at 08:59 AM

Sorry, I’m doing this quickly, and may not be as careful as I usually am. I just read the PR release about the task force.

What do you know! A “task force” has been established to look at the governance of DeKalb County, perhaps with the intent of appearing to fix something. The committee was announced with the following discussion topics: (Note that it’s “empowered to explore and study”, not to recommend legislation and implement.)

 The 15-member committee is empowered to explore and study

(1)the financial, business, zoning and quality of life impact on residents and government operationscaused by the creation of new cities and annexations;

(2) the effectiveness of the current governance structure of DeKalb County and ethics and transparency in County operations;

 (3) the equitable distribution of Homestead Option Sales Tax (HOST) proceeds and legacy pension costs between the DeKalb County and it's cities; and

(4) other related matters.

And after all of the public fiascos involving our County government, what did our CEO highlight as things to look at?

·          The evil cities in the County who want to annex parts of unincorporated DeKalb (watch out Decatur, Chamblee  and Avondale!); and the evil people who want to create new cities.  That’s certainly the most important thing for the county to address -- NOT.

·         The effectiveness of structure and the ethics and transparency of County Operations. If this had been the sole purpose of the task force, they would have had a real mission. And if the results had been serious, it might make all of our lives better.

·         How do we get more money into the County slush funds – we all still have some friends who we haven’t paid off yet. I know, we can go after more of the HOST funds – 80% isn’t enough; let’s go for 90% more free money.

·         How do we fix the problem that we don’t want to fund our pensions – maybe we can force someone else to do that?

Can we get serious here? A few basic principles:

1.    The existence of Cities in the County is not in any way the source of problems with either the governance or corruption in the County government. In fact, stronger cities will make it harder for the money to be diverted, and will provide a stronger voice for the citizens against corruption.

2.    Transparency and ethics in any organization starts at the top and feeds down. In any organization the CEO can demand ethical performance from the employees. Of course that only works if the CEO is clearly ethical himself. A Board of Directors both defines the ethical performance of an organization and enforces those ethics.  You do not need to go beyond that level to identify the problem. We have a governmental attitude both nationally and locally that bad performance and bad actions have no consequences.

3.    I’m still waiting for the one situation in which the County government would say “let’s put all this money into solving the most important and pressing issues”. What actually happens is “Oh boy! We’ve got more money to pass around this year”. Lack of money is NOT DeKalb County’s problem.

4.    And blaming someone else for the Commission’s failure to fund pensions is the worst kind of passing the buck.  They had an extra $20 million to spend this year because of increases in tax receipts.  How much of that went into solving the unfunded pension problem?  It’s a lot easier to play games so that you can blame someone else than to solve a problem.