Gwinnett parks may face more budget cuts

As work continues on the 2012 Gwinnett County budget, Gwinnett parks may face the brunt of falling tax revenues.  Some of the shortfall may land in the laps of local youth athletic associations.  While I sympathize with families who would face additional time demands for sharing in park upkeep as well as increased fees, this is actually only fair.  Whether you use parks yourself, the community as a whole does benefit from the park system through improved quality of life and reduced crime.  These benefits go to support property values.  As such, it is entirely proper that we all share some of the costs of the park system through taxes.  However, those who actually use the parks should bear a greater share of the costs due to their direct benefit.  I have long felt that there should be some sort of permit that park uers should have to purchase to use the county parks.  The fee for such a pass would not necessarily be exorbitant but would shift more of responsibility for supporting the parks to those who benefit the most.  I say this as a county resident who uses my local park.  The possible shift of funding park maintenance to the sports associations would indirectly progress toward this goal, though many park users who do not participate in sports would continue to no more of the costs than taxpayers who never visit a park.

Gwinnett residents continue to call for choice in garbage provider

The final community forum on Gwinnett's garbage service was held this past Saturday in Suwanee.  Continuing with a common theme that began late last year, county residents continue to demand freedom of choice in choosing their garbage service provider.  Just as Americans across the country are rising up and speaking loudly against Obamacare's government control of healthcare, Gwinnettians continue to loudly say no to government dictating with whom we must do business at the local level as well.  Gwinnett's commissioners are already on thin ice with voters after their poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars highlighted by the recent budget mess.  If they again try to cram socialized garbage down our throats after the overwhelming uproar against their solid waste ordinance, I would not be surprised if voters begin seriously exploring recall initiatives rather than waiting until the next election to bounce them from office.  To this point, the recall sentiment bubbling in Gwinnett has been fairly muted, but if commissioners continue to show callous disregard for citizens of this county, that bubbling could quickly rise to a boiling point.

Commission approves more than $200 million in budget cuts

The Gwinnett County Commission voted last week to approve over $225 million in budget cuts.  As I wrote earlier last week, some residents were unhappy with some of the cuts, especially those targeting the budgets for the police and fire departments.  While automatically opposing budget cuts for public safety is understandable, the key here is at what are these cuts targeted?

First, let's be absolutely clear: deeps cuts were in order. Cuts are more palatable than a tax increase. Where I take issue is where these cuts were targeted.  Prior to the meeting, there was speculation that the Gwinnett "Quality of Life" unit could be on the chopping block.  Given this unit's focus of fighting property rights more so than real crime, I was completely in favor of such a cut.  However, rather than ax the Quality of Life unit, the board opted to cut the DUI task force.  I do not understand this move! One fights property rights - the other fights criminals that could kill you on our highways! The Quality of Life unit should have be at the top of the cuts for the police department.  Of course, I am hardly surprised that retaining funding for the Quality of Life unit was proposed by Mike Beaudreau whose commission track record is hardly one of championing property rights.

Regarding police department funding in general, when I stop seeing police officers parked along the road running radar/laser equipment to catch speeders as opposed to fighting real crime, I might get a little more upset about budget cuts for the department. In the last couple of weeks, I have seen three cops parked along Ronald Reagan Parkway doing speed enforcement. I see others near the Park Place Bridge on US 78. Coupling this with funding Quality of Life to go out worrying about how how far nails protrude and other victimless crimes, I cannot get too upset at at the cuts. When all police department funds are used to fight real, serious crime and not harass property owners or man radar guns, I will get upset at the cuts.

I would like to note, however, that, as critical as I often am of Comissioner Beaudreau, I do find myself in total agreement with one of his proposals.  Beaudreau offered an excellent idea to charge non-county residents for using Gwinnett County parks.  In fact, as a daily user of my local park, I would support a user fee for all those who actually use the parks, whether resident or not. The community does benefit from the parks so a county-funded system is appropriate. However, because those of us who actually go to the park and use the amenities benefit more, we should pay more than someone who does not. A user fee could be a nominal amount, perhaps $25 per year, just to ensure that the cost burden of these facilities is born more by those who use the system. A user fee would also capture direct contribution from those who use the facilities but are not property owners and, as such, do pay not the property taxes that fund the bulk of county government.

One other suggestion for revenue that I have not seen discussed is ads on Gwinentt transit buses.  (I read this suggestion from a Buzz reader, I believe, but I cannot find the reference.  I apologize that I cannot properly credit you for bringing this idea to my attention.)  When the county is in need of every drop of revenue it can get, why has the transit system not exploring selling ads?  MARTA does this, why not Gwinnett?  I do not know how much money this would raise, but whatever it raises would be some decrease in the severity of the county budget cuts.

The fiscal situation that Gwinnett County faces is very serious.  No one said any of the paths that could be taken through the woods would be easy, but I must commend the commissioners for choosing the right path - reigning in the size and cost of government as opposed to siphoning even more dollars out of our pockets.  I would much rather be bickering over what to cut than a tax increase.

Citizens oppose spending cuts

As the Gwinnett County Commission prepares to "vote on $225 million in proposed cuts to the operating budget through 2014," some county residents are opposing proposed law enforcement funding cuts.  I would ask them, what else is the commission supposed to do?  While I have been very critical of this board, they did the right thing by refusing to raise property taxes.  Given that a nontrivial reason we are in this fiscal mess is that monument to government mismanagement, Gwinnett (Taxpayers) Stadium, I absolutely oppose a tax increase.  Had our commissioners kept Gwinnett County focused on the core, limited responsibilities of government, I would be more open to recognizing the need for, and possibly supporting, a tax increase.  However, the commissioners made some very poor decisions in building that unneeded baseball stadium and now they should have to make the hard decisions of finding places to cut spending.

While I do not want to see police funding cut in general, I would be more concerned about these cuts if I did not see police officers parked alongside Gwinnett roads running radar/laser speed detection equipment.  I understand the need for traffic enforcement, but why not redeploy these officers to fighting real crime and let them do traffic stops while engaged in their normal patrols?  I would note that if the cuts are used on Gwinnett's so-called "Quality of Life" unit, then the negative impact to enforcing important laws is lessened.  The Quality of Life unit spends a lot of taxpayer dollars fighting property rights rather than the crime that is all too common in Gwinnett.

Thus, while we may feel some pain in the cuts that are eventually made, they are much easier to swallow than a tax increase in the aftermath of wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on the Government-funded Gwinnett Braves new baseball stadium.

Bannister warns of effects of budget cuts

In a letter posted on the Gwinnett County homepage (thanks to Buzz reader ceej for posting this link in a comment to an earlier post), Commission Chairman Charles Bannister outlines some of the budget cuts the board will be considering next week.  Bannister highlights cuts to public safety funding and the associated reductions in force levels.  Gwinnett County Fire Chief Steve Rolader, referencing the cuts for the fire department, worries about the impact on protection for the public:

"With a reduction in force, it could impact our response times," he said. "It concerns us."

Now, I must be fair and note that I am not clear that the commission would be cutting force levels as opposed to simply not growing them per the previous plan.  (This is a common tactic in Washington where Congress will refer to a reduction in planned growth as a "cut.")  However, by holding staffing levels constant while the county's population continues to grow, the number of firefighters per capita will fall.  This logic alone lends credence to Rolader's concerns.

Aren't you glad that we have that nice, new minor league baseball stadium?  If your house burns down because the fire department is unable to respond quickly enough, at least you can console yourself while taking in a Government-funded Gwinnett Braves game at Gwinnett Taxpayers' Stadium.  Yes, I keep bringing up the stadium.  The people of Gwinnett should not be allowed to forget about the abysmal stewardship of our tax dollars represented by that facility.  The stadium looked like a bad deal when it was proposed.  GIven our current fiscal situation, the stadium deal looks like perhaps the biggest example of governmental mismanagement in the history of Gwinnett County.

Remember this during primary season next summer, folks!

Empty fire stations but plenty of illegal aliens

The Gwinnett County budget crunch continues to be felt in real and visible ways.  Last week, we learned that the Gwinnett County Public Library would implement to reduced hours.  This week we learn that three fire stations and a library currently under construction will likely sit idle when completed.

Three fire stations and a state-of-the-art library — representing altogether more than $21 million in construction costs — are expected to be completed this year. And the county has no money to staff them.

Furthermore, Gwinnett County parks cannot even afford to clean restrooms on the weekends anymore!  If this were not enough, the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department may have to delay Gwinnett's participation in the 287(g) that will identify and remove illegal aliens from the Gwinnett County jail.  Why?  Because the county does have the funds to staff either the program or seven empty units in the jail needed to keep inmates from sleeping on the floor, a requirement for participation in the program.

However, dear Buzz reader, if this budget crunch concerns you, then you can take solace by spending a night at our very own government-funded minor-league baseball stadium.  Every night you pass Gwinnett Taxpayers' Stadium when the Government-funded Gwinnett Braves are playing at home, you should be reminded of what an absolute monument of taxpayer abuse and bumbling government leadership that stadium is.  Lillian Webb must be breathing a sigh of relief that this current bunch of commissioners has surpassed her era as the worst elected officials in the history of Gwinnett County.  I bet the stadium is fully staffed and gets its toilets cleaned every day it is used!

Take heart, though!  We are only about a year away from the Republican primaries for Bert Nasuti's and Kevin Kenerly's commission seats, meaning we are only about a year away from beginning to purge our commission of the minor-league leadership that thought a minor-league baseball team was an appropriate use of your hard-earned tax dollars.  Don't forget the horrendous state in which we find Gwinnett County's finances over the next year.  Turn that frustration into determination to elect true conservatives who will show more respect for the citizens of this county!

Gwinnett libraries to cut hours

Last week, Gwinnett County announced a reduction in the operating hours for county library branches.  The cutbacks are the result of the recent county budget shortfall.  Effective August 9, branches will close on Sunday and Monday and will open for shorter hours the remainder of the week.  While I can appreciate the inconvenience to regular library patrons, such cost savings are unavoidable as the county struggles to balance its budget.  This solution is certainly more palatable than a property tax increase, especially given that part of the funding woes stems from the profligate spending of our county commission on an unnecessary minor league baseball stadium.  Hopefully, those citizens who are upset with this change will channel their frustration into being more aware of the actions of their government officials.  Greater citizen awareness of how these officials spend our tax dollars is necessary so as to minimize future instances such as this.

Hearings on Gwinnett schools budget

The Gwinnett County School Board has scheduled two public hearings for its 2010 budget.  The first meeting is tonight at the Instructional Support Center on Old Peachtree Road in Suwanee.  The second meeting will be May 14 before the board meeting where a vote will be taken on the budget.

The big point of emphasis here is that, despite growth in the budget of 5.4 percent, the board managed to avoid raising property taxes.  With the county portion of Gwinnett property tax bills expected to increase, this is good news.  In an ideal world, newcomers to Gwinnett who are driving the need for nine new schools should have to shoulder the bulk of the cost to build these facilities.  Furthermore, families with children enrolled in a Gwinnett school should pay a nominal tax surcharge to reflect the greater value they receive from the school system.  Nevertheless, holding the line on tax rates is the most we can realisticly expect, so kudos to the school board for not dipping further into taxpayer wallets.

Here comes a property tax increase

Think you pay enough of your hard earned money to Gwinnett County?  Well get ready to pony up more.  The Gwinnett County Commission has passed the 2009 budget and there is a gaping $62 million hole to plug.  To its credit, the board has already cut many expenses such as the Gwinnett Glows Fourth of July fireworks display and turning off the underpass lights at I-85 and Sugarloaf Parkway.  But the gap remains and with commissioners refusing to use the "rainy day fund," the only option to balance the budget is to raise your taxes.

Apparently, Tuesday's meeting was rather contentious with Commissioner Mike Beaudreau and Commission Chairman Charles Bannister verbally sparring.  Gwinnett Views reports that the video of the meeting is worth watching.  I have not done so yet, so I can only go by news reports.  Though I have been very critical of Beaudreau, the commissioner did claim that his alternate proposal would have balanced the budget without the need for a tax increase.  While I cannot speak to the accuracy of this claim, Beaudreau is to be commended for his fiscal conservatism with regards to the budget.  Of course Chairman Bannister had a valid point about the timing of Beaudreau's 11th-hour proposal being too late.  Who is right?  Who knows, but ultimately Beaudreau claimed that three capital project cut from his district were politically motivated.  Makes you want to go and check out that video for sure!

The main takeaway is that the budget as passed is still in search of $62 million and that is going to hit you right in your wallet.  Bob Griggs at TalkGwinnett.com has posted an in-depth budget analysis and concludes that an increase of 2.06 mills will be necessary.  This translates into $144 more in property tax for a $200,000 home.  To a degree, I can accept that an increase is necessary when county revenues are down due to a weak economy.  However, when there is wasteful government spending that results in taxpayers having to dip a little further into their pocketbooks to cover the excesses of politicians, a tax increase is a much more bitter pill to swallow.  

Bob lists several examples of expenditures that could have been eliminated from the budget and apparently were not.  While I do not agree that all of the items are pork - an efficiency study could have a positive return down the road and software licenses may be critical to a certaindepartment, for example, - when the county is spending over a million dollars on a "green" initiative and $300,000 on a tennis center, supporting our officials on this vote is difficult.  This fails to even mention the $31 million the commission wasted on a minor league baseball stadium last year.  The total pledged to the Gwinnett Braves stadium amounts to half of the 2009 budget deficit.  If those funds had not been spend on an unneeded minor league baseball team and were available to offset decreased county revenue, your tax increase would be only $72.  I wonder if Commissioner Bert Nasuti would like to justify that cost to his constituents today?

Stunning what you can be cited for in Gwinnett

Tonight I stumbled across the list of the Top 10 Violations cited by Gwinnett's Quality of Life enforcement unit.  I find some of the things for which you can be ticketed to be appalling and an absolute assault of private property rights.  Sure, some of these make sense: having garbage piled up in your yard can be a health hazard and is beyond a question of taste.  Junked cars approach this rationale as well so long as cars under active repair or restoration are not included.  However, digging into the Property Maintenance Ordinance and other county commission resolutions is disturbing because of the degree that government can infringe upon our property rights.  Here are a few of the offensive regulations.

Protruding Nails - "Fences must be free of protruding nails of more than 1/16 inch."  ONE-SIXTEENTH!  Not an inch or even a half-inch, but 1/16 of an inch.

Large Families - "No more than 8 individuals, related by blood or marriage or unrelated, shall occupy any residential dwelling unit unless a variance has been granted."  The Brady Bunch need not apply unless they wanted to fire Alice.  Of course they could have asked the nanny-state government to grant permission on how they can use their own home.

Parking on the Grass - "In any residential district, the parking of any vehicle except on a hard-surfaced driveway or in a carport or garage is prohibited."  If you have a party, be sure no one parks on the grass!  Government says no!  Given that this resolution was enacted in 1986, I know I have violated this law over the years.  I had a friend in high school where we would often park in a large grassy area at his house.  In fact, within the last several years, I had a neighbor that used to keep a truck parked on the grass beside their garage.  It did not hurt anyone and it was a lot more acceptable than their van parked beside my property that leaked oil all over the cul-de-sac pavement!

Basketball Goals - No basketball goals over the street.  Another law that a friend broke in the 80s.  In high school, we used to have regular street basketball games on a cul-de-sac street.  Who was hurt?  Well aside from the scrapes and bruises from the basketball games, no one!

Prohibited Signs - Who knows what falls under this because the document is ridiculously long and detailed, much of it enforcing taste not material impact.


Finally, I wanted to highlight the picture that is on the county's Top 10 Violations website.  How insulting to our Gwinnett police officers to hire them, give them quality police training and equipment, and then have them waste their time taking down signs.  Perhaps, if Gwinnett scaled back some of the enforcement on these quality of life ordinance assaults of private property rights, police officers could be redeployed to real crime-fighting law enforcement duties.  Maybe better use of our police professionals would obviate the need for additional law enforcement officers that the county cannot afford anyway since the government entered the baseball stadium development business.