G-Braves stadium to be called Coolray Field

Well it is a year late in coming, but the Government-funded Gwinnett Braves have a naming sponsor for their ballpark near Mall of Georgia.  Coolray Heating and Cooling has agreed to a 16-year deal with the Atlanta Braves to place its moniker on the stadium.  That's fine and dandy, but here is the curious part:

Terms of the 16-year deal with Coolray Heating and Cooling were not revealed.

Excuse me?  Terms were not revealed?  Terms should be revealed immediately!  After all, the Gwinnett County Commission blew our tax dollars building a ballpark for a minor league team we did not need.  Then, in part because of the millions of dollars committed to the facility, the county had to then raise our taxes when the recession hit.  So, yes, the Gwinnett taxpayers have a right to know the terms of the deal post-haste!  We have a right to know the net amount of our tax dollars that have been sunk in financially propping-up an organization that can afford to pay exorbitant salaries to major league ballplayers but expecting Average Joe Citizen to fork over his hard-earned money to pay for their "place of business."  In a time on the national political scene where corporate executives - highly-paid employees who come much closer to being worth the money they earn than grown men playing a boy's game - the taxpayers of Gwinnett County should be fully informed just how much of our money will wind up subsidizing a professional sports franchise.

Starting April 8, the Government-funded Gwinnett Braves will officially play their home games at Coolray Field, but the facility will always really be Gwinnett Taxpayers Stadium.

County misses deadline to sell stadium naming rights

The deadline for Gwinnett County to sell naming rights to Gwinnett Taxpayers' Stadium (aka Gwinnett Stadium) has come and gone.  As a result, the county will lose out on a greater share of the proceeds when naming rights are eventually sold.  Fortunately, for Gwinnett property owners, the car rental tax that went into effect last year has been generating higher than projected revenues, enough to allow the county make payments on the outstanding bonds.  Even still, as I outlined in a post here on the Buzz in April, 2008, the car rental tax comes out of the pockets of the Gwinnett taxpayer, meaning that Gwinnettians are still paying for the stadium.

To be honest, the Gwinnett County Commission is very lucky in that the car rental tax projections understated the true revenue.  If the board were in danger of defaulting on debt service payments, could commissioners really risk the ignominy of a major county government defaulting on its loan?  Given that the board has already cut the budget to the bone, would there be any choice but to move forward with the highly controversial property tax increase?  So long as the naming rights are eventually sold and other income sources hold up, Gwinnett property owners should be spared yet another demand to provide funding for yet another government undertaking.

The real question is should the commission be let off the hook because they have managed to take more tax dollars than expected from Gwinnett residents via the car rental tax?  They have still raised your taxes, just not property taxes.  They have dodged a bullet thusfar, but here we have more evidece of the poor management of taxpayer dollars by this commission.  They gambled with our money to build a stadium for a professional sports team that expects average Americans, during hard economic times, to underwrite a stadium while the team pays enormous sums of money to men to play a game.  I do not think they should be applauded for good fortune masking  poor management.  Do you?

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!

For Gwinnett, it's back to the minors

I am a Gwinnettian.  Though technically not a native (I lived in Dekalb County for my first four years), I have lived in Gwinnett virtually my entire life.  If I did not have a soft spot for my county, I would not have bought my first home here nor would I invest my time in publishing the Buzz.  That being said, once I step foot outside of Georgia, I am an Atlantan.  Someone in Alabama or Florida neither knows nor cares where Gwinnett is but they sure know Atlanta.  In fact, even here in our own city, the concept of "Atlanta native" is far more commonly heard than "<insert county> native."  The point is this: as much as I care about Gwinnett County, Gwinnett is simply a part of the whole that is Atlanta, which is a top tier U.S. and - and by virtue of the 1996 Olympics - international city.  However, last night, with the first home game of the Gwinnett Braves, our county symbolically took a step back from this illustrious association.

For my entire life, Atlanta has been a major league city, home to a minimum of three major professional sports teams at any given time.  Unfortunately, Gwinnett apparently thought being part of such a city was not sufficient and, as such, decided to hitch its wagon to a minor league horse.  In doing so, Gwinnett has attempted to more closely identify itself with second-tier cities such as Durham, NC, Louisville, KY, Norfolk, VA, and Syracuse, NY.  For these cities, a AAA minor league baseball team is a big deal for they do not have the luxury of being home to a major league franchise and all that brings.  So, what can a minor league baseball team bring to Gwinnett County?  Do our county commissioners, who crammed the stadium through, fancy themselves as "mayors" of a twin "city" to Atlanta?  Surely not!  Gwinnett is hardly Ft. Worth to Atlanta's Dallas.  Gwinnett has many positive aspects, but it is merely a suburban county whose identity is largely tied to being a part of the Atlanta metro area.  Unlike a city seeking a major league sports franchise, a minor league team can bring little cachet to Gwinnett County.  Thus, the only significant benefit that the Gwinnett Braves can bring to our county is simply that of another entertainment option.

While being an entertainment outlet is not a wholly unworthy cause for an organization's existence, this benefit is significantly degraded when one recalls how the team's stadium was shoved down Gwinnett taxpayers' throats.  Gwinnett County cannot build a police precinct or a school without a referendum on the tax initiative funding such a project.  However, Gwinnett commissioners committed the taxpayer to an excessive investment for Gwinnett Stadium with a mere commission vote.  This expenditure looks all the more foolhardy in light of a looming tax increase due to the inability of the commission to balance the county budget.  This is precisely the kind of fiscal irresponsibility by elected officials that tea parties across the country are protesting.  Maybe the next Atlanta Tea Party should be in the parking lot of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center!

So when the G(overnment-funded) Braves took the field last night at the sparkling Gwinnett (Taxpayers') Stadium, rather than being a great moment for Gwinnett, it was a moment to memorialize government excess and to lament the symbolic downgrade of our county from part of a world class city to a second-tier minor league community.  For Gwinnett, April 17, 2009 will be the day that Gwinnett County was sent back to the minors.

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?

Things taking shape in and around stadium

There is a lot of activity going on in and around the Gwinnett Braves' new stadium.  The stadium itself is about 80% complete looking forward to the April 17 opener against the Norfolk Tides.  Fans will be able to walk all the way around the stadium, let kids play at playgrounds, eat in picnic areas, enjoy the game from suites, grandstands or grassy berms, catch replays on a 30' by 40' video matrix board and eat a variety of food options.  Grass is scheduled to be installed March 2 on a field that will mimic the dimensions of Turner Field.

Outside the stadium, several development projects are in the works.  Earlier this month, the Gwinnett County Commission approved a "10-acre development on Buford Drive near Lawrenceville that is expected to include shops and restaurants."  This week, the commission will consider a project that literally surrounds the stadium and "is expected to consist of 351,000 square feet of commercial space, 617,000 square feet of office space, 610 residential units and 300 hotel rooms."

My opposition to how this stadium came about and even the need for minor league baseball in a major league metro area is well documented here on the Buzz.  That being said, I do think that the new stadium is shaping up to be an enjoyable place to spend a spring or summer evening, even if you are not a huge baseball fan.  The stadium is also kick-starting some very attractive development to the area as well.  While the economy is soft now, in the long run, I think these development projects will be great assets to the greater Mall of Georgia area.

The commission sure is a stubborn bunch

The AJC has an excellent article chronicling the Gwinnett Braves stadium history over the last year.  The article does a good job of outlining why this deal was bad for Gwinnett County taxpayers: cost overruns, weakening county tax revenues due to the recession, and inability to sell the stadium naming rights in the current economic environment.  All this while the county was slashing its budget, cutting jobs, and "[postponing] adding 88 positions for public safety and the courts."

Despite an overwhelming case that, financially, this was a worse deal in retrospect than it was initially, the commission stubbornly clings to the position that the county should have undertaken the project.

“Our board was completely unanimous on baseball Jan. 15 of last year, and I think our board will be completely unanimous on baseball today,” said Commissioner Bert Nasuti, the project’s chief proponent.

Gwinnett Board of Commissioners Chairman Charles Bannister, Commissioner Kevin Kenerly and Nasuti said they would have voted for financing the stadium last year even if they had known what they know now about the economy and the county’s finances.

“I think we would have voted for it,” Bannister said. “It would have been much cleaner — perhaps prettier — publicwise if all the dollars had been in the accounting upfront.”

What incredible arrogance to say that, even had they known then what they know now, they would have still proceeded.  What we know now is that, if the stadium revenue projections remain down, the stadium threatens to place a greater burden on taxpayer wallets.

Nasuti believes that the stadium will boost "boost Gwinnett’s economy."  He also made a valid point about economic development.

“You don’t shut down economic development opportunities when times are bad,” Nasuti said. “That is when you look at economic development opportunities.”

Nasuti is absolutely correct that smart managers pursue opportunities in hard times.  However, let the private sector make that decision, not government.  We elect Republicans because we want limited government, lower taxes and a positive environment for business.  I do not call making sweetheart deals for a professional sports franchise to be an example of limited government even the deal improves the business environment.  Over the life of the contract, the Braves will pay an average annual rent to Gwinnett County of $365,000 per year.  On top of that, the team keeps half of the parking revenue, all ticket revenue except for  $1 per ticket($400,000 minimum to the county), and a share of the stadium naming rights income.  This for an organization that just signed pitcher Derek Lowe for $60 million over four years.

I know I will never find the perfect elected official with whom I will agree all the time.  However, over the last year, the Gwinnett commission has begun to develop quite a track record of poor management of county government.  Socialized garbage.  Gwinnett Braves stadium.  North Georgia retreat to figure out how to save money.  The hole they are digging is already pretty deep.  Fortunately for them, the next election is still nearly two years away.  They have time to turn things around, but to climb out of this hole, they need to stop digging and starting putting the Gwinnett residents and taxpayers first in what they do.

Commissioners discuss cost-cutting...at their retreat

Am I the only one that finds it incredulous that our Gwinnett County Commission is discussing ways in which they can cut county spending during a $15,000, three-day retreat in Young Harris?  Is this the height of arrogance or simply complete and utter cluelessness?  Do the commissioners mean to tell Gwinnett County residents that in the expansive GJAC that they could not find space to hold these discussions?  How about that big meeting room they use for commission meetings?  And if there is some legal prohibition against doing so, how much would it have cost to rent out a ballroom at one of Gwinnett's hotels, thus contributing to the county economy in the process?  This board looks more like they are channeling Lillian Webb's administration every time I read an article about them.

While the commission considers cutting park hours, cancelling the Gwinnett Glows Fourth of July celebration, as well as the possibility of a property tax increase, I did not read a solitary word about all the money they are spending to build a baseball stadium for a high-dollar organization like the Atlanta Braves.  Of course, maybe Commission Chairman Charles Bannister considers funding a baseball stadium a "basic service."  Or perhaps District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau see the stadium as "the meat and potatoes of what the county needs to be doing."

I am at a loss for words to describe this commission.  Words cannot do justice to the continuing indifference they demostrate for the Gwinnett residents.  However, I somehow doubt that this will be the height of my stunned amazement at this group.