08/31/2024
NTH EDITORIAL: Beginning this week, the Coweta County Board of Commissioners will face a difficult balancing act as they finalize the 2025 budget.
Coweta is facing a budgetary crisis marked by staffing shortages, rising operational costs and an inability to offer competitive compensation, straining the county’s ability to maintain adequate service levels for the community.
This isn’t projected. This is our current reality.
Despite access to reliable information from a staff they claim to appreciate, the commissioners voted to maintain the current millage rate, following misguided demands from a room full of angry voices.
Because of this self-inflicted ignorance, the commissioners have instructed the county staff to "figure something out.”
At the latest public budget hearing, county staff outlined an initial proposal of $122.3 million that could not be supported by the $46 million in projected property tax revenue under the adopted millage rate.
This forced them to make more than $10 million in cuts, including eliminating currently vacant – yet essential – positions, reducing capital spending and trimming departmental budgets.
The most concerning aspect of this budget dance is the commissioners' willingness to dip into the county's reserves for $2 million to give employees a long-overdue 5 percent pay raise.
While the intent to support and retain the county's valuable workforce is admirable, using one-time funds for recurring personnel costs is risky.
Coweta has worked hard to maintain a strong bond rating, which keeps borrowing costs low as the county invests in infrastructure.
But the proposed draw on reserves jeopardizes that hard-earned fiscal standing, potentially costing taxpayers more in the long run.
Chairman Reidelbach confirmed “for the record” that our county employees are our most valuable asset and deserve to be appreciated, even if it means tapping into reserve.
But what he essentially told staff was, "We appreciate what you do for us, but we don’t feel comfortable asking residents to pay for it.”
Bending to the will of an “angry mob,” as Commissioner Bill McKenzie described them, and ignoring the tens of thousands of Coweta residents who will suffer as a result of the budget cuts, is not the hallmark of a governing body with the best interest of the county in mind.
Commissioner Paul Poole, who isn’t running for reelection, stated the obvious at the end of the meeting when he confirmed that the board “messed up” last week when they agreed on a too-low millage rate, eliciting applause from the audience.
In response to the applause, Chairman Reidelbach immediately passed the buck.
“Where were you guys during the public hearing?” he asked the crowd, primarily comprised of county employees concerned about their futures.
Poole’s response was scathing: “They were working.”
A better question might be, where were all the angry residents from the last few hearings at this meeting? Why didn’t we hear from them about how to solve these issues?
A true reflection of an elected leader's effectiveness is not seen in the public comment portion of a meeting. It's visible in a functional government that serves the people – All of them, not just a few.
That’s democracy in action.
Sure, many residents might not have wanted a tax increase, but most understand it is necessary to maintain essential services, and raising the millage rate would have effectively addressed the county's financial issues.
The commissioners also seemingly understood this when they initially proposed a higher millage rate of 6.188 mils.
However, by later voting against that very rate, they positioned themselves as if they were solving the crisis they helped create.
It’s akin to an arsonist arriving with a taxpayer-funded firetruck.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
https://www.times-herald.com/opinion/the-price-of-failed-leadership/article_ad01912c-670e-11ef-8ee1-c7fd12e61da1.html
