by Chris Tramel
The DeKalb County Commission meetings have been contentious over the past few months, sometimes even heated as the commission has been working out the details of the 2021-22 fiscal budget. The budget, which has to be turned in to the State by August 31, has seen a few sticking points to some commissioners, leading to some sometimes heated disagreements.
During a special meeting of the commission on Tuesday evening, August 17, called to specifically vote on the proposed budget, tempers flared once again. It seems as though the only thing missing from County Commission meetings as of late, are vendors selling circus peanuts and cotton candy.
Prior to the meeting, a public hearing was held allowing citizens to speak out with concerns or support of various budget items. The first item brought up was concerns from Four Seasons residents over the conditions of their roads in the area. Road Supervisor Danny Hale then spoke to the group, saying that the county is looking to address their concerns in the near future.
Another citizen expressed his support of DeKalb EMS, E-911, and the fire services, saying the county needed to support the services to “stay ahead of the game as people’s lives are at stake.”
One other citizen spoke up at the hearing, giving his support for the Animal Coalition, telling the commission that they seemed to be doing some good work in the county.
After the hearing, the commission met with the sole task of voting on or amending the budget. Thirteen of the fourteen commissioners were present for the vote, with Commissioner Scott Little out due to illness.
First up, the commission adopted the new property tax rate. The new certified tax rate is at $1.7308 per $100 of assessed value, down from last year’s rate of $2.1235, but due to reappraisals the county will receive the same amount of local tax revenue as last year.
Most of the budget passed without a hitch, but there were at least three budget items that some members wanted changes to, a contribution to the Animal Coalition, pay raises for Judicial Commissioners, and funding for two new vehicles, one to DeKalb EMS and another to the Assessor of Property’s office.
On the Animal Coalition funding, tempers flared and finger pointing ensued. First, Sixth District Commissioner Matt Adcock made a motion to remove $36,805 from the proposed $39,805 of funds proposed to the Animal Coalition, leaving $3,000 under contracted services, and to add $20,000 under contributions to the coalition. The $3,000 was kept so the county can continue its contract with the coalition to pay for having aggressive animals picked up. Seventh District Commissioner Bruce Malone offered a second to the motion.
During the discussion over the proposed amendment, things got heated with one commissioner facing removal from the meeting by the Sheriff. Jerry Adcock argued that the coalition agreed, in a contract signed five years ago, to never come before the commission asking for money again. “Here they are, almost every year, they’re coming back. They can’t keep their promise over this, yet you want to give them another $20,000. What’s to keep them from coming back every fifteen minutes?”
First Distract Commissioner Shaee Flatt weighed in saying, “A lot of what he’s saying, I have concerns with too, regarding the contract that was signed in 2015. In the end, I think that we need to weigh the benefit that this coalition gives the county versus this memorandum of understanding, and if anyone wants to cut the entire funding from them, maybe they should volunteer to help pick up the dogs when no one else can.”
This set Jerry Adcock off, and the meeting fell into a yelling session back and forth.
“How many times have you voted in DeKalb County?” Adcock yelled.
“I don’t have to answer to you Jerry. I’m not going to sit down like everybody else. Shut up,” Flatt yelled back.
“You have voted one time in three years,” Adcock answered.
County Mayor Tim Stribling then interrupted, trying to regain order. Then, Parliamentarian Hilton Conger called for the Sergeant at Arms, Sheriff Patrick Ray, to come forward to restore order.
“What? Are you going to kick me out so I can’t speak for these people out here? You have voted one time in DeKalb County. You live in Alexandria, and your family all goes to Mount Juliet to schools,” Adcock yelled at Flatt as the Sheriff approached him.
“Sheriff, you are going to have to get control please,” Mayor Stribling said. “I’m not saying remove him, but he needs to be under control.” Sheriff Ray then approached Adcock and whispered in his ear, easing the tensions in the room.
As discussion on the motion resumed, Third District Commissioner Susannah Cripps Daughtry voiced her support for the Animal Coalition. “At the start of any business you don’t know all that you don’t know. So, now that we know a majority of the animals are coming from outside the city, but within the borders of DeKalb County, and we have no choice but to do better. We have a responsibility. So, we need to step up like the City of Smithville has done and meet that responsibility,” she said.
After all that, a vote was held on the amendment, which failed with a 6-6 tie. Anita Puckett, Myron Rhody, Matt Adcock, Bruce Malone, Jeff Barnes, and Sabrina Farler each voted in favor of the amendment, while Shaee Flatt, Jenny Trapp, Beth Pafford, Janice Fish Stewart, Susannah Cripps Daughtry, and Julie Young voted “No.” Jerry Adcock voted “present.”
Fifth District Commissioner Anita Puckett then made a motion of her own to amend the budget lines for the Animal Coalition. Her amendment was to give the coalition $36,805 under contributions, and to leave $3,000 in contracted services. Under her motion, the county would separate the funds, giving the coalition the $36,805 for salaries and operational cost, and leave $3,000 for the county’s previous contracted service for picking up animals. Second District Commissioner Sabrina Farler seconded the motion, which was approved 9-3. Again, Jerry Adcock voted “present.”
After that, Commissioner Puckett then made a motion to amend the capital projects fund to cut $60,000 from the $225,000 allocation for the purchase of motor vehicles. The funds were set for the purchase of new Sheriff’s Department vehicles, a new SUV for DeKalb EMS, and a new truck for the Property Assessor’s office. The amendment would strip away funds for EMS and the Property Assessor, leaving only the funds for sheriff’s vehicles. Sixth district commissioner Jeff Barnes seconded the motion.
Puckett explained her reasoning for the cut saying, “Our tax rate has went down 39 cents, from $2.12 to $1.73, and with that concern we’re unsettled about what COVID is going to do and what this next year is going to look like. So, I feel like we need to look at what’s needed and not what is wanted.”
First District Commissioner Julie Young countered saying, “Yes, we do need to be mindful of spending. Those vehicles that are requested by these departments are not a lot of expense from those departments. One department, which is our Tax Assessor, would not be asking for a vehicle if he didn’t need it. Look at the amount of money he brings in to our county by going out and getting properties to bring our taxes in. I can pull out my budget back out and we can really do some cutting on this budget.”
“Maybe we don’t need four new police cars. Maybe we don’t need a new sign at the complex. Maybe we don’t need $10,000 at my Alexandria Senior Citizens Center. Maybe we don’t need a lot of things. Let’s don’t nit-pick and play our politics. Let’s give the office holders of this county what they requested. We’ve done it for years and years. We’ve got the money. We’re not going in the red,” said Young.
The amendment failed on an 8 to 5 vote.
Seventh District Commissioner Bruce Malone then made a motion to remove the $1,000 pay raise for each of the three judicial commissioners. Commissioner Jerry Adcock offered a second, but the motion failed 11-2.
A vote was held to approve the consolidated budget of individual funds, including the budgets for the Highway Department and Board of Education. Shaee Flatt, Jenny Trapp, Anita Puckett, Beth Pafford, Myron Rhody, Janice Fish Stewart, Matt Adcock, Susannah Cripps Daughtry, Julie Young, and Sabrina Farler each voted “yes,” while Bruce Malone, Jerry Adcock, and Jeff Barnes, and each voted “No.”
The tax rate is to be distributed as follows:
County General: 0.9891 cents
Highway/Public Works: 0.0326 cents
General Capital Projects: 0.0734 cents
General Debt Service: 0.1060 cents
General Purpose Schools: 0.5298
Total property tax rate: $1.7308
