Fresh Loaf

City Hall insiders were whispering on Thursday that Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood would receive the valuable endorsement from the city’s firefighters. The rumor surprised some, considering the city councilwoman’s vote in June against the three-mill property tax that has helped end police and firefighter furloughs.

But win the endorsement she did, the AJC’s Eric Stirgus reports. Jim Daws, head of the local chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters and a lieutenant with the city’s Department of Fire Rescue, told Stirgus that the union weighed Norwood’s overall support of the department in making its decision. The official announcement by the union, which boasts roughly 450 members, will be made today.

(UPDATE): Kasim Reed’s campaign chimes in about Norwood’s endorsement:

“Throughout my career in public service and over the course of this campaign, I have made Public Safety my number one priority. While I am respectful of the decision to endorse another candidate, I am unwavering in my support for our city’s firefighters. The men and women of the Atlanta fire department—who place their lives on the line to protect our families—deserve to have a mayor who will fight for them, day in and day out. If elected mayor, I would be honored to serve them.”

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Well, not quite yet, but Michael Wagoner, president of the Berkeley Park Neighborhood Association, tells me that their local station at 1545 Howell Mill Road is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, thanks to Monday’s approval of a $541 million city budget that included a 3-mill tax increase.

Station 23 was ordered closed by Mayor Franklin late last year as city revenues continued to dip. The administration said then that the closure was temporary, but that didn’t seem to satisfy the neighbors, who gathered hundreds of signatures to persuade the mayor to re-open the station.

Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran laid out the benefits of the tax hike in an e-mail to Wagoner:

For citizens, the measure restores services that were reduced or eliminated due to furloughs by restoring personnel to normal work hours and work schedules. Atlanta Fire Rescue will have the capacity to staff Engine 23 and Truck 12. For employees, the tax increase benefit will restore 10 percent of their salary, which is a tremendous blessing and morale booster during these tough economic times.

(more…)

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UPDATE: Word comes in that City Council might make a motion to reconsider the property-tax vote. More details to come. The move to reconsider failed. The final budget adoption will most likely take place around 1:30 p.m.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the Atlanta City Council this morning narrowly approved a three mill property-tax increase that will plug a $56 million budget shortfall. The average homeowner will see his or her property tax bill increase by $240.

The 8-7 vote Monday morning to raise property taxes by 3 mills was still considered preliminary. It is contingent upon council members adopting the mayor’s $541 million fiscal 2010 budget, a vote expected to take place on Monday afternoon.

The closeness of the tax vote reflected criticism aimed at the council during several public hearings for considering a tax hike in the midst of a severe recession.

…

If the budget passes, the tax increase would allow the city to end employee furloughs during the fiscal year that starts on Wednesday. Furloughs of police officers and firefighters, and the subsequent impact on public safety, emerged as major concerns during the council’s review of Franklin’s budget.

The vote’s roll call:

Yeas: Carla Smith, Ivory Lee Young, Jr., Natalyn Archibong, Anne Fauver, Felicia Moore, C.T. Martin, Joyce Sheperd and Ceasar Mitchell.

Nays: Kwanza Hall, Cleta Winslow, Howard Shook, Clair Muller, Jim Maddox, Mary Norwood and H. Lamar Willis.

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Even with the Atlanta Regional Commission’s $25 million lifeline, MARTA’s still nearly $110 million in the red. Yesterday, the transit agency released its budget proposal, which includes several changes it’s mulling to cut costs. Here’s a quick rundown:

MARTA riders could potentially see:

• 25 cent fare increase

• $1 parking fee increases in seven paid lots

• Bus route modification or eliminations

• Ending MARTA train service at midnight

• Longer wait times between trains

MARTA employees could potentially see:

• Annual merit increases eliminated

• Increase in employees’ contributions to health benefit plans

• 10 furlough days

If you want the specific details transit agency’s cash situation, download MARTA’s 2010 budget proposal (PDF).

MARTA will hold public hearings to solicit citizen input about the proposed changes. Those dates and locations are pasted after the jump.

(more…)

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Grayson Daughters spoke with Atlanta Police Union President Scott Kreher at the most recent Atlantans Together Against Crime rally in Midtown. Topics included how the organization will endorse a candidate in the Atlanta mayor’s race, what role the community plays in fighting crime, and what’s needed to end police furloughs. 

In March, the Atlanta City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Mayor Shirley Franklin to introduce a budget that ended police and firefighter furloughs. Last week, the mayor granted its request. Council is expected to vote on the budget in June.

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Number of state employees laid off this fiscal year: 345

Number of state employees who were furloughed in late February: 24,969

Percentage by which the number of furloughed employees has increased since then: 27

Total number of employees in the state Department of Corrections: 13,500

Number of days Department of Corrections employees are required to take as unpaid leave in the first half of 2009: 2

Total number of employees in the state Department of Transportation: 6,000

Number of days DOT employees are required to take as unpaid leave in the first half of 2009: 1

Total number of employees in the University System of Georgia: 40,000

Number of days that University System employees are required to take as unpaid leave: 0

Sources: AJC.com, www.macon.com, www.dot.state.ga.us, www.usg.edu

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