DeKalb County commissioners approved a $1.27 billion mid-year budget Tuesday that gives targeted raises to public safety employees and increases funds for removing blighted properties.
The budget maintains the current property tax rate, and achieves CEO Mike Thurmond’s goal of reducing spending and eliminating a projected $26 million end-of-year deficit. The county will save all of its new revenue, $21 million, rather than spend it.
“This, in particular, increases our financial stability and financial integrity,” Thurmond said. The savings will increase the county’s reserve account to one month’s worth of operational funding.
Much of the increased revenue stems from rising property values in the county, resulting in higher property taxes for some DeKalb homeowners and businesses. Residential real estate assessments increased by nearly 8 percent this year.
The targeted pay raises for nearly 1,000 police officers, firefighters and 911 employees will cost $1.6 million for the last four months of the year and $4.8 million annually. Their salaries will be raised by an average of $5,275 a year.
"We couldn't afford to do the 20 percent raises across the board," Thurmond said, which would have cost about $30 million a year. "But in 2018 we are going to be looking broader at how we can give all 6,000 public employees fair and equitable wages."
Thurmond said the targeted raises are based on skills and experience and will go to public safety employees who are underpaid compared to their peers in other counties. The compensation plan is designed to curb the loss of employees who bolt for better-paying jobs elsewhere.
Low-ranking police officers and firefighters will not receive pay raises, and neither will police majors or captains. Instead, those ranked at least master police officers, sergeants and lieutenants will see an increase of 1 percent to 13 percent.
Firefighters will receive raises ranging from 4 percent to 17 percent, with 141 master firefighters being promoted to a new rank of driver/operator and command technician, which comes with a 5 percent raise.
For 911 employees, shift supervisors will see their salaries go up by more than 18 percent. Other staff will receive raises between 3 percent and 10 percent.
Commissioner Larry Johnson said he was against the public safety compensation plan, restating his support instead for a plan to increase salaries 20 percent for all public safety employees. “I think 20 percent is a good opportunity for us. To to ask our officers to do more with less — it’s just hard out there, and I see it each and every day.”
The budget also includes $1.2 million to remove litter, board up vacant buildings, demolish blighted properties and to hire an additional attorney in the Solicitor General’s office and code enforcement officers.
The extra personnel will move along the process of removing blighted and abandoned properties, Thurmond said. “You can write citations all day. But if you don’t have anyone to prosecute those cases, nothing is going to change. We have to create accountability.”
Pending inclement weather, demolition will begin on two buildings at the Brannon Hill Condominiums on Thursday at 10 a.m. Already, an estimated 122 units at the complex have been demolished, and 186 are still inhabited. Brannon Hill is only one of 20 demolitions planned county-wide, officials said.
“These properties are not only visual problem, but directly related to problems in crime and in health,” the CEO said. “There is much to be done to address the human misery in these communities. This is just the first step.”
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