Sunday, September 13, 2015

Dunwoody Issues

Reading the 2016 Proposed Budget Packet 8-29-15 pdf, it appears that the Dunwoody City Council may begin to address the condition of Dunwoody roads with surplus revenue.  Up to this point, we have seen them implement a road maintenance plan that would take 50 years to complete a 25 year cycle. 
 
From the beginning of the cityhood movement, some of us were lobbying for road maintenance as a top priority.  Unfortunately, the City Council and most other city activists were pushing for disruptive UN Agenda 21 implementation code adoption, excessive design work, transit village development and fluff. The problems we experienced at Manget Way and Dunwoody Club Forest are traceable to the still broken and abusive Zoning and Land Use Plan.
 
From the beginning in 2009, it looked like the consultants and vendors were running the city and the city council obeyed their every command. 
 
Roads
The report of 25% road completion by Bob Mullin suggests that we have completed 75 lane-miles of 300 lane-miles total.  The 6 lane-miles completed each year from 2009 suggests we have completed 48 lane-miles.  The excess must be in the intersections.
 
The $34.301 million anticipated revenue and the decision to use the surplus of $11.150 million for Public Works is good news.  We should have been spending $4 million a year on roads since 2009.  Instead, we spent $2 million a year to repair the base, mill and resurface 6 lane-miles a year and at that rate it would take 50 years.  This $16 million roadwork shortfall can be made up with surplus, like $11 million in 2016.
 
Dunwoody reported spending $10 million on roads since 2009. 7 years at $2 million a year would be $14 million. Was the other $4 million for sidewalks? See below:
 
2016 Proposed Budget Packet 8-29-15 pdf
“Dunwoody, Ga.  June 17, 2015 – The City of Dunwoody is currently engaged in several beneficial and exciting infrastructure projects in different phases of active development and construction. 
 
SUMMER STREET PAVING HEATS UP
The 2015 street paving and street resurfacing program is starting to get underway and the city is anticipating work beginning the week of June 15 and continuing for approximately 10 to 12 weeks.  The city intends to work on a total of 48 streets, which equates to more than eight (8) road miles of paving and resurfacing.
 
(Since 2009, the city has invested over $10,000,000 in repaving its roads. Each year, approximately 70% of the funding is directed towards high traffic volume roads. The remaining 30% is applied to the lowest rated neighborhood streets.)
 
In 2015 the City concluded the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to rebid the City of Dunwoody Split Contract Service model by which the City staffs a majority of government service functions. At the conclusion of the RFP selection process, the City decided to bring in-house five formerly contracted positions (Community Development Director, Parks and Recreation Director, Economic Development Director, a part time Economic Development Retention Manager, Human Resources Director and a Human Resources Specialist). These new City employees, along with one new contract service provider chosen from the RFP process presents a change in the makeup of previous staffing structure which will be sensible to monitor and assess for a customer service and performance standpoint.”
 
Source:http://dunwoodyga.gov/index.php?section=government_news_room&prrid=163
 
I agree that the city’s department managers should be employees of the city and not employees of the vendors.
 
Potential Problems
 
The Police budget increases look too high.  The City of Dunwoody GA 2016 Budget Report shows increases in Police costs going from $5.862 million in 2014 to $8.160 million in 2016 or 35% of the Budget.  We think crime is up and Dunwoody Police turnover is high. 
 
If Clark Patterson Lee receives 70% of permit fee revenue, I would question that practice.
 
Wieland Georgetown subdivision construction seems stalled.  It just sits there. It looks like Wieland can’t find enough 70 year old bikers who can’t climb stairs to buy these homes.
 
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
 
 

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