OK, I could not have predicted this crazy turn of events. It is like a soap opera. Guess it is time for the GBI and the DA’s office to get involved when the superintendent is short by $8M AND he is getting “lawyered up” before talking to his own Board! Ballowe Memo. He must be thinking that the best defense is a good offense to write a memo accusing the board of “criminal” activity. He needs to be put on unpaid leave immediately before the evidence is all gone. And IF he is right, these “executive sessions” need to end and let the public hear what has gone wrong.
Read the most incredible story to date on this here–>Ballowe: Board violated my civil rights. Jeff Gill is doing a great job reporting this story as it develops. I included this picture from The Time web page, but don’t know who took it. It is a great shot, however.
By the way, that clicking noise you hear is handcuffs being put on someone.
UPDATE: I heard a rumor that the Superintendent has a “golden parachute.” If he is fired he walks away with around $500,000 in cash. I recommend the Board put that off as long as possible (or deduct it from the restitution he owes the taxpayers?)
No Government seems to ever have a surplus. If they do, the first thing they do is fight over how to spend it as soon as possible. That is why in years when WE are having a hard time making ends meet, THEY ask for more. The answer should always be NO.
The $27M Gainesville budget shows that 16% or $4,320,000 is administrative overhead. 55% of the budget is public safety. I’m all for police and fire protection at any cost but…..
….it is time to consider unified fire and law enforcement in Gainesville / Hall County. Each operation now has its own administration which could be cut on half. Chief Hooper is doing a great job, but a unified law enforcement under Sheriff Cronic would bring the illegal alien capture-and-deport program to the City (where it is a huge loophole now). Gainesville is almost a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. Recently I was told that one rating company has rated Hall County down because of the illegal alien issue. Any certified officer can run radar and write speeding tickets on the bridges (no matter the color of the uniform).
What is the importance about the property tax being steady (about $4.9M)? It means that there is no reason to increase taxes because the City’s income is the same.
Thanks to Kristen Morales at The Times for this information.
No matter how you word it, and no matter the justification, taking more money from citizens is an increase in taxes. I’m all for pay-as-you go, but I suspect that many governments take “profit” from one area to subsidize other areas. Pay-as-you go only works for “extras” so they break even, not become a cash cow for wasteful spending. Those extras are probably not something that should be a priority (like curbside organic refuse pickup the City of Gainesville has, multi-million dollar libraries, and water parks). You can make a argument that anything is related to health, safety, and welfare of the residents. But picking up leaves? Read The Times article here–>Residents get chance to comment on Gainesville’s $27.9 million budget plans. Also notice how the City Council will try to ignore the City School Board mess in their budget talks. However the money for both comes out of the same pockets. And those pockets don’t have to move far to get out of reach of the pickpockets. Of course, it goes without saying that the huge illegal immigration problem in Gainesville is the root cause of most of the budget problems. When a large portion of your population does not pay taxes, but takes advantage of every service, it shifts the burden to the taxpayers.
