Wednesday, August 6, 2003

Last week The Citizen published a letter written by Mayor Steve Brown in which he intimated that the city's current budget woes are the fault of the previous administration and a bad economy. The facts do not seem to support these allegations.

First of all, here is a listing of the millage rates imposed by council for each of the 10 budget years I served as your mayor: 1993, '94 and '95: 4.31; 1996: 4.18; 1997: 4.06; 1998, '99 and 2000: 4.06; 2001: 3.84; 2002: 4.35.

For 10 years your city tax rate was maintained at a consistent and reasonable level. During this time the city delivered first class services. We also built most of the facilities and infrastructure that we all now take for granted and that make our city such a great place to live. I guess Mr. Brown thinks we were just lucky.

What is happening now? Based on newspaper reports, comments by Mr. Brown and analysis of the budget it looks like this for millage rates: 2003: 4.70; 2004: 5.70 proposed; 2005: 6.00+ estimated.

Mr. Brown seems to think this dismal performance is just bad luck. It's not. Most of the problem is due to his own inexperience and incompetence. Mr. Brown has been unemployed during most of his term as mayor and has no prior job history with any significant or relevant managerial or financial experience. This is the result.

Did you know that before he even took office Mr. Brown ordered that several thousand dollars be spent to remodel the mayor's office? That was just the beginning. In the 19 months he has been in office Mr. Brown has squandered about $1.3 million for the following ill-conceived or just plain worthless and unnecessary reasons:

· His office remodeling.

· The infamous development moratorium.

· Traffic calming devices.

· The Development Authority special counsel report.

· His running endless feud with the Development Authority.

· Unnecessarily expensive severance packages.

· Various ethics hearings to prove the obvious.

· Worthless land on Ga. Highway 54 at Wynnmeade for golf cart bridge we cannot afford, do not need and do not want.

· Money to build the aforementioned bridge including a "blank check" for any cost overruns or problems.

· Unnecessary expenditures for legal and consulting fees to study the obvious.

Please keep in mind also that when Mr. Brown complains about declining sales tax revenue that it was he alone who negotiated the new sales tax split with the county. I don't believe anyone could have made a poorer deal for the city. Unfortunately, it is we citizens who are going to be paying the bill for Mr. Brown's inexperience and incompetence for years to come.

Bob Lenox

Peachtree City, Ga.

[Bob Lenox is the former mayor of Peachtree City.]