News | Peachtree City

Imker seeks input on PTC budget, expense cuts

Fri, 01/15/2010 - 3:11pm
By: John Munford

New Peachtree City Councilman Eric Imker, who campaigned on promises to trim the city’s budget back significantly, is inviting citizens to attend a budget review meeting Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.

The meeting, which will be held at City Hall, will allow him to accept comment from the public “without the intimidation factor of being in a room with the entire city council and budget folks of the city,” Imker said in a letter to The Citizen.

“Everything will be on the table. No ideas will be summarily dismissed,” Imker said in the letter. “We’re looking for ideas on how to reduce city government and make it as efficient as possible.”

Imker said the city needs to make changes to the current budget mid-year instead of waiting to cut back in next year’s budget. He notes that the city is projecting a property tax rate increase in future years.

Imker said he is prepared to propose a “workable” budget for next year that would forego a tax increase. That will most likely involved significant deep cuts in each department as the city is projecting a shortfall for next years budget of $3 million.

Imker cautioned that his proposal would have to be refined over the coming months but he teased that it is “elegantly simple” and can be implemented for the next fiscal year.

He added, however, that he is hoping to encourage citizens to participate by promising them their input will make a difference.

“Our city councilpersons have the authority and will make the decisions that make a difference,” Imker said. “Failure to come to terms with not only today’s budget but outyear budgets will lead to citizen dissatisfaction and distrust.”

Imker noted that the city needs to get away from basing budgets on past experience and assumptions.

“We need to change the mindset and begin looking at things as if they were our personal household budget,” Imker said. “We decide what services we want/need. We decide how many employees it takes to run the city government. We decide what our tax rate will be. We need to start thinking of ways to streamline and simplify. We need to get rid of no value added work.”

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Excellent idea, Councilman
Submitted by lexveritas on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 7:13pm.

Excellent idea, Councilman Imker. It's time for someone other than the usual budget gurus and know-it-alls to listen to what the public has to say. No one at City Hall has listened to a thing that ANYONE has had to say, for many years. Hope to see you forge ahead with some house cleaning.

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Budget Reply
Submitted by Imker on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 8:11pm.

Thanks for the support. The Citizen article took a little liberty and added some things but you can read my original letter in the Fayette Daily News - Letter to the Editor section. I think The Citizen is going to post my letter, w/o editing, next Wednesday. You'll find some very interesting developments that weren't mentioned in today's article.

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PTC Budget
Submitted by Imker on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 5:17pm.

I'm trying to develop a "proposed" budget here. Your help is needed before I go into March's city council "retreat" with more than just my own thoughts. Experience has taught me more than once, my ideas may not always be the best approach. If you don't participate in this process (until the budget is approved) then you get what you didn't ask for. I think I said that right.

Preliminary input from some citizens has already been received and the list of actionable items is growing. It's going to take more than just me doing this. In fact, without 3 votes on council, nothing happens. I'm just trying to be proactive.

I hope my entire Letter to the Editor gets published next Wednesday.

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Authorizied or Unauthorized Budget Meeting
Submitted by GAltant on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 6:56pm.

Is this something that the entire city council has approved?
Would'nt it make sense to hold an open public meeting for all council members to hear from the public before this retreat?

It's important that:
1-city council works as a team
2-city council allows citizens to speak up at council meetings even if council receives 6,000 e-mails on the topic.

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Meeting for You
Submitted by Imker on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 8:03pm.

Hi GAltant - I remember replying to you back on Jul 7 during the campaign. You had some good questions and I responded. As for this meeting being authorized; you're missing the point. Do you really think I need approval to ask the citizens what they think about the budget? Of course not. No one muzzles me. If I want to say something, I'll say it. You just went through 10 months of me telling you I speak my mind. I sure hope this isn't a surprise to anyone. I want to hear from the citizens. Anyone, including you or me, can reserve a public room for a meeting. That's what I'm doing. Each member of the "Team" (city council) is their own person and will do things to prepare themselves for issues the way they see fit. This is my way on this issue - THE most important issue for the city.

BTW - If three councilmember decided to do this event together, then yes, it becomes a matter of a legal meeting since a quorum is present.

Now, let's start talking about the city budget and not the sideshows.

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Authorizied or Unauthorized Budget Meeting
Submitted by GAltant on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 6:56pm.

Is this something that the entire city council has approved?
Would'nt it make sense to hold an open public meeting for all council members to hear from the public before this retreat?

It's important that:
1-city council works as a team
2-city council allows citizens to speak up at council meetings even if council receives 6,000 e-mails on the topic.

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Imker
Submitted by GAltant on Sun, 01/17/2010 - 12:03pm.

Dear Mr. Imker
I applaud your effort to gather information on the budget...Maybe I need to state my case a little clearer.

I agree that there should be no more sideshows. Its time for city council to work as a team and show leadership and clear direction.

Why not ask your fellow elected council people and mayor to attend your meeting? Shouldn't they participate and hear the same message or are you going to walk into workshop cold with your information!

What's wrong with city council having public hearings to get input on the budget? Or just maybe at the retreat, council could decide as a team to have formal hearings or create a citizen's task force that could include a range of local residents including a local banker or accountant to provide some guidance?

Strong leadership is in order. We neeed a strong council and mayor to lead us into the future which will require TEAMWORK.

Again, I applaud your desire to have this meeting...but as a team, not solo

Thank you for listening.

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