City of Atlanta Addresses Budget Shortfall
With Mayor Shirley Franklin leading the charge, the City of Atlanta is taking aggressive and immediate steps to reduce what is estimated as an anticipated $70 million FY ’08 budget shortfall while maintaining best-in-class public safety and other City services.
“These are serious financial times, not just for the City of Atlanta, but for much of the country,” said Mayor Franklin. “The City has experienced six years of fiscally sound management, and many of the instances that landed us in this current situation are one-time occurrences.”
Just five months into the 12-month FY ’08 fiscal calendar, Mayor Franklin presented the Atlanta City Council Finance Executive Committee with a list of action items the City is undertaking to mitigate the anticipated shortfall.
Action Items:
- A comprehensive review of the City Finance Department’s accounting, reporting and budgeting process by an independent assessor.
- Weekly meetings with Mayor Franklin, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer on savings measures and development of the FY ’09 budget.
- An immediate hiring freeze of all non-essential personnel. All departments have been directed to cut discretionary spending by 50 percent. Any additional revenues or savings will reduce the shortfall dollar-for-dollar.
- A new integrated financial management system – Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) – was implemented in January 2008 to ensure timely and accurate accounting and budgeting. This - coupled with the move from cash-based to accrual accounting - is a long-overdue move toward financial best practices.
Since 2002, Mayor Franklin has consistently presented a balanced budget. Under her leadership, Atlanta is a thriving business locale; a leader in out-of-the-box public-private partnerships; a top choice for world-class events; a hub for international travel; and a poster child for economic development.
“I am confident that with the savings measures and new accounting systems that the City has put in place, we will mitigate our deficit and be on our way back to financial solvency,” said Mayor Franklin.
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Police-Private Partnerships Work Together to Decrease Downtown Crime
At a recent meeting with members of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), Atlanta Police Department (APD) Assistant Chief Alan Dreher brought good news that crime in downtown Atlanta continues to decline.
“Although there has been an uptick in crime in the city, and indeed across the nation, I am happy to report that the crime rate continues to drop in downtown Atlanta,” said Dreher. “This goes to show how police-private sector partnerships can work to make a positive difference in crime.”
According to the most recent downtown crime report – issued every six months by APD and CAP – downtown crime represents less than 5 percent of overall Atlanta crime, as opposed to two years ago, when it represented 9 percent. In 2007, over 70 percent of overall Atlanta crime was car larceny. In the most recent report, that figure has dropped to 66 percent.
The Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) is a non-profit organization designed to support the public safety efforts of the APD. Together with the business community, APF and APD have created a successful strategy for decreasing crime and increasing safety.
“Groups such as the CAP, Atlanta Security Council, Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Atlanta Hotel Council are more committed than ever to working together with APD to collaborate on common safety and security issues and to develop solutions,” said Dave Wilkinson, APF president.
“For example, programs like Operation Shield, where real time crime information is communicated between APD and downtown businesses, have created a force multiplier where private security officersand other security professionals are now the eyes and ears of the APD.”
For more information on the APD, visit www.atlantapd.org. For more information on the Atlanta Police Foundation, visit www.atlantapolicefoundation.org.
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City and Partners Open Free Tax Prep/Earned Income Tax Credit Center
Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign - a coalition of local non-profit, government and corporate groups – recently announced the 2008 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits program.
VITA offers free tax preparation and e-filing to individuals, families, or married couples with 2007 household incomes less than $40,000. EITC benefits offer qualified taxpayers additional refunds of up to $4,500. To qualify, claimants must be valid working U.S. citizens and legal residents.
VITA and EITC services will be offered at the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA) at 818 Pollard Street, Atlanta, 30305. VITA and EITC services are also offered at the locations of Atlanta Prosperity Campaign partners. For location information, visit www.atlantaworkforce.org or call 404.658.9675.
The AWDA and the Mayor’s Office of Weed and Seed were recognized by the IRS as having the #1 VITA center in metro Atlanta during the 2007 tax filing season. In 2007, the center served over 620 clients with an average EITC credit of $1,410. In March 2007, AWDA and Mayor’s Office of Weed and Seed representatives traveled to Capitol Hill to share Atlanta’s success in connecting residents to income-enhancing programs. Click Here to Read Newsbytes Story.
“The EITC is an investment in our working families, our city and our nation, and this campaign marks another step in the journey to help these families begin to build wealth and assets,” said Deborah Lum, AWDA executive director.
Mayor Shirley Franklin joins (l-r) Bill Bolling, executive director, Atlanta Community Food Bank; Susan Carroll, Director, IRS, Customer Assistance, Relationship and Education (CARE) program; and Deborah Lum, executive director, AWDA, at the launch for the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign and VITA and EITC program. |
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Solid Waste Department Prepares to Launch New Collection Process
Beginning March 3, 2008, the Office of Solid Waste Services will implement a new solid waste collection process that will establish long-term improvements in operations, customer service and environmental sustainability.
To ensure efficient, timely and safe collection of solid waste from all customers, the Department of Public Works (DPW) has redistributed households into more balanced service areas, which will result in new collection days for most of Atlanta’s residents. The new collection improvements will not only create a more cost-efficient collection process, but residents will benefit from a safer, cleaner, greener Atlanta.
The most noticeable changes in the new solid waste collection process include:
- New collection days for most customers.
- Weekly collection of waste materials (garbage, recycling and yard waste).
- Yard waste will not be collected in plastic bags. It must be placed in paper yard waste (kraft) bags or a container clearly labeled “yard trimmings.”
- Only 5 additional bags of garbage are allowed in addition to the contents of your Herbie Curbie for garbage collection.
For more information, or to obtain your new collection day, call the DPW Customer Service Division at 404.330.6333 or visit here.
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Visit www.atlantaga.gov for information on the new Solid Waste Services Collections.
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The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) has reached another important milestone in the ongoing sewer evaluation survey. Since 2003, more than 1000 miles of sewer lines have been evaluated. The project, which is part of the $3.9 billion Clean Water Atlanta program, is on budget and ahead of schedule. Click here to watch the news conference.
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Rave Reviews!
- Mayor Shirley Franklin, the Office of Constituent Services (OCS), Ticketmaster and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus welcomed more than 60 students from Cook and Boyd Elementary School to City Hall for the annual CircusFit program. Students were treated to an afternoon with the CircusFit Clowns. The event encouraged youth to lead a healthy lifestyle by showing them that physical activity can be fun.
Youth from City of Atlanta elementary school have fun with exercise at CircusFit program. |
- The Department of Watershed Management (DWM) recently celebrated a milestone in its Sewer System Evaluation Survey, a key component of the $3.9 billion Clean Water Atlanta program. Mayor Shirley Franklin joined DWM commissioner Rob Hunter and DWM officials to provide an update on the program and celebrate the evaluation of 1,000 miles of the City’s 1,530 miles of sewer pipe on-budget and ahead of schedule. Visit www.cleanwateratlanta.org for updates on this program.
Mayor Franklin joined DWM officials to announce the evaluation of 1,000 miles of the City’s 1,530 miles of sewer pipe, a key component in the $3.9 billion Clean Water Atlanta program. |
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- As part of the 14th Street Bridge Improvement Project, Techwood Drive - between 16th and 10th Streets – will close to traffic on Saturday February 9, 2008 and will remain closed until summer 2009. Drivers traveling southbound on I-75 or I-85 wishing to access 14th or 10th Streets will be detoured to 17th Street. The Georgia DOT will also be encouraging vehicles traveling south on I-75 to exit at Northside Drive. To obtain detailed information on the 14th Street Bridge Improvement Project - including weekly lane closure updates, detour routes, and commuter resources - please visit www.14thstreetbridge.com.
- Experience African American history at the Oakland Cemetery on Saturday February 9 at 2 p.m., and Tuesday February 12 at 2 p.m. Oakland guides will take visitors on a guided walking tour to visit Slave Square, the original plot designated in 1852 for the burial of enslaved African Americans. Other highlights include the final resting places of Carrie Steele Logan, founder of the first orphanage in Atlanta for African American children; Bishop Wesley Gaines, funder of Morris Brown College; and Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African American mayor. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 404.688.2107.
- The 9th Annual Diversity in the Hospitality Industry Summit will be held Thursday February 28 and Friday February 29 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Hospitality professionals will find a wealth of resources at this annual conference which features keynote speakers, panel sessions and networking opportunities. For more information, visit www.atlanta.net/diversitysummit.
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Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
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Weekly Features
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