DeKalb Commission Says “No Thanks” To Stimulus Funding
Decatur Metro | September 16, 2010Why decide on anything when you can act angry and annoyed? From the AJC…
Political infighting and limited public involvement caused DeKalb County commissioners to reject $36.3 million in federal stimulus bonds.
The low-interest loan money was considered for proposals ranging from turning the former Doraville GM plant into an Atlantic Station to upgrading the sewer system. There also was talk of a convention center near the Mall at Stonecrest, some relief for the crowded Recorders Court or a new police academy.
In the end, all of those ideas were killed, and the money will likely go back to the state.
In other news, the Commission is considering a 67% increase to your water bill in order to pay for needed repairs to keep H2O flowing from your faucet.
Anyone want to help me dig a well?
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I can’t really say I’m surprised. It’s a sad state of affairs.
I often wish Decatur could be its own county but then the folks in south Ga would get mad since they already have Decatur County. Alas, if we could liberate ourselves from Dekalb!!!
Sounds like they made the right decision. If your going to print money and give it to cities at least make it for infrastructure.
Are you saying we don’t need another Atlantic Station? I think we need at least 3. Who can resist new condos overlooking 285? They’ll sell like hotcakes, I tell you! Ditto for new convention centers, because everyone knows we don’t have nearly enough of them.
DeKalb: the new Clayton.
It’s scary but it very well could happen.
The AJC article also says:
“DeKalb commissioners say the money couldn’t be used without raising taxes to pay back the bonds, something that the county is not in the position to do right now.
“Some people think this is federal money with no strings attached,” said Commissioner Jeff Rader. “It was a loan.””
I’m not up on the County’s financial situation, but I cannot imagine that more borrowing, even with subsidized interest, was in our best interests.
Interesting, so really this should be called Stimulus Loaning, as opposed to Stimulus Funding. Funding makes it sounds like the county walked away from free money, whereas Loaning implies that we citizens would be directly on the hook for the $$.
Sounds like DM is making yet another sensational headline, just like the AJC. (insert smiling emoticon thingy here)