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Foxmeister
Guest
I've lived in Pauldiing since 2002 and cannot recall a single time when the BoC has rolled back any millage. I've seen where they have increased a millage. Can anyone tell me when the BoC has ever rolled back a millage?
naturegirl
Rolling down the highway
Wow, I felt very "burned" at the last fire tax the county deceived us with. I'm sorry but it was a dirty trick and made me lose a lot of faith in those new elected officials. I thought it was going to be different but it's the SSDD.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement. However, the commissioners won't cut their budgets, they expect the Fire and Sheriff to cut theirs instead. Then they can "appeal" to the taxpayer for help.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement. However, the commissioners won't cut their budgets, they expect the Fire and Sheriff to cut theirs instead. Then they can "appeal" to the taxpayer for help.
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Foxmeister
Guest
I remember where I once lived in MI, the Sheriff's Office budget was cut during some hard economic times. The Sheriff laid off jailers and replaced them with road deputies, significantly reducing the road patrols. He then asked for a special millage for road patrols of 2 mills, which went on the ballot and the people turned it down. Next thing you know, we're paying an additional $1.75 a month on our phone bills to "fund" 911 dispatching. Once the revenues for that was being received by the Sheriff's Office, the jailers were back to work and the road deputies back on the road.
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
Foxmeister said:
Jerry Shearin did at least 3 times.
naturegirl
Rolling down the highway
Winchester said:
OMG, you mentioned the devil's name. LOL Everyone wants to make Jerry out to be such a bad guy, perhaps he didn't do things the way some wanted but alas, I don't think Jerry has a mean bone in his body.
lotstodo
aka "The Jackal"
The millage rate was rolled back, but because of the housing bubble, revenues increased dramatically, and I mean dramatically, right up to the crash. They put all their eggs in the mass housing market, and lost. Tough. I understand that revenues are down, but here's the funny part. They don't even have to advertise a millage rate increase as long a revenues are still level or falling. They did this last year, and all of the crony's said it wasn't a tax increase (a specious argument if there ever was one). If you want to change the law, make them advertise EVERY revenue increase over the rate of inflation plus the increase in population, regardless of source. The budget would have to shrink during times of recession, or be advertised as an increase. That means revenues from everything is to be included in the formula. Government should be held to a budget that is based upon available revenues, not wishes.
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Foxmeister
Guest
lotstodo said:
Eggsactly. I said that because of your comment they put all their eggs ...
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
naturegirl said:Winchester said:
OMG, you mentioned the devil's name. LOL Everyone wants to make Jerry out to be such a bad guy, perhaps he didn't do things the way some wanted but alas, I don't think Jerry has a mean bone in his body.
I've had many occasions to sit and talk with Jerry about many things while he was in office and afterwards. He was very concerned about this County and what had happened in the past and trying to set things in motion for a better future. And he was devastated when he lost the office. Once you got to know him, he was a great person and would explain how many things "really" worked. I learned a lot in just casual conversations with him. And yes, he did rock the boat behind the scenes many times. He was not the monster many people described him as.
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
lotstodo said:
Well yeah. Fox just asked if the rate had ever been reduced and it has. I knew why but he didn't ask that.
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Foxmeister
Guest
Winchester said:naturegirl said:Winchester said:
OMG, you mentioned the devil's name. LOL Everyone wants to make Jerry out to be such a bad guy, perhaps he didn't do things the way some wanted but alas, I don't think Jerry has a mean bone in his body.
I've had many occasions to sit and talk with Jerry about many things while he was in office and afterwards. He was very concerned about this County and what had happened in the past and trying to set things in motion for a better future. And he was devastated when he lost the office. Once you got to know him, he was a great person and would explain how many things "really" worked. I learned a lot in just casual conversations with him. And yes, he did rock the boat behind the scenes many times. He was not the monster many people described him as.
Personally, I liked Jerry and thought he was doing a fine job as chairman. He was definitely looking out for the future of Paulding County. I don't care what anyone says, the new government complex was needed and is an asset. I like having all the county offices and courts in one building as it makes conducting business there much easier and parking is always available.
He was demonized by those who opposed his views for the future of this county and blamed him for all the PRD's that went up, when it was the state zoning laws that allowed them.
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
Keep in mind that previous county administrations *cough corrupt cough* had basically stated on many occasions that they did not want ANY commercial development in this County and denied all zoning applications for such. This goes back 40+ years. It was not until Jerry was elected that ANY type of effort to bring commercial development to this County. But the damage was deep and the progress was slow.
Almost all prior commissioners had ties to residential development, so they were protecting their investments. Oh do I have stories about a certain road that was named after one of them!
David Austin picked up the ball when he took office and ran full speed with it. Now we are seeing results from his and Jerry's efforts. And there is a LOT more in the works.
Almost all prior commissioners had ties to residential development, so they were protecting their investments. Oh do I have stories about a certain road that was named after one of them!
David Austin picked up the ball when he took office and ran full speed with it. Now we are seeing results from his and Jerry's efforts. And there is a LOT more in the works.
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
Foxmeister said:Winchester said:naturegirl said:Winchester said:
OMG, you mentioned the devil's name. LOL Everyone wants to make Jerry out to be such a bad guy, perhaps he didn't do things the way some wanted but alas, I don't think Jerry has a mean bone in his body.
I've had many occasions to sit and talk with Jerry about many things while he was in office and afterwards. He was very concerned about this County and what had happened in the past and trying to set things in motion for a better future. And he was devastated when he lost the office. Once you got to know him, he was a great person and would explain how many things "really" worked. I learned a lot in just casual conversations with him. And yes, he did rock the boat behind the scenes many times. He was not the monster many people described him as.
Personally, I liked Jerry and thought he was doing a fine job as chairman. He was definitely looking out for the future of Paulding County. I don't care what anyone says, the new government complex was needed and is an asset. I like having all the county offices and courts in one building as it makes conducting business there much easier and parking is always available.
He was demonized by those who opposed his views for the future of this county and blamed him for all the PRD's that went up, when it was the state zoning laws that allowed them.
I agree 100%
lotstodo
aka "The Jackal"
You're letting him off way to easy there Winchester. Far too much of the people's business was done behind the scenes and against the express wishes of the voters. His administration was not above board. You may have liked what he did, but the voters didn't, and he was just as in the pocket of the large residential developers as well as the local major landowners as anyone on the board. I'm not saying he was on the take, but they sure had his undivided attention. He did nothing to reel in the wild west atmosphere that dominated the real estate heydays, and his campaign contributions came from the same RBMD's as everyone else's.
Obviously you can't blame just him unilaterally for the complete lack of foresight that dominated the growth period, but you cannot discount his turned back either. Those were heady days, and there were a lot of opportunities to rape this county through their prevalent attitude that all growth is good, regardless of the long term negative aspects of a reliance on rapid high to medium density residential construction, and without much regard to infrastructure or quality of life.
Obviously you can't blame just him unilaterally for the complete lack of foresight that dominated the growth period, but you cannot discount his turned back either. Those were heady days, and there were a lot of opportunities to rape this county through their prevalent attitude that all growth is good, regardless of the long term negative aspects of a reliance on rapid high to medium density residential construction, and without much regard to infrastructure or quality of life.
Winchester
When you need FIREPOWER!
lotstodo said:
Oh I'm sure there was lots of stuff I did not know about and I'm not going to comment on something I had no direct knowledge about. But as in any county, these people have a lot of power and money and politics will always be in the middle of that.....no matter who's in office.
Knowing these people and working with them does not mean you are doing their bidding. Almost ALL of the developments that were built during his time in office were approved before he took office. Normally it takes 3 to 4 years before application to the development office until you see the first signs of construction. Jerry made a LOT of changes to the zoning codes to make improvements but a large share of these developments were R-2 which had very little oversite. Over the years I've sat thru 100's of zoning hearings and I've seen some mad developers because they did not get what they wanted because the BOC requested extra changes.
Up until about 6 years ago, Paulding County only real industry was housing. That was were the money was at. And why was it so strong? Because people wanted to move here! Plain and simple, people wanted out of Cobb, Fulton and other Counties. Paulding was the next closest location. As businesses grew or moved to the Atlanta, people needed a place to live.
Now that Paulding is getting more and more commercial development, the housing boom will return at some point. I don't have a crystal ball to know if it will be like before but it's coming back. And there are a LOT of approved projects still in developer's hands that are just waiting for this to happen. No approval required other then EPD applications.
To blaming Shearin for the housing market then is like blaming Nixon for the Vietnam war. It was the wild west and Jerry admitted it. No County had ever experienced 175% (or something close from what I remember) growth until then. It was unknown territory. Sure mistakes were made and lessons learned.
Also, keep in mind that there were state laws the County was battling. You cannot restrick a land owner from doing what they want with land they own, within reason of course. If it complied with state and local law and zoning requirements, they could build what ever they wanted. And R-2 zoning allows for 1100 sq ft cookie cutter houses without sewer. PRD improved minimum codes and required sewer ( plus a lot of other stuff at developer's expense) in exchange for higher density.
LOL, I've been rambling too long and lost my tract of mind of where I was going.
In short, there were many PRD's approved but few actually built before the market crashed. Most of what you see are R-2 zoning. Just look at the current zoning map http://www.paulding.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=190. And that large shaded area covering most of the southern part of the County was Jerry's idea. That will require Seven Hill's style of building....eventually.