County Mayor Clears Up Budget Committee Controversy

April 28, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The controversy over who should be chairman of the DeKalb County Budget Committee may be over.

During Monday night’s county commission meeting, County Mayor Tim Stribling said he has received confirmation from the State Comptroller that DeKalb County is governed by the Local Option Budgeting Law of 1993 which does not specifically address the makeup of the budget committee and therefore does not give the committee the authority to unilaterally replace its own chairman with someone else.

Appointments to the budget committee and the naming of a chairman are made by the County Mayor with the approval of the county commission.

First District County Commissioner Dennis Slager has served as chairman of the budget committee since 2018 but in February fellow committee member Anita Puckett sought to replace Slager as chairman with Stribling.

County Mayor Stribling said the committee will continue to operate as it has with no changes.

In September 2018, Stribling appointed to the budget committee Dennis Slager, Anita Puckett, Jerry Adcock, Sabrina Farler, and Jeff Barnes and he named Slager as chairman.

In the attempt to remove Slager as chairman, Puckett referenced a 1957 budgeting law which states that “The committee shall consist of five members, one of whom shall be the county mayor and the other four shall be appointed by the county mayor with the approval of the county governing body at its regular January session each year or at any subsequent session. The county mayor shall be the ex officio chair of the budget committee and the director of accounts and budget shall be the ex officio secretary of the budget committee”.

According to County Mayor Stribling, DeKalb County is not governed by the 1957 budget law.

April 28, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Members to the DeKalb County Equalization Board were reappointed by the County Commission Monday night.

The commission reappointed Russell Watson, Jimmy Midgett, Doyle Evans, Joel Hooker, and Jim Davies to serve on the five member board and Jimmy Goad will be an alternate.

Members of the equalization board are required to attend four hours of training before they begin meeting in June. The training is required by state law. Members who do not complete the training cannot serve.

County equalization boards across the state are to meet each year on June 1 (or the next business day if the 1st falls on Saturday or Sunday). The county board is authorized by law to receive and hear appeals of current year property tax assessments as fixed by the county assessor of property. Generally an assessment must be appealed to the county board of equalization to preserve the taxpayer’s right to further appeal.

April 28, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Commission Monday night reappointed three members and filled a vacancy on the Beer Board.

Current members of the Beer Board are Jim Stagi in the 1st District, Myron Rhody in the 2nd District, Robert Rowe in the 4th District, John Hummer in the 5th District, Leonard Dickens in the 6th District, and Johnny King in the 7th District.

All seven members serve as appointees and the two year terms are staggered with the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th district positions being appointed in odd years. The 2nd, 4th, and 6th district seats are filled in even years.
Rhody, Rowe, and Dickens were all up for reappointment this year and were approved to serve new terms by the county commission Monday night.

Third district county commissioner Bobby Johnson was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the recent death of Edward Frazier, a long time member of the Beer Board from the third district. County Mayor Tim Stribling praised Frazier for his many years of community service.

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