Reports are indicating a shortage of badge-wielders in the North Atlanta suburbs (it doesn't matter what they say to get their hands on grant money, Dunwoody is a suburb) and Dunwoody is in direct competition with some, well, shall we say, better managed cities. The irony of The Smart City being out-smarted is lost on few and surprises no one.
Explanations and excuses abound but as is governments' wont it becomes just another excuse to raise taxes. As you're probably aware Dunwoody has never seen a year without a tax increase and has recently rubbed salt with a millage increase justified by, you guessed it, police un-de-funding. While some funds are directed towards salary increases (for the entire army of bureaucrats) they did not do the right thing: dedicate all revenue garnered by this millage increase towards PD spending. Even if they did they would simply claw back any, perhaps all, of the revenue currently supporting public safety.
Earlier this year Billy-Bob Grogan trotted on-trend accusations against the de-fund the police movement and there is some merit to that. But he's also revealed what is likely the primary reason: they are leaving for other jobs, other careers. And why wouldn't they? Billy-Bob, with the unwavering support of his boss, has created a toxic work environment, a captive porno den that would make Larry Flynt jealous. The kind of work environment that spawns award-winning whistle-blowers.
Honestly, the problem is not difficult unless you make it unnecessarily so with lack of honesty. The city should have asked and answered, directly, completely and truthfully, a very simple question: what problem are you trying to solve? If the problem is under achievement of the primary commitment made when the city was formed, public safety, then more money may be in order. Determine exactly what that number is and figure where to get that money. The next step is to calculate, in the current budget, how many mils are dedicated to public safety. That number is the baseline and any further millage increase would be added to that to bring public safety spending to the level necessary to meet the original commitment. Obviously an enhancement would be to cut the enormous fat from the bloated bureaucracy, freeing funds for rank and file members of the police force because they really should be paid a living wage.
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