Political STDs

The rage with all these new cities is "outsourcing" services to private enterprises. Dunwoody is not immune to this affliction. One government responsibility that is widely dodged is probation management and supervision. Now if you've been paying attention to what goes on in this Great State you have most likely heard of and been appalled by the role this practice plays in creating debtor prisons.

It works like this. A municipality farms out their responsibility (to the public and the offender) for managing and monitoring probationers to for-profit companies. In search of greater profits these companies not only take the probationers' money they tack on fees at the slightest opportunity. These fees are often outside their ability to pay, additional charges mount and before you know it the probationer is back in court facing not only these fees extended probation and possible incarceration. And taxpayers foot the bill for that one.

The AJC has reported on this practice and its consequences extensively. While the State Supreme Court has declared privatization legal it also declared that drawing out sentences is not. The kerfuffle lead to legislation, signed by the Governor, creating a probation oversight agency. We wait with [pro]bated breath to see how that works. It has not prevented lawsuits against companies and the governments that hire them.

One company is a standout. They are not only ordered to repay people held on probation illegally but they have been hit with more than one civil rights lawsuit and a motion for change of venue has been denied. Even [disgruntled] employee reviews are not overwhelmingly flattering.

Given all this information, readily available to the public, what government in their right mind would ink a deal with this company? That would be the Smart City of Dunwoody.

The Buck Stops

...at the Police Department.

Apparently ALL the bucks stop there.

Since this City's founding our police department has demonstrated a penchant for uncontrolled growth, growing at a rate much faster than the population. And it isn't just head count. The City has announced a budget calling for four percent raises and given that a vast majority of City employees are in the police department this is pretty much a police raise. In these economic times that is quite a salary boost as any of those Dunwoodians who've aged in place could tell you. Their Social Security payment will increase at substantially less than half the police raise--much more in line with inflation.

We're subjected to many excuses for this out of line and out of control cost. First is that we do not have enough officers to respond to 911 calls in a prompt and efficient fashion. Yet, we have more than enough officers to run I-285 Toll Trolls and are never in want when bikers or runners need a police escort. We even roll Dunwoody's finest when it's pear-pickin' time down to the Farmhouse.

Then we're told we need to up the pay to prevent poaching by the nearby newly formed cities. A bit hypocritical since that's how we built this burgeoning police force.

And it isn't like we're getting what we're paying for. The Dunwoody Daycare fuster cluck is not a singularity. We have an outstanding double homicide that has seen no progress, a force noted for making a beeline to the scene of a bank robbery rather than establishing a perimeter, neglecting to check out 911 calls and letting suspects escape because "going around back" just sounds too "Mayberry". And there's the affection for toys for the boys, noted by colleagues who've reported the chief getting all starry eyed over the latest gizmos at conventions. Do we REALLY need an ATV?

What we really need is a council that is more than a bunch of pollyanish besmitten police aficionados that rubberstamp whatever comes out of the department. We need hard questions and solid answers. Assuming community safety is a top priority are speed patrols on I-285 REALLY the best use of our resources? Is it cost effective to used certified LEOs as glorified mall cops or would our tax dollars be better spent hiring a security firm? What other jobs can be de-skilled to control costs? Should all the special interest groups (run, bike, walk, pick fruit) hire their own escorts and traffic cops? Would it not be very cost effective to transparently publish key data (date/time location of citations, speed sign data) and get more eyes, public eyes, on these data? You know, "data driven" and all that. Do we have to unquestioningly accept anything the department says because "they're the professionals"? Isn't that exactly what has brought government schools to the sorry state they are in?

But this is politics and this simply is not going to happen. It is much more likely that we'll see council members doing PR ride-a-longs followed by public sing-a-longs. And we will see the police force grow. And Grow. And GROW.

Perhaps we're left with the obvious alternative: contacting those in charge of forming Brookhaven and offer them a slightly used police chief with startup experience and a track record of growing a force. Quickly.

Local Control In DeKalb County

If forming cities made sense to folks in Dunwoody and Brookhaven desiring adequate local control over their government do you suppose they might want their own charter schools to have equally local control over education?

Fight the Right Fight

The Georgia State Constitution clearly states:

"The provision of an adequate education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia, the expense of which shall be provided for by taxation."

 We're not here to quibble over "adequate" nor will we remark on how one might parse "citizens" to exclude non-citizens. This is about an upcoming opportunity for the Georgians to amend the constitution to allow the State a new mechanism by which State taxation can be used to provide an adequate education.

This can be viewed as a supplement to the well-entrenched system now in place that uses State funding along with local and Federal monies to take their bite at the education apple. Many, some say far too many, make a living on this system and they vehemently disagree as they are not willingly to relinquish any money nor the power it provides. The State, which carries the constitutional mandate, is offering taxpayers the opportunity to tell their local school system  "it ain't adequate", and if they so choose to petition the State to establish a school a bit more "local" than the current district provides.

 While it is true that the State could, even without the amendment, authorize charter schools "independent" of the local districts, the authorizing office represents the superintendents more than the citizens and some have questioned just how "independent" that office really is. Recent statements from that office only fan the flames.

For decades  the entrenched education establishment has struggled to create a positive impression but has been unable to evade ingrained corruption, scandals and indictments. The character, capabilities and philosophies permeating this industry, from the preparatory colleges, to post employment training, to textbook industry, to ancillary services (building, busing, etc.), to the very classroom itself have created a system that is all, and now only,  about the money. While this is foundational, the duration of the status quo combined with the procession of incestuous generations of "educators" has created a culture of entitlement so powerful that corruption is pervasive: cheating in the classroom, textbook kickbacks, inexplicable IT operations, and unseemly diversion of contract funds. It goes on and on.

Ironically, in the one part of our society that seems to flit from experiment to experiment as if after hundreds of years they've not quite figured out how to teach children arithmetic, we have the one proposal that would otherwise fit the "we must try SOMETHING" paradigm except for one thing--money. Simply because of ego clashes over which appointed bureaucrat or out of touch politician gets to control OUR money this becomes the educational beach to die on. It is an undignified squabble that should be, but is not, beneath both parties.

Woodrow Wilson, Paul Sayre and Henry Kissinger have at one time or another observed "that one of the reasons academic infighting is so vicious is that the stakes are so small." The argument over which corruptible entity is most accountable and to whom seems to be a rather small issue in the context of our society's growing ignorance, illiteracy and innumeracy.

Silly Buss

Dunwoody Government 101

1. Overview and Objectives
   The student will explore the motivations behind operating a City including gaining access to other people's money, the fungibility of ethics, manipulating contracts for power and profit, creating a para-military force, and getting all up in other people's business. This session will lay the foundation for deeper exploration of the intricacies of city politics, politicians and bureaucrats.
2. Finance
   We'll explain the difference between taxes and mandated fees and explore successful methods used to convince citizens they are much different than they really are. How we soak businesses for every possible penny. Learn about grant applications and how to sell anything as a good thing if "free money" is involved. Find out how a loan is not really a loan if you say it isn't. 
3. Operations
   Learn how ancillary organizations (e.g., Convention and Visitor's Bureau) are used to funnel money to Friends and Family. Gain insight into using "Penny Shy" contracts to grow and centralize your power while avoiding approval and oversight. See how branding can help you make new friends and write new contracts. Advanced topics include "consummating deals before the public knows about it", "the power gained by public involvement in real estate". 
4. Zoning, Codes and Enforcement
   We'll explain why codes applied to citizens vary in rigor relative to those applied to politicians. Learn how enforce-on-complaint empowers bureaucrats to do what they want, when they want. Real world examples include using the "boil a frog" method to slowly but continually re-write ordinances eliminating individual and property rights and how avoiding writing ethics procedures keeps politicians in office. 
5. Police
   Covering the basics we'll look at how a force is established and operated without a training academy. Next we look at growth opportunities on both sides of the ledger but with emphasis on revenue generation. Students will study the importance of expensive toys and junkets, and how these are justified. Recent events will be analyzed to demonstrate how significant failings are spun as justification for more money. We finish with a hands-on exercise to create "The Most Bodacious Uniform" to be the highlight of a mini-parade in the department ATV. 
6. Public-Private Partnerships
   Explore the subtle differences between PPP and cronyism as well as how this is portrayed in a favorable light. Gain the skills required to be an insider and eligible for PPP participation. Learn how a bureaucrat leverages PPP engagements for personal gain. Hands-on exercises to ensure students understand you don't inhale when smoking a big fat cigar and tips on finding the best single-malt scotch. Additional fees will apply.
7. Citizen Involvement
   Using citizen involvement to co-opt and silence critics. Understand how to restrict citizen involvement to PR activities and learn how to prevent erosion of contracting opportunities for Friends and Family. Critical coverage on the topic of limiting Citizen Involvement to reports and advisement without any real authority.
8. Becoming a Politician
   Explore the malleability of truth and the avoidance of consequences. Dispel the myths surrounding "transparency" and "accountability". Understanding that "service" is what all prostitutes provide. Unravel the paradox of "one hand washing the other" all the while "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing". Special topics include "Adhering to the Letter While Skirting the Intent" as it applies to laws and ethics requirements and "How to Always Be Right, Especially When You're Wrong".

See you there!

Brookhaven: Smarter Than We Think They Are

Google Analytics indicates that the fine folk of Brookhaven will not go blindly into a forced-upon-them city. They have shown particular interest in a couple of points that warrant comment.

The first is franchise fees:

1. A tax by any other name. All monies go into the general fund and not into an account set aside exclusively for the stated purpose of the levy.
2. Taking franchise fees as a whole, and comparing to combined property tax  with HOST property tax subsidy, franchise fees are the second largest income item. It is just another way to spell greed.
3. It is the "best kind of tax" as it is largely paid by folks without a vote, particularly businesses and to some degree folks in unincorporated areas. Screw them, eh?
4. By and large the county didn't receive these fees, yet the infrastructure these fees are allegedly required for are in place and doing quite nicely.  How can that be?
5. Franchise fee revenue makes any comparison stating the city will provide same or better services for "less taxes" morally and intellectually bankrupt.

Slimy politicians are pretty sure voters will tax themselves a dime to get a dollar from other folks, but to the extent that these citizen-voters are customers of local business, the voters are simply paying a pass-along tax. To mystify the reality city proponents are using the "Starbucks" tactic: this will cost you less per (month/week/day) than a latte at Starbucks. That they even have to address it at all is a credit to the soon-to-be good citizens of Brookhaven.

The second hot topic appears to be privatization of government services. This too is over-hyped by those hell-bent on yet another city in DeKalb.

1. It has it's place. If you have a janitor, auto mechanic or copier repair-woman on what will inevitably be a payroll characterized by gold-plated benefits then you are a fool.
2. Much like the city itself, the finances of wholesale outsourcing do not pass the smell test. The outsourcing company may offer economies of scale, but have no doubt, just as you will pay for new city bureaucrats, you will also pay for the profits and bonuses of these private outsourcing companies. How can this possibly be more cost effective?
3. You can re-bid often if you don't like the services or costs, but you will soon find you've exhausted all your options. Fact is there are not that many companies to turn to for turn key operation.
4. When you outsource services, you outsource quality, you outsource accountability and you outsource transparency. Any part of a city operation where you might, just maybe, want to make an open records request is not something you want these politicians hiding behind an impenetrable wall of "corporate trade secrets".

Privatization had been all the rage, but now, eh, not so much. Even in Sandy Springs, the poster child for Three Pee Uh Oh, the enthusiasm has waned, the costs have skyrocket and the loss of control has been deemed intolerable. If Dunwoody can show Brookhaven how to do anything it would probably be where to draw the line between in-house services and those contracted out.

You will be told a lot of stories that do not align with this view of reality. But you will listen because these pandering political prevaricators will become your new city leadership. At least you are starting early and you are asking some smart questions. Keep up the good work.

Revolutionary Forces Beaten Back

With apologies to the Beatles and all their fans...

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world

You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world

But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know you can count me out

This was the message sent by the citizens of Frederick County, MD and apparently received by their local Board of County Commissioners. While some of the uproar is sure to have come from "self-serving county employees" for whom privatization meant loss of pay and benefits if not a job, there were broader concerns about how the BoCC was conducting business.

You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We'd all love to see the plan

You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We're all doing what we can

But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you have to wait

As it should be in all government contracted services, transparency was a real issue. From the beginning the BoCC not only conducted much of their business in a way that came under criticism on this point, but they neglected to address transparency concerns when their revolutionary new outsourcing plan took effect.

You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head

You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead

But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow

The situation started as an "electoral mandate", not unlike any election in the U.S., especially when an incumbent loses. It also created a single-party BoCC led by a recently elected Chairman who became the public face of local government outsourcing.

Don't you know it's gonna be alright

At the end of it all, reason overcame revolution. A hastily prepared report was reviewed by the University of Maryland after which this report was given the disposition it merited based upon that review. A consensus was reached to "make haste slowly" putting Frederick County on a path of optimizing services and reducing cost structure while retaining transparency and accountability. This approach to addressing the misalignment between public and private payroll and benefit structures is much more like what Atlanta is doing and Dunwoody has done than what Sandy Springs did.

It bears watching.

A Shout Out to Frederick County, MD

Google Analytics indicates the good folk of Frederick County, Maryland have been doing due diligence before moving from a traditional service approach to the once-favored "Public Private Partnership" or "Three Pee UhOh". Since our new cities north of Atlanta seem to be the breeding ground for Three Pee UhOh, perhaps the experiences of these communities can provide some guidance.

In no particular order...

Be wary of studies. The outcome of any study is based on assumptions. Whoever controls the assumptions controls the results and recommendations.

Be wary of consultants. Consultants are a bit like picking a doctor. If you talk to a surgeon, your ailment will most likely be treated by surgery. A homeopath? Not so much. If you hire a consultant with a track record of advising wholesale outsourcing of services, well, don't be too surprised when he recommends you do the same. And you should be no less surprised to find out he just happens to know of a company that can get the job done.

Be careful what you ask for.  If the motivation is to free the county from a Wisconsin-like death grip of public worker unions, then perhaps wholesale outsourcing is required to break free. Be sure the contract is no greater than a term in office or you will simply trade one demon for another. Plan a clear path to the optimal solution arrived at by some of our communities.

If the change is the result of a political shift from democrats, generally beholding to unions, towards republicans, generally beholding to business, be very wary. You are probably just trading one form of political corruption for another.

Wholesale outsourcing is dubious at best. The financial arguments are simple enough: like Walmart, these mega-corps allegedly enjoy economies of scale. Perhaps they do. But one thing is certain, when you pay the contract, you are paying their profits, their executive bonuses, and funding their re-investment in their business. Little of this money will stay in Frederick County.

When you outsource services you outsource quality. More importantly you outsource accountability and transparency. What is now subject to open records requests will magically become "the proprietary business information of a private corporation".

Full frontal Three Pee UhOh has lost its luster. Before rampant city formation had run its course north of Atlanta, at least one of the new cities rejected full outsourcing from the very beginning. The others have or are in the process of moving towards in-house management with multiple contracts for various work. This is being done not only to ensure the best service levels, but to save money. Ironically it is saving money that is offered as the primary reason to outsource but it simply has not withstood the onslaught of reality.

We in The Other Dunwoody hope this helps.

Learning from Pollution

They have a saying in wastewater treatment: the solution to pollution is dilution. Apparently if you flush effluent downstream with enough clean water it is not only less noxious but also less noticeable. Of course this works only when you have enough clean water.

It seems like public schools may operate on the same principle.

Suppose a system holds back one thousand students due to academic failure. Now that sounds like a lot. But what if you reported that only one percent of the students failed to advance while an overwhelming majority, ninety-nine percent, advanced and many excelled. You failed the same number of students, but now it isn't as noticeable.

Unfortunately, people are noticing. They not only see the "expected" failures (IE: someone else's child) they are beginning to understand that their children cannot compete with students educated elsewhere. Many are beginning to conclude that their children receive the "finest education available" solely because it is the only education available to them. Consequently many believe vouchers are the best way to fix this problem.

But not all agree. Dave Belton, a Republican Board of Education member in Morgan County, has written a point-counterpoint guest editorial against vouchers for the AJC. To be fair, the question put to the writers was "Will Public Schools Suffer Under Vouchers?" and the direct answer is obvious: anything which reduces the size of a mature bureaucracy is harmful to the bureaucrats and consequently to the bureaucracy. Our Public Schools are a very mature bureaucracy.

When you read Mr. Belton's op-ed piece, you can easily get lost in the usual educrat talking points: SATs are somehow flawed while self-assessments are not; social obligation to educate every child contradicting the depiction of parents as the ultimate shareholder; etc. In short, the Kool-Aid is talking. But then there is the territory all public school apologists approach but none fully explore:

"I have nothing against private schools. But please don’t pretend that poor kids are going to be able to use these small vouchers to get into the private school of their choice. Private schools only accept kids they want, and these vouchers won’t be nearly large enough to pay for good private schools. No, what will happen is that rich kids will use these vouchers to flee public schools in droves, leaving poor kids to wither on the vine —- unfunded and uncared for."

It appears Mr. Belton proposes to hide the pollution of the impoverished by diluting it with what he implies is the manifest superiority of the wealthy. He is saying what few in, or taking, his position will say: that poor kids, by and large, are doomed to failure in our Public Schools. Or perhaps he is suggesting that their success depends on the presence of the children of means more so than it does the teachers, administrators or board members. In fact, without these other, richer children, he claims the poor will be unfunded and uncared for.

Now the unfunded part is just nonsense. School funding is per full time equivalent student, which in DeKalb means "any student in home room on March 5th." Turns out they don't ask for a Parent Financial Aid Form, they just count heads.

The uncared for part is absolutely amazing. It says that the poor are neglected not only by their own parents but they are also uncared for by those underpaid, self-sacrificing professionals who toil tirelessly in our Public Schools. That teachers and administrators cannot choke down the Ripple without cleansing their palette with Perrier. He is also clearly stating that Public Schools fail the poor and the system needs the rich to dilute this failure. He has correctly concluded that subjecting Public Schools to objective measures of success and failure would reveal that Public Schools fail those who need them most and hide behind those who will succeed regardless.

While this particular component of his anti-voucher argument is repulsive, it remains difficult to support vouchers. After all, it really isn't the parent's money and if there is a societal obligation to educate there should be an equal, if not greater, parent-student obligation to learning--and this simply isn't there.

However, it is equally difficult to support Public Schools--if we didn't have them, would we create them and would they look anything like what we have now?

But Mr. Belton is right about some things. First, the ultimate shareholder is, or should be the parent, and the best way to hold a school accountable is to hold the parent accountable (IE: responsible) for their own children's education. And that starts with money. And second, a vast majority of our successful students will ultimately be in private schools, leaving Public Schools for children of those who cannot or will not meet their parental responsibility.

TOD

New Milton County To Include Dunwoody

On the QT, off the record, and very hush-hush.

Those in the know say key players are close to a decision to include the new City of Dunwoody in the group of runaway cities hoping to re-create Milton County. The primary goal is to remove Dunwoody schools from the faltering DeKalb system and of course keep northern money from flowing south. Said one enthusiastic supporter, "It's our money. It's our kids. It should be our schools, not theirs."

Proponents hope to build on the vision and leadership that led to the overwhelming support for incorporation in recent referenda. A local consultant and former banking executive has been tapped to manage the bidding process and act as interim superintendent while transitioning the current public school services to Edison Schools, Inc. This is expected to result in 25%-30% improvement in education outcomes without a tax increase.

While all parties are maintaining a unified front in public, some have privately expressed concern about a decline in athletic programs. While this is a potential show-stopper it is not expected to dominate public discussions.

Remember, dear readers, you heard it here first.

TOD