Questions For The Unified Government

The roof over the engine bay of Fire Station No. 6, located at the intersection of Olympic Drive and Athena Drive, collapsed as a result of the snow storm back on 01 March. It appeared that staff and equipment were immediately withdrawn from the station. A couple of weeks later, a chain-link fence sprouted up around the building. To date, however, there has been no information posted on the Unified Government’s web site or printed in the Banner-Herald as to when the station may be operational again. As generalized fire protection is one of the few services actually available out in the euphemistically named “general services” district where I live, the sooner Fire Station No. 6 is back up and running the better for those in the formerly unincorporated area of the county.

The Clarke County School District held the second of three legally-mandated public hearings on its upcoming budget yesterday evening.* The Unified Government, on the other hand, has yet to present its budget for FY 2010 or release the schedule for its public hearings. The only indications from City Hall thus far are that the budget increases by “about 2%” and that homeowners should not expect much of a decrease in their property tax bills. Given that the new budget takes effect a mere nine weeks from today, any time now would do. A cynic might speculate that the Unified Government is keeping something under wraps, but we shall see.

*As an aside, I must congratulate the Board; by my count six of the nine Board members were in attendance. It is my understanding that Board rules mandate that at least one member of the finance committee (or whatever the appropriate term is) attend the public budget hearings. In past years, I have been at hearings at which only that single member of the Board attended, so last night was a good showing indeed.

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