Athens-Clarke County Commissioners are set to meet tomorrow, with a sweeping strategic plan and a controversial pay raise on the agenda. Martin Matheny has more.
With six broad goals, 31 strategies, and 97 individual initiatives, the proposed strategic plan is designed to guide ACC leaders for about the next three years. District 6 Commissioner Jesse Houle called the plan, "ambitious and aspirational," but important for lawmakers, staff, and the community at large. "It both signals to the community what some of our priorities are that people might not already see in the works, and also it gives staff some clarity on where to focus their energy," Houle said.
Among the strategies laid out in the proposed plan are a continued emphasis on equity and inclusion and improving delivery of social services.
Affordable housing, an issue that has long bedeviled the community, is also a major priority. The proposed strategic plan suggests a possible property tax freeze for some homeowners, a possible property tax freeze for some homeowners acquiring an apartment complex to increase the amount of affordable housing in the county. Houle says that federal relief money could cover that cost.
"Also on our agenda tomorrow is the [American Rescue Plan] categories and you'll note that there's a lot of money being proposed to be put toward affordable housing," Houle said. "There's a number of properties in this community that are in disrepair, and we would do well to have someone steward it into being not only a desirable place to live, but hopefully one that's affordable for folks."
Commissioners are also expected to vote on a potential pay raise for themselves at Tuesday’s meeting. That’s been a controversial topic in recent weeks, sparking sometimes heated debate between lawmakers.
Supporters of the pay raise note that the base pay of commissioners hasn’t been raised since 2001. Opponents of the plan note that the proposed pay hike to some $28,000 per year is nearly a doubling of the base salary. But, while the base pay is $15,000 per year, ACC commissioners in reality make closer to $19,000 or $20,000 per year already, due to cost of living increases in state law, as well as supplements for participating in training and for length of service on the Commission. Additionally, a measure being proposed by Governor Brian Kemp would grant county commissioners across the state a $5,000 pay bump. That means that the actual cost to taxpayers for the pay raise under discussion would be closer to $4,000 per year per commissioner, not $13,000.
Supporters of the pay raise say that the target figure, $28,693, is the average salary of county commissioners in similarly-sized counties in Georgia.