Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, December 17 - 23,2015
LOCAL
PagelOA
Gregory B. Levett was recently recognized by American Funeral Director magazine. File photo
Levett named Funeral
Director of the Year
by Kathy Mitchell
At his funeral chapels, Gregory B.
Levett displays a statement noting the
aspiration for Gregory B. Levett & Sons
Funeral Homes Inc. to be recognized as
“the premier family owned and oper
ated funeral home in Atlanta servicing
families locally, nationally and interna
tionally.”
“That was written about 15 years
ago,” said Levett, the business’ founder
and CEO. “I feel as though we received
that recognition when American Fu
neral Director magazine declared me its
2015 Funeral Director of the Year.
“This is not a publication for a seg
ment of the industry,” Levett explained.
“It is not just for African-American
funeral directors. It’s not even limited
to the United States. Its readers include
funeral directors in Canada and some
other countries. It’s the largest industry
publication of its type in the world.”
Allison Sullivan, publisher of
American Funeral Director, which has
supported the funeral industry since
1877, said Levett was selected from
among a record-number of nomina
tions. He is profiled in the magazine’s
December issue and received the award
at its 10th annual Funeral Service Busi
ness Plan Conference in Glendale, Ariz.
“While we had many impressive
entries, Mr. Levett stood out as a man
who is having a positive impact on his
community and his profession,” Sulli
van said in a statement announcing the
award. “His generosity, caring and com
mitment embody what the funeral pro
fession is all about. We were honored to
present him with this award.” Criteria
for the award include business success
es, challenges overcome, client relations
and community involvement.
“I believe community involvement
is what really put him over the top,” said
Levett’s daughter Deana Levett, who
nominated him for the award. “Dad
does so much in the community. He re
ally believes in giving back.”
“I have a gift for fundraising and
motivating people,” Levett said. “From
the time I first opened a business in
DeKalb County, I was involved in vol
unteer projects, including delivering
Meals on Wheels. I now serve on several
boards. I’ll help anyone, even competing
funeral businesses. If I can make them
better, it makes the whole industry bet
ter.”
Levett, who earned his funeral di
rector’s license in 1973 and opened his
first funeral home in 1980 in Scottdale,
said a single word explains his success
in the business: service. “When we first
opened, I wasn’t able to go to the banks
and get the money to build the nice cha
pel and buy the vehicles we wanted, but
what we could offer is superior service.
Great service is something everyone un
derstands. Whether you’re rich or poor,
no matter where you come from service
matters to you.”
The original Greg Levett funeral
home had been a residence in Scottdale.
Levett bought it at a bargain price be
cause the real estate company was hav
ing trouble finding a buyer. “A young
man hanged himself in that house and
people said his ghost was still there. I
said, ‘That’s fine. He and I will get along
just great.’”
Many of the values Levett brought
to his business came from his father,
he said. “He owned several businesses,
including a funeral business. He showed
me that whatever business you’re in how
you treat people is a key component in
your success. Although he never built a
business anywhere near the size of this
one, I consider my father a successful
man because he did so much with the
tools he had.
“I was fortunate to receive training
and experience in the corporate world
along with small business experience. I
was able to marry those two and bring
to my business the best of both worlds,”
Levett continued. “From the start, I had
lawyers, accountants and marketing
people at the table.”
See Levett on Page 12A
County's proposed
budget holds the line,
anticipates Tucker
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Interim DeKalb County CEO
Lee May’s proposed 2016 county
budget maintains the current
millage rate, despite “budget
pressures,” including the pend
ing incorporation of the city of
Tucker.
“This budget seeks to main
tain the current service levels
with diminishing resources,” May
stated in a letter with his budget
proposal which was delivered to
county commissioners Dec. 15.
The $1.2 billion proposed
budget is based on a “benchmark
millage rate of 20.81, preserv
ing the first tax rate decrease in
over a decade that was enacted in
FY15,” May stated.
The county’s water and
sewer department will get an es
timated $4.3 million increase to
enhance its operations and main
tenance.
May seeks to enhance devel
opment efforts with more than $2
million “for technology efforts to
streamline permitting and other
development costs.”
The proposed budget in
cludes $1.1 million for additional
firefighter personal safety equip
ment along with $600,000 to
fully fund the creation of eight
supervisory captain positions in
the fire rescue department.
“To perform much needed
reviews of county functions,”
May asks for funding of the
county’s newly-created indepen
dent Office of the Internal Audi
tor at $1 million.
An additional $ 1 million will
be used to enhance mowing and
litter abatement efforts, accord
ing to the proposed budget.
An allocation of $200,000 is
included in the proposed budget
to add code enforcement offi
cers and equipment “to further
improve response times,” May’s
letter to the DeKalb County
Board of Commissioners states.
Another $200,000 will be used
for parks and recreation pro
grams for arts and entertainment.
If passed by the Board of
Commissioners the budget will
include $4.9 million in home-
stead-option sales tax (HOST)
funding for “road resurfacing
and transportation efforts, includ
ing an additional $3.6 million
in matching money for various
Georgia Department of Trans
portation efforts to leverage $3.0
million more of funding,” the
budget proposal states.
“This is my third full-year
budget submitted to the board,
and every year presents new
challenges and opportunities,”
May said. “This year is no ex
ception.”
One of those challenges is
the incorporation of Tucker, set
to occur in spring 2016. Tucker
will be the third city to incor
porate in recent history, fol
lowing Dunwoody in 2008 and
Brookhaven in 2012.
“The primary effect of these
incorporations has been a loss of
revenue in the county’s Special
Tax Districts,” May stated in his
letter.
“Incorporation and annexa
tion have continued to erode the
tax digest of unincorporated
DeKalb by selectively drawing
their borders to encompass ar
eas of the county that generate
more revenue than they require
in services,” May stated. “While
these actions were legal, they un
deniably left the unincorporated
areas with less revenue to provide
needed services.
“Future budgets must decide
whether to raise taxes in unin
corporated DeKalb to offset the
lost tax base and provide the same
level of services or to decrease the
services they receive to keep taxes
the same,” May stated.
Because Tucker will not elect
its leadership until March 2016,
the county’s proposed budget
“does not include major reduc
tions.. .to take into account the
lost revenue from the incorpo
ration of Tucker,” according to
May’s letter.
May stated that the budget
“anticipates receiving a certain
level of revenue from the City
of Tucker through intergovern
mental agreements.” County of
ficials will adjust revenues and
appropriations once those inter
governmental agreements are
completed.
The 2016 proposed budget
maintains a collective active fund
balance, or reserves, of 0.71 of a
month.
“Being below the goal of
one month is mostly due to
the strains on the Special Tax
Districts; however, the General
Fund, reflecting true county
wide operations is just shy of one
month at 0.94,” May stated.
The per capita amount for
the proposed budget is $308, a 6
percent decrease in spending.