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Commission Shifts Block
Grant Funds Again, Slightly
Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Commissioners
voiced widely divergent views last week about
abruptly cutting funds from two nonprofits
whose programs increase opportunities for
disadvantaged citizens. Commissioners voted
to shift the money to other programs that
serve the same neighborhoods. The two non
profits—East Athens Development Corporation
(EADC) and the Hancock Corridor Development
Corporation (HCDC)—are "powerful sym
bols" in their communities, acknowledged
Commissioner David Lynn, but, he said, they
haven't accomplished enough with the money
they've been given. Others begged to differ.
Kenyatta Moore told commissioners (and
a standing-room-only crowd) that his barber
and beauty shop "wouldn't
be in business today" if the
EADC hadn't gotten him
started. "To take away the
funding for a community
problem-solver such as the EADC doesn't make
much sense to me," he admonished. Alicia
Brown said the HCDC had helped her improve
her financial skills and treated her as "a per
son that can achieve that goal." The HCDC
board chair Hope Iglehart said her organiza
tion strives "to support and develop a viable
neighborhood by providing suitable living con
ditions and expanding economic opportunities
to the low-to-moderate income residents. We
know that we're not perfect, and none of the
agencies that you provide funding [to] are."
But even supporters of the agencies on the
commission acknowledged they could be more
efficiently run. The EADC offers home-buying
counseling, business startup loans and advice,
and housing rehab. The HCDC offers housing
and jobs programs; but annual evaluations of
the corporations suggested inconsistent (and
sometimes expensive) results. One HCDC pro
gram was costing $6,000 per client to provide,
Commissioner Kathy Hoard noted, since only
seven people participated. "I'm just having
trouble justifying the numbers," she said.
"I do think they have been going through
troubled times," agreed Commissioner Elton
Dodson. But "we had an obligation to discuss
that in an open and transparent fashion," he
said—not to cut funds without warning. Such
a severe cut just sets up the nonprofit groups
for failure, he said. "The efficacy of these
organizations has been a topic of discussion
for many years among elected officials, among
human services providers," Commissioner Kelly
Girtz acknowledged, although he said the
commission had passed up several opportuni
ties to demand reforms, and shouldn't cut
their funds without warn
ing. It would be better,
he said, to make future
funding contingent on
reorganization plans. Such
a process would be more "open," he said, and
would recognize "that the missions of these
groups are important, but the specifics of pur
suing those missions are also important."
Commissioner Harry Sims moved that the
agencies be given enough funding to ensure
their continued operation, but that the com
mission closely scrutinize them after six
months. Other commissioners and Mayor Heidi
Davison complained, though, that there would
not be specific-enough "benchmarks" by
which to measure improvement. Sims' proposal
failed 6-4. A proposal from Commissioner Alice
Kinman prevailed in the end on a 5-5 vote,
with the tie broken by Mayor Davison. That
plan gives each agency back $25,000 out of
what was stripped last month, and gives the
balance (about $40,000) to a housing program
of the Athens Housing Authority.
Ben Emanuel & John Huie
“I’m just having trouble
justifying the numbers.”
Legislators: Transportation,
Tax Issues Will Return
Athens' five state legislators—three
Republicans and two Democrats—seemed more
like bar buddies than political opponents at a
Federation of Neighborhoods forum May 5. "We
really do agree on way more things than we
disagree," said state Senator Bill Cowsert. "On
the money issues and the local things, we're
generally always in agreement." Legislators
have largely put bitter issues like the voter ID
law—which Democrats believe was intended
to disenfranchise Democratic voters—behind
them, state Representative Keith Heard told
Flagpole.
"We went into the 2008 legislative ses
sion with a very ambitious agenda," said
Sen. Ralph Hudgens. "The speaker had a very
ambitious plan, that he was going to do away
v\ :n ail ad valorem taxes," Hudgens said. "I
never did think that would get any traction."
Hudgens opposed the plan, he said, even after
’t was whittled down to eliminating only the
auto-tag tax. "To me, that's not a tax cut—
that's nothing but a tax shift," he said. "I'm
all in favor of a tax cut, but it's going to have
to be coupled with a reduction in spending."
The legislators agreed that tax legislation
will still be on the General Assembly's agenda
for next year, and Rep. Doug McKillip said
he's proposing a "progressive" tax reform
plan. Also, several of the legislators said they
expect a freeze to pass next year that will
limit how fasi property tax assessments can
go up.
And, said Cowsert, "There is a lot of
momentum for additional transportation fund
ing," even though a local-option transporta
tion sales tax didn't make it through. "That
issue is not dead," he said.
John Huie jphuie@alhens.nr’
Sewer Line to be “Explored”
for Trail Prospects
“I think this is one of the most beautiful pieces of property left in
Clarke County.” Marion Cartwright told ACC Commissioners last
week in reference to the tract of land he owns along an Eastside
sewer route (above).
"I think this is one of the most beauti
ful pieces of property left in Clarke County,"
said Marion Cartwright of land he owns along
the sewer route. "Had chances to sell it
several times, [but] did not—because I was
afraid that it wouldn't be developed right."
Cartwright said he has long envisioned devel
oping his land with a trail across the river
to UGA, so it wouldn't add more cars to the
campus. But he was concerned about the
impact sewer line construction—which will
need a swath much wider than the present
sewer easement—will have on his land. "Tney
said, 'We'll put it back in original condition,
or better,"' Cartwright told commissioners of
his contact with the ACC Department of Public
Utilities. "And I'd like to know how they would
put back white oaks, red oaks, poplars," he
said, along the creek's shoals and waterfalls.
Commissioners were sympathetic, but
accepted the promise of ACC Manager
Alan Reddish that construction would do
as little damage as possible. And Reddish
resisted a suggestion that ACC
Environmental Coordinator Dick
Field be required to report back
to the commission as construc
tion proceeds.
"I'm uncomfortable with
suddenly making him the super-
environmental cop. That's not
what his job is," Reddish said.
Besides, he told commissioners,
"I don't believe it's your role to
give directions to individual staff
members within various depart
ments. I'll defer to the attorney if
I'm misinterpreting the charter."
But commissioners did ask
Reddish to raise with prop
erty owners the possibility of
eventually adding a public trail
along the sewer line's route. "I
wouldn't be interested in con
demning someone's property,"
Commissioner David Lynn said,
just because they wouldn't sell
the county a recreational ease
ment—that is, legal permission
for the public to walk across their
land. Such an easement would
require a bigger sacrifice from
landowners, and cost the county
more than just a sewer-line ease
ment, Reddish said. Cities like
Chapel Hill and Greensboro, NC
are exploring such joint uses of sewer routes,
Lynn said; and while not all sewer routes
are suited to walking and biking trails, "this
particula- one seems right" if property owners
don't object, he said. The route goes through
a roadless area, commissioners noted, and
coulo connect with tne Greenway trail that
will soon be extended soutnwaro akmg tne
river to the vicinity of the new Bailey Street
wastewater treatment plant scheduled to be
built by 2011 (and extended, eventually, along
the rive- to College Station Road).
John Huie
In a meeting that stretched well past
midnight, ACC Commissioners last week asked
county staffers to consider whether the
planned upgrade of an Eastside sewer line par
alleling Lexington Road might double as a rec
reational trail. The line runs through a mostly
undeveloped area—although both the county
and UGA have plans to build new bridges
nearby to span the North Oconee River.
6
FLAGPOLE.COM ■ MAY 14, 2008
NEWS & FEATURES