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Highlights of Mayor Reichert's Talk with VNA Members
January 22, 2009
Mayor Robert Reichert was introduced and his comments and responses to VNA resident questions follow:
Mayor Reichert thanked the VNA for inviting him to speak at the meeting. He grew up in the neighborhood and regards it as a special place. Our group efforts at maintaining our historic neighborhood and our strong neighborhood watch groups are impressive. The mayor shared that he has been in office for over a year and at times he has felt like he has been “trying to take a sip of water out of a fire hose.” The variety, complexity and body of dealings can be overwhelming at times.
The mayor updated us on the state of the city:
A. Economics
- Audit on time second year in a row
- cumulative fund balance changed from negative $3 million to positive $2 million
- 5 million dollar change put the city "in the black"
- SPLOST funds helped by increasing revenue -problem with SPLOST -non-recurring expenditures were cut
- declining economy affects city as sales tax revenues down, approximately 150,000-200,000 per month
- budget revisions will be necessary -must cut expenses –the city is over 1/2 million dollars over budget in gasoline expenditures
B. Traffic
- Nigel Floyd new Traffic Engineer
- aware that many unhappy with road improvement projects
- plans for city’s first roundabout underway for Vista Circle and Ingleside Avenue; hope to be in process within 12 months
C. Crime
- property crime high on everyone’s list
- violent crime –-19 19 homicides last year; most gang/drug related; must apprehend criminals to deter crime; detectives are doing a good job and have made arrests in 12/19 homicides
- coalition with churches, social organizations- "safe zones" –enhanced-enhanced municipal services —preacher-preacher in the coalition described this generation of young criminals as "lawless, Godless, and fearless" —lethal-a lethal combination
D. Recycling
- privatize solid waste collection attempt didn’t work out
- ordered rolling bins and routes worked out, hopefully to begin in 60-90 days
- down economy has forced recycling prices down—city may store recyclables until market improves
Next the mayor answered residents’ questions:
Question: Is it hard to protect the city?
Answer: YES! There are more needs than there are revenues. The city needs protection from crime and from deterioration. Our population has decreased from 130,000 to 96,000. We need to revitalize downtown to increase our tax base.
Question: What procedures and options are in place to help with the empty, dilapidated houses in the city — specifically the houses on the Walnut Street extension as you come in to the Vineville neighborhood?
Answer: The city is finalizing a legal procedure to obtain blighted property. In the past the city has attempted to cite property owners but it has been difficult to determine ownership of property --many of these properties are in estates. The city has then boarded up houses to prevent vandalism. Next neighbors call with requests for the city to mow the grass, etc. Expenses keep mounting. In the new procedure the city will implement an end-realm foreclosure. This will make the city the owner of the blighted property which can then hopefully be sold. There are still problems though—the city currently owns more than 4500 of these structures. Environmental concerns mean that the structures can’t be burned by the fire department or simply bulldozed for demolition. Environmental remediation to rid structures of asbestos and other pollutants costs $10,000-15,000 per structure.
Question: In addition to the coalition of churches and safe zones, what is being done to decrease crime, and are there continued plans to investigate "spas" in town?
Answer: Mayor Reichert thanked the police department for their investigation into the spas. He agrees with former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s approach that “small things get bigger.” Spa investigations need to continue because these activities can be used as covers for other crimes such as human trafficking, money laundering, etc. The mayor knows that crime is worsening and he hopes that the community can help our police officers use their time more efficiently. Every incident that the police investigate requires an incident report to be written. Last year there were 238,000 incident reports—more than 650/day. In his car the mayor listens to a police radio. He often hears calls that police need to investigate an annoying barking dog or other neighborhood nuisance type of problem. Neighbors should work together to solve neighbor problems freeing the police to focus on crime. We need more police officers and to get more police officers we need a police pay scale. Currently it takes a new recruit to the police force almost nine months to finish accreditation and training and become a regular member of the force. This new officer then earns the same wage as an officer who has been on the force several years. This is a disincentive for seasoned officers to remain and many leave for other counties where they are paid for their experience. The city then has to pay for more training for a new officer. This is an expensive way to maintain a police force.
Question: Why is garbage being picked up at 6:05 am when it is not supposed to be picked up before 7:00 except in the hot summer months?
Answer: Mayor unsure of policy —will look into.
Question: Traffic? Clisby Place from Vineville Academy —buses were supposed to be rerouted?
Answer: Encouraged residents to contact school board to ask that bus route be enforced.
Question: Speed bumps/tables/breakers/etc.?
Answer: Problems caused by these with emergency vehicle response. They also tend to move speeding traffic off one street onto another. Need more investigation into roundabouts, also more emphasis on speed enforcement.
Question: Why is it necessary to move the courthouse?
Answer: Present proposed location to move the courthouse near the Law Enforcement Center makes it safer and more convenient for prisoner transport and holding. It is also preferable to moving the courthouse to the Macon Mall or Westgate Mall site. The new proposed site will allow for infill of offices between the present courthouse (which will still be government utilized) and the new location. A proposed south downtown connector from Little Richard Penniman Blvd and Telfair St would enhance east/west connectivity in the city.
Question: What is the status of city/county consolidation?
Answer: Encouraged by new commission chair. Negotiations with the county are beginning into the consolidation of at least some departments perhaps engineering or personnel departments.
Question: With decreasing population, are there any controls in place to limit new development?
Answer: Mayor makes every other appointment to P&Z commission. Mayor Reichert is trying to appoint people with city planning knowledge.
Question: Any suggestions on what to do with obsolete electronics particularly TVs?
Answer: Encourage turning in to sites with electronic recycling. Landfill is the 3rd highest point in the city and needs to be relocated.
January 22, 2009
Mayor Robert Reichert was introduced and his comments and responses to VNA resident questions follow:
Mayor Reichert thanked the VNA for inviting him to speak at the meeting. He grew up in the neighborhood and regards it as a special place. Our group efforts at maintaining our historic neighborhood and our strong neighborhood watch groups are impressive. The mayor shared that he has been in office for over a year and at times he has felt like he has been “trying to take a sip of water out of a fire hose.” The variety, complexity and body of dealings can be overwhelming at times.
The mayor updated us on the state of the city:
A. Economics
- Audit on time second year in a row
- cumulative fund balance changed from negative $3 million to positive $2 million
- 5 million dollar change put the city "in the black"
- SPLOST funds helped by increasing revenue -problem with SPLOST -non-recurring expenditures were cut
- declining economy affects city as sales tax revenues down, approximately 150,000-200,000 per month
- budget revisions will be necessary -must cut expenses –the city is over 1/2 million dollars over budget in gasoline expenditures
B. Traffic
- Nigel Floyd new Traffic Engineer
- aware that many unhappy with road improvement projects
- plans for city’s first roundabout underway for Vista Circle and Ingleside Avenue; hope to be in process within 12 months
C. Crime
- property crime high on everyone’s list
- violent crime –-19 19 homicides last year; most gang/drug related; must apprehend criminals to deter crime; detectives are doing a good job and have made arrests in 12/19 homicides
- coalition with churches, social organizations- "safe zones" –enhanced-enhanced municipal services —preacher-preacher in the coalition described this generation of young criminals as "lawless, Godless, and fearless" —lethal-a lethal combination
D. Recycling
- privatize solid waste collection attempt didn’t work out
- ordered rolling bins and routes worked out, hopefully to begin in 60-90 days
- down economy has forced recycling prices down—city may store recyclables until market improves
Next the mayor answered residents’ questions:
Question: Is it hard to protect the city?
Answer: YES! There are more needs than there are revenues. The city needs protection from crime and from deterioration. Our population has decreased from 130,000 to 96,000. We need to revitalize downtown to increase our tax base.
Question: What procedures and options are in place to help with the empty, dilapidated houses in the city — specifically the houses on the Walnut Street extension as you come in to the Vineville neighborhood?
Answer: The city is finalizing a legal procedure to obtain blighted property. In the past the city has attempted to cite property owners but it has been difficult to determine ownership of property --many of these properties are in estates. The city has then boarded up houses to prevent vandalism. Next neighbors call with requests for the city to mow the grass, etc. Expenses keep mounting. In the new procedure the city will implement an end-realm foreclosure. This will make the city the owner of the blighted property which can then hopefully be sold. There are still problems though—the city currently owns more than 4500 of these structures. Environmental concerns mean that the structures can’t be burned by the fire department or simply bulldozed for demolition. Environmental remediation to rid structures of asbestos and other pollutants costs $10,000-15,000 per structure.
Question: In addition to the coalition of churches and safe zones, what is being done to decrease crime, and are there continued plans to investigate "spas" in town?
Answer: Mayor Reichert thanked the police department for their investigation into the spas. He agrees with former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s approach that “small things get bigger.” Spa investigations need to continue because these activities can be used as covers for other crimes such as human trafficking, money laundering, etc. The mayor knows that crime is worsening and he hopes that the community can help our police officers use their time more efficiently. Every incident that the police investigate requires an incident report to be written. Last year there were 238,000 incident reports—more than 650/day. In his car the mayor listens to a police radio. He often hears calls that police need to investigate an annoying barking dog or other neighborhood nuisance type of problem. Neighbors should work together to solve neighbor problems freeing the police to focus on crime. We need more police officers and to get more police officers we need a police pay scale. Currently it takes a new recruit to the police force almost nine months to finish accreditation and training and become a regular member of the force. This new officer then earns the same wage as an officer who has been on the force several years. This is a disincentive for seasoned officers to remain and many leave for other counties where they are paid for their experience. The city then has to pay for more training for a new officer. This is an expensive way to maintain a police force.
Question: Why is garbage being picked up at 6:05 am when it is not supposed to be picked up before 7:00 except in the hot summer months?
Answer: Mayor unsure of policy —will look into.
Question: Traffic? Clisby Place from Vineville Academy —buses were supposed to be rerouted?
Answer: Encouraged residents to contact school board to ask that bus route be enforced.
Question: Speed bumps/tables/breakers/etc.?
Answer: Problems caused by these with emergency vehicle response. They also tend to move speeding traffic off one street onto another. Need more investigation into roundabouts, also more emphasis on speed enforcement.
Question: Why is it necessary to move the courthouse?
Answer: Present proposed location to move the courthouse near the Law Enforcement Center makes it safer and more convenient for prisoner transport and holding. It is also preferable to moving the courthouse to the Macon Mall or Westgate Mall site. The new proposed site will allow for infill of offices between the present courthouse (which will still be government utilized) and the new location. A proposed south downtown connector from Little Richard Penniman Blvd and Telfair St would enhance east/west connectivity in the city.
Question: What is the status of city/county consolidation?
Answer: Encouraged by new commission chair. Negotiations with the county are beginning into the consolidation of at least some departments perhaps engineering or personnel departments.
Question: With decreasing population, are there any controls in place to limit new development?
Answer: Mayor makes every other appointment to P&Z commission. Mayor Reichert is trying to appoint people with city planning knowledge.
Question: Any suggestions on what to do with obsolete electronics particularly TVs?
Answer: Encourage turning in to sites with electronic recycling. Landfill is the 3rd highest point in the city and needs to be relocated.
