By Paul Bolster
Commissioner Mo Ivory was sworn in in January and has hit the ground running. She gave a review of her first days in office to a February 20 Zoom gathering organized by SE Atlanta Neighbors Take Action. Chris Rhodenbaugh, one of the founders of the group, said the session “provided a lot of good education on what the Fulton County Commission does for us.”
Ivory’s first big vote came on the county budget. “I didn’t have much time to investigate all the line items. The budget process starts a year in advance of its adoption.” The budget projected a 3.8% increase in revenue but no increase in the millage. New revenue comes from rising property assessments. The largest item effecting the budget was investments in the jail required by consent decree settling the suit by the US Department of Justice over the conditions of the jail. A compliance monitor is now in place to supervise the implementation of the agreement.
When asked about her vote not to restore funds cut from the Arts and Cultural Affairs budget, Ivory said it was a tough vote and she would look for funds that could replace the amount reduced from last year, but “this action was necessary to create the contingency fund for improvements at the jail.”
Ivory was asked about the assessment of high-end commercial property which is estimated to be 40% to 50% below its actual sales value. She said “the press of early weeks in office have prevented her from digging into the issue but [she]will meet soon with the assessors and the county attorney to get to the bottom of the issue.” Most observers recognize that low assessments on these properties take substantial revenue away from local units of government.
Ivory was pleased that county senior centers were fully funded in the budget. She said the county has one of the strongest networks of senior centers in the country. The largest, Lane Carson, is in the middle of her district.
Ivory was not aware of any cuts to the social service grant funds that go out to nonprofits. She will be meeting with the new CEO soon and expected to discuss how there could be greater cooperation between the counties in the social service area. The East Atlanta Kids Club was identified as one of the programs supported by Fulton county grants that serves children from both DeKalb and Fulton Counties.
Possible cuts in federal funding is a significant concern in the near future. A quick review found $100 million in federal funding supporting health and welfare programs of the county. The county service to persons living with AIDS, the Ryan White program, is completely funded with federal dollars and would need to close down without that federal support. There was also a discussion of Federal Community Health Centers that are dependent on federal dollars. There are 34 in the state and several in Atlanta including Whitefoord, Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services, and West End. The county is not able to rescue these clinics if federal funds are eliminated.
Since her district is entirely within the city boundaries, Ivory committed to working for greater cooperation and collaboration between the city and the county. She cited supportive housing as an example of what can come from collaboration.
Ivory said she has learned a lot in a short time but hopes for greater understanding over time. She said she appreciated this kind of discussion and invited citizens to call her office to ask questions and report problems in county services. She said she would work on documents that will help citizens follow the steps to access the courts and other county services. Her office number is 404-612-8225, and her email is Mo.Ivory@fultoncountyga.gov.
The meeting lasted an hour and more issues were discussed than can be outlined here. A recording is available on the SE Atlanta Neighbors Take Action Facebook page.
The group plans a meeting with members of the Atlanta City Council who are elected from the area on March 20 at 5:00pm. Connect through the page and other neighborhood social media. Steering Committees are held on the first Saturday of each month. The invitation to attend is open. Come and help direct the group’s efforts.
