1 - Ivan Allen, Jr. Digital Collection - Georgia Institute of Technology

Cost Jumps, Funds ShortFor Jackson City RevampBy JIM l\1ERRINERMayor Maynard Jackson's plan to reshapeAtlanta's government would cost almost$299,000 this year--$69,000 more thanpreviously estimated-but the city budgetbas a surplus of only $34,000.Clrief Administrative Officer Jule Sugarmantold a City Council committee Fridaythat a proposed new layt'l' or "super-administrators"would cost $298,800 in salaries andequipment for the final eight IllQrtths of 1974,When Jackson disclosed his reorganizationscheme Feb. 4. Sugarman estimated the1974 additional expense at $230,000.Questioned Friday, Sugarman calculatedthe 12-monlh oost for 19i5 at $364,000.Meanwhile, the City Council FinanceCommittee spent an extra $106,000 for variouspurposes Friday, leaving the $80.9 milliongeneral budget just $34,000 in the black.SUgarman repeated the adminlstration's•... admLo"llstrators WllllIllCl them.SkeDtical members 0( the council'sCommIttee on the Executive, during a publicnearing on the reorganization, pressedSugarman for details on bow the plan wouldbe funded.Sugannan asserted that bringing in topmanagerial talent would be like "a capitalinvestment" that YI'Quld save the city muchmoney in the long run.Councilman Richard Guthman asked,"How could I invest \\1tnout having someassurances about what I am investing in?""We hear that all the time in government,"added Councilman Buddy Fowlkes... 'We're go:ng to soond more mo:)€)' to savemoney.' The trouble is we never save it."At Guthman's ~tion . the committeewill draw up a resolution requiring quarterlyreports on exactly what $8\1ngs thenew super-administrators would accomplish.Guthman mentioned a possible city charteramendment "to put some teeth" in the requirement.Sugarman, unruffled throughout t b ecommittee's questioning, readily agreed tothe quarterly reports.Asked by a reporter whether he andJackson had comted on some kind of localoption tax to pay for reorganization, Sugar·-1l\8n said no.If the General Assembly does allow a.form of local option tax, 8S distinct from:property taxes, the revenues wlll not go foradm.il1istrative costs, SUgarman promised.At a similar publiC hearing Tuesday,Fowlkes mentiOned that no one from thegeneral public bad appeared, and he ex­. pressed hope that more interest would be. sI)own. However, only five per9(lns showed: up Friday, other than some city department' heads.: Building department chief William Wof­:foni has oPp!l';ed th~ movlnl( of his dtpart·ment into a communIty develOpment depart·ment. However, Jackson's plan Includes thisstep and Wofford said Friday he \\'Quld sup­: port it.assurance that no tax Increase Of budgetdeficit would be required to pay for Jackson'sproposed city revamp.Jackson's top aide admitted there Is noroom in the budget for another $299,000. Hesaid, "These costs will be absorbed in avariety of minor changes, but primarily bydelaying the filling of non-critical vacancies."Sugarman explained that as jobs openup, they will be left Wlfilled for a few weeksor months to save the salary costs. The ~lice and fire departments and probably thewater department wouJd be exempt fromthis practice, he said.SUgarman told the committee that ofthe approximate1y 8,000 city employes, about10 per cent "can either be used more efn-See MONEY, Page ll-A~ Iearly' last mooth said combining police andfire arson unlts would be one advantage of asingle Publk Safety Department.Although Jackson wants to create thepubtic safety "super·agency," Sugarmansaid Friday they plan to leave the separatearson teams untouched.Over-aU, JacksOn's revamp plan wouldcreate nine "commissioners," six of whomwould fill brand new jobs, to QVet"See thedoings of the present 22 active departmentbeads.Tbe City Council JJ'JJSt ratify Jackson'splan. Jackson has been lobbying for thecouncil to grant preliminary approval at itsM.onday meeting so the plan can be officially~ted by the March 4 meeting.The F1nance Committee FTiday voted togive f40,LOO to an upcoming OrganIzation ofAmerican States (OAS) convention, $34,000to the Urban Qbgeryatory in the mayor's CJlficeand $32,000 to salary increases in thePersonnel Department,Councilmen Gutbman and GeorgeCotsakls grumbled that these appropriation.'!should be delayed until the mayor showsthem exactly how he will finance his reorganization-buttheir votes were overridden.Finance Director Olarles Davis explainedlater that the city started 1974 with $151,-000 in a reserve appropriations account. Forvarious salary upgrades, $83,000 was latertaken from that accoont.Hov.'ever, $72,000 from a reserve forcouncil staff salaries was later transfenedto the general contingency aceount, bringingit up to $140,0lO, But the $106,000 spentFriday cuts it back to $34,000 .Davis said there is no reserve aCCO\2ltfor extra administrative salarles. However,the mayor still bas $72,000 in reserve to expandhis staff.The committee also approved a payraise for Reggie Eaves, Jackson's second·in·command after Sugannan, from $29,068 to$30,316. There are 'll per900S on the mayor'sstaff."ttr .atlanta 10urnaI Sotllrdoy, Feb. 16, 1974. ~evamp FundsPlan OfferedBy HA...~K EZELL, Atlanta can get the $XlD,OOOIt needs to implement MayorMa}'na~ Jacks:xt's ~vereorgaruz.alion plan by Jeavin&:other jobs tempocariJy unfilled,Chief Administrative omcerJule ~ says..Sugarman told the city~'s ~ttee crt theuecmve Fnday that the p0-lice and fire departments","OUkl be exempt from thedeiays in "the filliDg of om·critic.al vacancies.".9:rncwbere in 8,000 jobs,there are 10 per cent that canbe used more effectively or~e away with.," Sugannan... d.The city has far less in\bXImmi.tlfd funds than the$298,800 which m:rganb;atiooWill C05t tbi.s year.• Afler considerable ~p_( rom CouDciIman RIchard."othman, &Igannani quarterly report to the council,detailq exactly lIrherethe taviJWs ha\-e beta made..The tunmlttee quickly .(­cepUd the oller. ComciknanBuddy Fowlkea abo IrIt:ed~~ 00 p r epare aprojectiOn of where the costcutting Will be done.Moot of the nearly mo,ooois to 1(0 for salaries and Cringebenefils lor Six new ":qJetexecutives" and their ~Each 01 the new departmentCOfTUllimioners would abo get$7,000 for eqUipment and otheroticc expeJ1StS.Jacboo's reorganization~_10proposes a newlevel of admlnIstration. Therewould be a total of nine de­_ amnlOllonen. "'"three .... be nn..by incumbent departmentheods.The oommtttt-e made anumber ~ ehanges in theonIin3nce, the _ ~CSlt bEl!ng the decision to thiftt b e architecttnl sen1ce1funeUon bact into the dcJrrWnof bulldina: official WlIUam R.Wofford.There was no objection toSUgannan's descriptioD of amajor InnovatJoo in the rtOr­,anU:atJon JlI'OI»"-3I- rtmovuwthe IIeCOnd le\'el of theadministrative 3tructure fromCivil Serv:ice,The hnov.Uon would amleave that second level withno fixed terms 0: office, 3 dis·tinct departure from. pastpractice.The commlttee sho""f!d IItUeJnterest in the future elfect orthaI d\ange, but doomed 011length the effect It m1gbt ha\'eno several iDcumbent. admin-""" ......One ImpriJe at the- Fridayafternoon hearing 11' a s theemergoooe of an apparentlywidely held belief that thel'OOrganizalm plan coold bemoclined Within 111'0 yean...The 3G-membet citizen com­~ which ci'ew up thenew CIty charter went 00 somelength in an attempt to assurethat the fU'Sl execufu-e reorganizationwould get a t""~,'par II')'IJ"JI btfore It could be''P