GDOT cuts road repairs, instead of jobs

TV monitor at budget hearings showing page of proposed 2009 draft budget, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans today laid out proposals for recouping her department’s $456 million dollar deficit – in part.

GDOT has to cut that sum from the 2009 fiscal year, to make up for that sum in the '08 budget.

GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans holds up a folder containing the 2009 budget, at a meeting with the transportation board on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 where she put forth budget-cutting proposals. (Dave Bender)

Among the tough proposals Evans offered the board was slashing over 500 jobs – a road not taken by the transportation board:

“Oh, we’re ecstatic. We’re really thrilled. I mean, to me, every time you saw a list from us, the last thing we wanted to do was lay off employees. It’s a very difficulty decision for the board between those state aid projects, that are local, community-driven projects versus laying off employees.”

Evans explains a point in the draft budget proposal to reporters after the GDOT transportation board session on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Evans says a one-day employee furlough program was also ruled out.

GDOT spokesman David Spears, however, says the Local Assistance Road Program (LARP), which funds local and county road repairs, including pot holes, was among the major cutbacks the board agreed to:

“It’s a total of 52 million dollars that we’ll be unable to distribute to local governments in the coming year. We’re hoping we’re going to be able to identify new funding sources or new savings as we go from month to month in our budget process, and be able to redirect some of that money back into local assistance.”

Evans faced tough questioning from the board members during the morning session, including issues of protocol.

Board Member Dana Lemon, who represents the 13th Congressional District, chided Evans over forwarding the draft directly to the Office of Planning and Budget, without the board getting a look at it first:

Evans: “Ms. Lemon, I’m not sure when we would have possibly been able to get any more information…”

Lemon: “Gina, we get inundated all the time with stuff from you guys, so we could have seen it; we might not have been able to address it at a meeting, but we all could have at least looked at it, reviewed it…”

Officials say that rocky interchange is but a verbal example of the bumpy road drivers can expect on Georgia’s highways and interchanges in the coming fiscal year.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of GDOT and other transportation issues.

Dekalb schools to offer buyouts to some

The DeKalb County school system will offer buyouts to nearly 200 veteran employees. Faced with budget cuts and rising fuel prices, the district's school board is expected to approve the plan at a meeting Monday. Employees must have at least 30 years experience or be age 60 with at least 10 years of time with the district to qualify for a buyout.

State DOT reassigns treasurer

The state Department of Transportation board has voted to reassign its longtime treasurer. This comes as the Department continues to clean-up its books in addressing a 1.2 billion dollar deficit.

DOT officials say the re-assignment of Earl Mahfuz to assistant treasurer is not a demotion, but simply part of a long-term plan to address an expected run of senior staff retirements in the next few years. Mahfuz is within 18 months of reaching 30 years of state service.

But the move does come as the DOT has spent the past month going through its books to correct what a state audit report called "material weaknesses" in its accounting.

The DOT’s David Spear says the process has yielded good results:

"The good news relative to the deficit is that we’re whittling it down day-by-day taking steps to get our fiscal ’08 books balanced"

Spear says the deficit is now down to only 6 to 7 million dollars, down from 1.2 billion. But, he says going forward into the fiscal '09 year, the DOT's budget may only be half of its previous 2-billion dollar amount.

Spear also says that while he understands why Georgia taxpayers might have skepticism over the DOT's operations in recent years, that will change in the near future:

"I’m sure we’ve shaken their trust over the last few months in the department. I think what they’re going to see going forward through this transition which is a painful one...I think they’re going to see a department that is more responsive, is more responsible and will be focusing on the things that really do yield the most benefit".