Candidate Lee Hearn responds to Ognio’s charges

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Let’s set the record straight about [Fayette County Commission Chairman Randy] Ognio’s deficit budgets. Please go to fayettecountyga.gov which is the Fayette County website. Please click on Finance/Budget. Then click on Annual Budget which is the last line found in the box. Please click FY 2016.

Please go to page 20 which is titled Summary of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in the Fund Balance. The Fund Balance is the County’s savings account. Now look at the column titled FY 2015 Actual and the row titled Net Increase (Decrease) in the Fund Balance.

For FY 2015 the decrease in the fund balance is $1,897,135. This clearly shows (proves) that in FY 2015 Ognio’s expenses were larger than his total revenue. This is a DEFICIT BUDGET.

Please look at each of Ognio’s budgets and you’ll find that four of Ognio’s budgets were DEFICIT budgets.

Please look at the FY 2020 Budget Report. Again please go to page 20 and look at the row titled Net Increase (Decrease) in Fund Balance.

The forecast for 2020 is a $2,735,321 (deficit) decrease in the fund balance. The forecast for 2021 is an $834,461 deficit. The forecast for 2022 is an $187,306 deficit.

Ognio’s budget plan isn’t headed in a positive direction. Again Ognio is clearly trying to deliberately mislead the tax payers of Fayette County. Please check this out for yourself.

Ognio voted for a tax increase when he approved the millage rate in 2019. Ognio didn’t increase the millage but due to the increase in the digest additional taxes were collected.

My Fayette County M&O taxes have gone up each year Ognio has been in office as the assessment of my home has increased each year. The assessments have gone up more than the small reduction of the millage rate, hence my taxes keep going up.

Fayette County has had a very good Land Use Plan for many years. The rezoning Ognio approved on Sandy Creek and Veterans Parkway is the worst spot zoning in decades in our County. Please visit this area and ask if this looks like someone protecting the rural character of this area. I don’t want Brooks or Woolsey to ever look like that area.

There is a pattern with Ognio’s statements about the County Budget and he simply is not being truthful. Ognio probably believes no one will take the time to investigate and I say that Lee Hearn took the time and I hope you do too.

Fayette County needs good leadership and I would pledge to you that I’ll work to balance the budget each year. I promise to work tirelessly to represent you the taxpayer and my neighbor.

Please vote for Lee Hearn on June 9th.

Lee Hearn

Candidate for District 2 Post

Fayette County Commission

2 COMMENTS

  1. It’s just ironic how he claims so much dishonesty out of Ognio……yet who’s the one who’s been proven to be dishonest over and over again??? It’s you, Mr. Hearn. You’ve been part of the government swamp long enough. No more of your lies and half-truths. We don’t need another career politician who has lived off the government most of his life. No to Hearn, and I’ll be voting twice for Mr. Ognio.