Council nastiness: Behind the scenes of massive Peachtree City budget battle

We have a genuine clash, a battle royal, if you will, over Peachtree City’s fiscal year 2025 budget. The difference between the two sides is monumental and will directly affect whether we tax some homeowners out of our community or not.

I am about to give you a unique, behind-the-scenes view that most people will never see. You will get a glimpse of what some honest, thoughtful elected officials have to endure when they take a stand in favor of the constituency.

To see my previous column on the city budget scandal, see https://thecitizen.com/2024/06/24/uncompromised-council-to-slap-you-with-another-big-tax-increase/.

Two council members — Suzanne Brown and Clint Holland — want a day of reckoning regarding the constant tax increases. The mayor wants it her way exclusively: more taxes, more spending, and more facilities. Another council member — Frank Destadio — backs the mayor and attempts to bully the two budget reduction protagonists into backing down. The last member is on vacation, and no one has heard a word from her.

Let me tell you what you will never see in a city staff communication to the city council on the city’s budget: anything related to the impact on taxpayers.

Steven Covey spilled the secret to good governance: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” The Peachtree City government shows little sign of caring about its citizens. The lack of empathy is clear in the government’s official presentations and correspondence.

Open records: May 8, shots fired!

 Interim City Manager Justin Strickland to the city council: “See attached for a copy of the presentation that staff presented to you all last night … We will begin working on the [FY 2025 Budget] document itself as well as further analysis of the KPTCB budget to make a logical recommendation for that proposed increase,” (Fee Schedule Presentation, May 8 email).

Strickland’s presentation highlighted substantial increases in city fees, licenses, and permits, from your kids’ recreation teams to building fees for your house or business. The cost of creating business opportunities, maintaining a business, or upgrading your house goes up significantly with the fees, licenses, and permits.

There is also another increase in your stormwater utility fees on the horizon.

“The city’s top program is to maintain existing service levels in all divisions and departments, so unless otherwise told by council, our objective is to maintain the services we provide to our citizens, the baseline is set, agreed upon by staff and council on what that baseline is through this budget process, and anything that we add or take away from the budget has to be justified,” Strickland stated. “Anything we add has to have some kind of revenue associated with it to pay for it.”

The budget does not reflect maintaining services but rather growing spending, adding more employees, and adding more facilities. The current economy be damned, it’s full speed ahead. This becomes abundantly clear when we start looking into the private conversations bordering on shouting matches between the elected officials and the interim city manager.

This was the start of the city manager’s “keep paying more to keep playing more” attitude, designed to drain your checking account of a lot more money. Strickland refers to this attitude as “Uncompromised Excellence,” meaning there is no limit to what you, the taxpayer, can spend.

When you look at the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, the term “baseline” is a hoax. There is only adding to and no subtracting from the budget. There is little justification for the added expenses, especially in an inflated economy.

Open Records: May 10, all about the city government, not the taxpayers

“We have more [additional expenditure] requests this year [for FY 2025] than any other year than I have been here,” said Strickland (“Weekly Email Communication,” May 10 email).

The city manager wants more spending, more employees, and more facilities and did not point out a single area where the city has built efficiencies or reduced spending. They are not even trying, and some of the spending is outright ridiculous. In a budget workshop meeting, Mayor Kim Learnard gave her approval of Strickland’s efforts, saying, “I support this 100%, and I really appreciate it, Justin; thank you.”

Strickland piled on personnel increases, new capital projects, and a cost-of-living pay increase (after they recently approved across-the-board pay increases and bonuses?) for fiscal year 2025. He also added that a “potential facilities bond within the next year or two” will be added to our annual tax statements in the near term (“Weekly Email Communication,” May 10 email).

Reading the behind-the-scenes email does not give the impression that most of the city council or city staff have ever considered, much less attempted, to empathize with the taxpayers’ economic conditions.

Open Records: June 6, It’s all city staff and no elected officials

Interim City Manager Strickland to the city council: “I thought the first budget workshop went very well this past Tuesday [June 4].” He continues, “Staff and I have been working very hard on preparing the FY25 Budget and we believe that it will represent our vision of Uncompromised Excellence. We are still looking at things and putting the final version together,” (“Weekly Email Communication,” June 6 email).

They had a budget workshop without a copy of the FY 2025 budget. The presentation amounted to a lot of pomp and circumstance. In fact, the council members would not receive an actual copy of the budget until June 14, just four days prior to the next budget workshop on June 18, effectively preventing any sound discussion for lack of time to thoroughly review the hundreds of pages.

“Budgeting requires the legislative body and executive branch to work together to decide on the most efficient and effective way to spend a city’s revenues. The budget process involves conflict resolution, competition for scarce resources, and developing alternatives and compromises” (“A Budget Guide for Georgia’s Municipalities,” Georgia Municipal Association).

The Georgia Municipal Association’s depiction of the municipal budgeting process is the antithesis of how the Peachtree City government currently operates.

Peachtree City’s mayor and council members all have equal authority over the city’s affairs with a hybrid “weak mayor” form of governance. You would never know it watching how the mayor and top staff members behave.

All the budgeting efforts seem to be focused on the city staff maintaining tight control of the process, with the mayor pulling the strings and keeping the other elected officials at bay. “Efficient and effective,” as suggested by the Georgia Municipal Association, never appears in the city staff’s lexicon. Likewise, as you will see, “conflict resolution” and “developing alternatives and compromises” are absent as well in Peachtree City.

Some claim Mayor Learnard and Strickland have tight-fisted control over the rapidly growing budget. Reading their private correspondence seems to verify it.

Open Records: June 14, It’s whatever they want

In the June 14 email (“Weekly Email Communication,” June 14), Strickland plays his usual game of playing with the numbers to create the best look, citing the millage for “the past 12 years,” which includes the Great Recession and the greatest property value fluctuations in Fayette County since the Great Depression.

Strickland is quick to remind the council members that “our total millage is lower than both Tyrone and Fayetteville,” even though that is an apples-and-oranges comparison.

Surprisingly, Strickland added a 3 percent cost-of-living increase for city staff even though the city recently implemented across-the-board pay increases, bonuses, and increased retirement benefits. Add to that a new “dedicated employee progression system” that creates even more compensation increases.

The budget includes a second “splash pad project” that was never approved by the city council and cost around $450,000. The maintenance costs of such facilities are very high.

Paid studies in the budget include a “boundary study” looking at more annexations. Remember, the southern annexations near Starr’s Mill are now costing us millions of additional tax dollars for a new fire station, equipment, and personnel to provide coverage and also the extension of other city services.

There is also a “911 feasibility study” because the city is foolishly considering taking over 911 operations from the county government, which would cost a fortune to provide (think huge tax increases). Many years ago, the city gladly handed over emergency calls to the county because the cost was a financial millstone around the city taxpayer’s necks.

The FY 2025 budget creates 11 additional well-paid positions, quite a few of which are unnecessary. The city has added 55 new positions since 2015.

The budget also creates six more school resource officers (making 61 new positions), with the board of education covering most of the cost.

In the email, Strickland admits that “there were way more positions and projects requested than ended up making the budget,” which conveys the attitude of discounting the plight of the taxpayers from the department directors.

Strickland also maintained that six more firefighters/EMTs will need to be hired the following year to fill the new multi-million dollar fire station operation to be built because of the southern annexations.

Strickland to the city council: “I am happy with what we are proposing.” As the council members are picking up their large budget books the same day, Strickland mentions, “We will discuss further in 2x2s, the workshop [in four days], and in the weeks to come,” (“Weekly Email Communication,” June 14 email).

Those “2x2s” are closed-door meetings with city staff, two council members at a time to evade the Georgia Open Meetings Act. It becomes obvious that Strickland and Learnard want to keep the detailed budget discussions out of earshot of the taxpayers.

At this point, a council member with good intentions is scrambling to dig into the budget because of the short time frame. This gives the advantage to Strickland and Learnard’s desire for more spending, more employees, and more facilities in FY 2025.

Learnard has stated that she does not think it is necessary for department directors to defend their budgets in a public forum for the edification of citizens (see https://thecitizen.com/2024/06/24/uncompromised-council-to-slap-you-with-another-big-tax-increase/).

Open Records: June 22, the bullying begins

Council Member Frank Destadio to Council Member Suzanne Brown: “Suzanne, I was personally unhappy that you chose to respond to Steve Brown’s e-mail asking all the budget questions.”

You can see my interview questions and Council Member Brown’s responses at https://thecitizen.com/2024/06/21/council-member-brown-sees-no-move-toward-cutting-expenses-or-taxes-for-peachtree-city/.

I sent the budget interview questions to Strickland because he presented the budget and Council Member Brown because she ran for office as a staunch fiscal conservative.

Destadio’s belligerence continued, “You responding and not our city manager, was embarrassing. Justin told all of us in our 2X2’s, he was preparing the reply, but no, you had to jump in and claim to have the answers and not the city manager,” (“Response to Steve Brown,” June 22 email).

Strickland, no doubt, sent Destadio the interview questions. I can understand why Destadio did not want his colleague to give her responses, as Destadio has become an advocate for keeping government business out of the public.

Again, Destadio snarls at Council Member Brown, “Justin clearly told him [Steve Brown] he would respond to every question after he had gathered all the ‘accurate and correct answers,’ something I am sure you did not do. Additionally, you do not speak for the council, only yourself.”

Council Member Brown took her time in generating a reply to Destadio, sending an email response dated June 25. In a demonstration of class, she takes the high road in her response.

“Frank, I’m a bit taken aback by your email. I consider you a good friend. Multiple elected officials have responded to Steve Brown’s interview questions” (“Response to Steve Brown,” June 25 email). She notes that Council Member Laura Johnson had responded to interview questions before and did not receive criticism.

“If you think anything I said is inaccurate, I invite you to share that with me,” said Brown. She continued, “Frank, although we are sometimes on the opposite side of an issue, I appreciate you as a person, and I appreciate your past [military] service to this country.”

Council Member Brown was undeterred by Destadio’s bullying because four hours earlier, she sent an email to Strickland asking for budget data, wanting a full rollback of the city’s millage rate. What’s more, Destadio’s attempt to get Council Member Brown to back down previously might have spurred her on.

Open Records: June 25, trying to stop the tax bleeding

At 5:21 PM, Council Member Brown sent an email to Strickland announcing, “Fayette County [Board of Commissioners] just approved a full rollback! Where there is a will, there is a way” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 25 email). Note, pay close attention to the time of the email.

(For more on the county government’s full rollback of their millage rate, see: https://thecitizen.com/2024/06/24/fayette-sets-adoption-of-no-tax-increase-budget-at-thursday-meeting/.)

“We have a lot of angry citizens, and we are at the point where we need to be more responsive to our citizens by rolling back our millage rate,” Brown told Strickland. She proposed setting up an alternative budget to use for comparison at the July 11 budget meeting.

Here is data that Council Member Brown requested from Strickland and staff:

• “A 5% reduction in all individual department budgets except public safety. Please give me the dollar figure for each department in savings.”

• “A 2% reduction in the police and fire budgets. Please give me the dollar figure for each department in savings.”

• “A count of all new positions minus public safety positions. What are the savings of a temporary freeze for all new hires except public safety.”

• “A list of all expenses related to new projects, service contracts, and vehicle and equipment purchases, asking to have those items prioritized by staff, asking if any of it can be postponed to FY 2026.”

She also requested some historical data for fiscal years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2024 to use for comparison, including:

• “The total number of city employees, filled positions and number of total positions by year.”

• “Total number of vehicles (including heavy equipment and roadworthy vehicles).”

• “The actual year-end budget amount for the general fund.”

Council Member Brown concluded by saying, “I think it would be valuable to see how and when the city budget grew to its current level.”

Open Records: June 25, Mayor Learnard knows better; back off!

It appears that Strickland immediately ran to Learnard on the threat of having to practice accountability and reduce the budget. Just one hour after Council Member Brown sent her budget email to Strickland, Learnard came rushing in with an email at 6:46 PM to save the requests for more spending, more employees, and more facilities in FY 2025 and force Brown to back off.

Learnard copied her email to all council members and city staff to reinforce the browbeating she was about to give.

In typical Kim Learnard fashion, she begins, “Suzanne and all, as I am in my eleventh municipal budget season I will share a few facts about our cities budget process,” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 25).

The lecture from Learnard continues, “It is the City Manager’s job to provide City Council with the best budget, telling us, in effect, ‘this is what I need to do my job.’” She continues, “Our responsibility as council members is to understand the rationale and the priorities, asking meaningful questions, gain a thorough understanding of the numbers, and make sure the budget will allow us to uphold the standards we have set for Peachtree City.”

Council Member Brown appeared to be doing exactly that in her email: understanding the rationale and the priorities, asking meaningful questions, and understanding the numbers. But don’t mess with Learnard’s large tax increases.

Then Learnard goes into full smoke and mirrors public relations mode, saying, “Our city leaders, including City Council members and Executive Leadership, have adopted a vision of ‘uncompromised excellence’ as a guidepost in everything we do. This includes budget.”

She continues, “Sure, there are lots of ways to cut the budget, lots of staff positions that could be eliminated or left unfilled, programs that could be reduced, maintenance that could be deferred. Slashing line items to fit artificially created budget goals based on numbers alone is easy; that’s what spreadsheets are for. But that would run counter to our mutual, overarching, citywide goal of uncompromised excellence.”

In case you do not speak Learnard, here is the interpretation: How dare you question anything I want! I don’t care if the taxpayers are angry and you have some legitimate concerns about the budget. This is my city and my “uncompromised excellence” ad campaign. Keep your hands off my spreadsheets and get back in line.

Just like the old corrupt Peachtree City Development Authority, which kept using the phrase “world class” to gloss over its unlawful deeds, Learnard clings to “uncompromised excellence” to yank more money out of your checking account.

To put budget-conscious Council Member Brown back in her place, Learnard concludes, “Most new Council Members spend a couple of years listening, learning, asking questions, and gaining an understanding of the city budget. It’s important to know how the process works, the role of the City Manager, and the role of Council Members.”

She continues, “And while our job is certainly to ask questions and be knowledgeable about our budget, we are not here to unilaterally dictate our own vision or priorities to the City Manager, especially priorities that run counter to what our city leadership as a whole has agreed upon. I hope this keeps us all on the same page.”

For those who do not speak Learnard, here is the interpretation: Keep your mouth shut and stop asking budget questions; I am in control here! Even though the voters of Peachtree City elected you to represent them, Suzanne, stop pleading the taxpayers’ case to the city manager and get back in line.

The elitism and belittlement in Learnard’s email correspondence designed to shut Council Member Brown down an hour after she made a thoughtful inquiry to the interim city manager on collecting some data from city staff to aid in developing an alternative budget is repulsive.

Open Records: June 25, the smackdown continues

Later the same evening, at 9:30 PM, Strickland bolstered Learnard’s previous email, saying, “Councilwoman Brown, I could put together alternatives for City Council to consider but it would take my time to do this. I am adding all of council on to here [copied on the email] as I feel this is a significant request that would need to come from City Council itself as a mandate,” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 25 email).

God forbid that Strickland has to spend some time on the simple, easy-to-obtain request for budget data from Council Member Brown. It’s only a $55 million issue. Shake our collective heads; these people are unbelievable.

Let’s remember that the city’s FY 2025 budget is an official agenda item and there is no majority of council members necessary to ask for pertinent data on the agenda item.

The city council and staff have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers, and it’s the single largest decision the council members will make all year. But, please, do not ask the staff to spend a couple of hours at most pulling official data for a council member who wants to fulfill her obligation to the taxpayers.

Less than two hours later, at 11:01 PM, Strickland sent an email to the entire city council with cherry-picked pieces of the data from Council Member Brown’s request. After saying he would not do it, he did some of it and used a hack device to adjust the budget numbers using the consumer price index, which is in no way a sole metric for determining budget comparisons.

This is just shabby, manipulative tactics from the interim city manager. It’s bad enough that he did the mayor’s bidding, immediately running to the mayor, and saying he would not respond to Council Member Brown’s request for data, but then he comes back with bits of it, using distortive tricks to blow her off.

Open Records: June 26, not taking it any longer

In response to Learnard’s shut up and sit down email lecture to Council Member Brown and copied to the entire council and staff, Council Member Clint Holland stated that budgets are familiar territory for him. “I can summarize the initial board response with this statement: the 1st pass on the budget is never the accepted budget, it will always take some iterations to make it a final accepted budget,” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 26 email).

“It bothers me with your email lecture to all city council members as that is what you did to me last year [for the FY 2024 budget],” said Holland to Learnard.

“It takes time to do and requires honest communication one-on-one, not an email reprimand to the whole council and city manager(s),” Holland retorted. He continued, “Quoting the ‘uncompromised excellence’ statement for a budget is a poor cover for management of the citizens tax money.”

Referring to the city council’s fiduciary responsibility, Holland responded, “We are all looking for the same thing, uncompromised excellence in service to our citizens. But let us remember that it is their money we are taking from them by imposing ever increasing taxes.”

Agreeing with his colleague Brown, Holland replied, “I really would like to do a 2nd or 3rd look at the budget and compare that to previous budgets. Yes, it will take staff time but that is why we have a staff to do this type of work for the city.”

“It’s time to look at reducing taxes to our citizens so they can see that we are good stewards of their money,” Holland concluded. “I suggest that we seriously look at a millage roll-back this year as I feel very confident we can find the money in our budget to make this happen.”

Open Records: June 27, doubling down on bullying

Furious at Holland’s attempts to join Brown in looking for alternative budget options and a rollback of the millage rate, Destadio charged back into the fray with a vicious email response.

Destadio began by saying that during his military service days, he relied solely on his “excellent financial managers,” and he never questioned them, saying, “To second and third guess them is ridiculous” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 27 email).

Drastically overstating what Holland and Brown were requesting, Destadio launched a few verbal bombs, “I am completely NOT IN FAVOR of having the budget redone for Suzanne and Clint. If they do not want to approve what we have, they can vote that way.”

Continuing to hammer away, Destadio said, “I am not going to do that. Suzanne and Clint need to grow up and either work with the other council members or expect more of this type of pushback on their request in the future.”

Destadio’s threatening behavior is astounding. He has never been the same since he underwent major medical treatment; his demeanor is revolting.

Perhaps Destadio should consult the top manual for municipalities in Georgia on budgeting: “The budget process involves conflict resolution, competition for scarce resources, and developing alternatives and compromises” (“A Budget Guide for Georgia’s Municipalities,” Georgia Municipal Association).

Learnard and Destadio’s forceful demand that the entire council shut up and accept the budget with more spending, more employees, and more facilities in the midst of a suspect economy with no opportunity for alternatives is an affront to good governance.

Remember, it was Learnard and Destadio, along with Council Member Laura Johnson, who voted to change city ordinances to keep other council members and citizens from being able to place items on a council meeting agenda for discussion. There is a definite trend.

As if Destadio had not already created enough carnage, two hours later, he launched another vicious email directed at Holland, saying, “Clint, as I have requested to you several times, stop preaching to us, or at least to me,” (Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 27 email).

In a moment of paranoia, Destadio states, “You claim that you want to work with the other Council Members, yet all you do is continue to provide Steve Brown info that makes the Mayor and other Council members look like we do not have a clue.”

For the record, the content from my columns comes from the city council meetings, meeting minutes, other documents produced by the city government, and interviews via email (and I print their responses verbatim).

Yes, many times, the antics of the mayor and certain council members look counterproductive and sometimes downright foolish. Note that Destadio has never directly challenged any of the facts or opinions in my columns.

Destadio rebuked Holland for including a specific new infrastructure project in the FY 2025 budget, saying, “Why not just cut your requests which will generate a lot of funds for a rollback to the citizens?” However, after reviewing the FY 2025 budget, I found that the infrastructure project (a bridge or tunnel across Highway 54) is not in the FY 2025 budget.

Open Records: June 27, no longer going to take it

Later that day, Holland states the obvious regarding Destadio’s bullying tactics, “Frank, first of all, I have made this email chain for the council members, not everyone. I am sorry if you think I am redoing the budget this year,” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 27).

Stating the obvious, Holland continues, “I am only asking questions of the budget information from our staff.”

Then Holland issues the challenge to Destadio, “It’s funny, last year you were all in favor of me asking questions of the budget, even encouraging me, yet this year you are against me asking anything about the budgets. What has changed, Frank? what really is it, Frank? Should I sit quietly and do nothing like some people on our council?”

A frustrated Holland continued, “I, like you, have lots of experience and we are elected to use our experience to make proper decisions for the good of our city and all our citizens. At least that is the oath I took when elected to council!”

Challenging Destadio’s tactics, Holland says, “Your accusation 2nd and 3rd guessing is preposterous. I’m sorry you feel that way, Frank, at least I am asking questions, are you?”

Six minutes later, Holland comes back with an addendum to his previous email to Destadio.

Holland refutes Destadio’s accusation that all Holland does is provide Steve Brown with information that makes the Mayor and other Council members look like they do not have a clue. He retorts, “The only time I spoke to him [Steve Brown] was to defend [former city manager] Bob Curnow and again to defend the staff regarding what was written about them. I hope you remember that you and Kim [Learnard] encouraged me to do that!”

A discouraged and frustrated Holland concluded his email with this: “I have defended you against people who question your ability on council while undergoing [censored by the columnist]. It pains me to read what you write as that is not the Frank that I used to know.”

Referring to the Councilman Destadio of one year ago, Holland affirmed, “He would call and talk with me or anyone to work things out, unfortunately things have changed dramatically over the past 12 months.”

Open Records: June 27, Destadio sees he can’t back colleagues Brown and Holland down

After dwelling on Holland’s exasperated rebuttal for one hour, Destadio attempts to change his tone and drop the accusations and threats. It’s as though Destadio is playing both the “bad cop” and the “good cop,” trying to indoctrinate Holland.

Destadio starts off, “Clint, asking questions is what is expected.” Funny, Destadio previously said never to question the city staff on the proposed budget,” (“Requested budget items and data, for study, and consideration,” June 27 email).

Destadio follows with, “Requesting another complete budget do-over is ridiculous which is what was reported to me.”

Neither Council Member Brown nor Holland ever asked for a complete budget do-over. They asked for simple budget data and the mayor, Destadio, and the interim city manager refused. Then Destadio said it’s not him, but that someone “reported” it to him. Who reported it to him?

Destadio’s next statement borders on tyranny. He says, “The time to ask your questions is over, now we should be presenting the budget to the citizens and supporting our combined budget.”

So, the council members had to sit through the first dog and pony show budget meeting without a copy of the FY 2025 budget.

Then, on June 14, only four days before the second budget meeting on June 18, they were given hundreds of pages of budget material.

Next, discovering legitimate questions related to the budget sparked questions and inquiries from two elected officials about some budget items and the budget process, but those inquisitive council members were rebuffed and told to keep their mouths closed and vote for what was in front of them.

Last, in an attempt to make Holland feel guilty, Destadio concludes, “Kim [Learnard] said that after your last mtg with Justin he is considering leaving. I truly hope not.”

Let’s drip with sarcasm here: How dare Council Member Clint Holland meet with the interim city manager and ask him to do his job and respond to the requests for official city data of his superiors on the city council so that he and his colleagues could make some huge decisions revolving around the proposed $55 million in expenditures.

To use the worn-out public relations tagline from Strickland himself, his work ethic and attitude do not exhibit “uncompromised excellence.”

Open Records: June 28, the newest council member refuses to go away

Council Member Brown just had her 70th birthday. She is devoted to the citizens, and if you knew her life story, you would know why she fights for the underdogs. Single moms, senior citizens, and those battling government non-caring government bureaucracy, she knows all about it.

The way Mayor Learnard, Councilman Destadio, and Interim City Manager Strickland treat her in meetings and behind the scenes is inexcusable. No one deserves that kind of rude, demeaning treatment.

What I really appreciate most about Council Member Brown is her internal fortitude. Her devotion to the constituents is drawn from her religious and civic integrity.

A weary and battle-bruised Brown writes to colleague Holland: “I’m concerned about what Frank said in his message to you, and even more concerned about what the mayor wrote to me. Thank you for standing up for me,” (“Budget,” June 28 email).

She confidently reminds Holland, “Her [Learnard] bully tactic will not work.”

She tells Holland that she has been researching municipal budgets and that the Georgia Municipal Association handbook describes a process that mirrors what she and Holland are attempting, quoting from the manual, “At this time [public budget meetings] the City Council may choose to add or delete items from the budget or make other adjustments.”

The erosion of local governance is deep

The final budget public hearing is July 11 and the final vote on setting the millage rate will be in August.

This open records request has illuminated several points. First, not all elected officials are uncaring or incompetent. Some are willing to battle for your family, and many times, they take a beating for doing so.

Second, never think that the government has your best interests in mind. Do not be afraid to challenge your government and demand transparency and accountability. Never accept the “sit-down and shut-up” bluster from your elected officials.

Lastly, who we elect to political office matters. Citizens all over Fayette County are waking up to that reality. I have been heavily involved in politics surrounding Fayette County for over two decades, and I have never been more worried about who is in charge and where they are taking us.

But for now, if you live in Peachtree City, email the entire City Council and demand that they give your elected officials the budget data that they are requesting and that alternative options be considered. That is not a difficult request; in fact, it’s what they should be doing.

You can reach the entire council via e-mail at [email protected].

See my interview with Interim City Manager Justin Strickland here: https://thecitizen.com/2024/07/09/peachtree-city-plans-more-spending-in-new-budget/.

[Brown is a former mayor of Peachtree City and served two terms on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. You can read all his columns by clicking on his photo below.]