Takeaways from District 2 forum
• Incumbent Ognio: Road upkeep, public safety should be top priorities, blamed Hearn for leaving county budget in ‘tremendous stress’
• Former Commissioner Hearn: Blamed Ognio for deficit budget, ‘spot zoning’ for Pinewood Studios
Republican candidates for the District 2 seat on the Fayette County Commission faced-off at an April 18 forum held at the headquarters of the Fayette County Republican Party in Fayetteville.
District 2 candidates include Commissioner Randy Ognio and former Commissioner Lee Hearn.
Hearn was up first for opening statements.
Noting what he called “important issues for all of us,” Hearn said, “Mr. Ognio has stated numerous times that his board has a balanced budget every year. Upon my review of the budget documents I found that the 2015 year-end report shows that there was a reduction of the cash on-hand, the fund balance, of $1.85 million. This is a deficit budget in the truest sense of the word. I’m disappointed that Mr. Ognio would state this incorrectly.”
Hearn said Ognio on a number of occasions promised to protect the rural character of Fayette County, “Yet within (his) first few months he voted for a rezoning of 288 acres of pristine, undeveloped property on Sandy Creek Road to general business (commercial). This tract is now part of a 1,200-acre tract annexed into Fayetteville. The county has no input into the development or density of this tract at this time.”
Hearn continued, noting that a large quantity of homes are planned for the area and questioned how traffic will be affected and if water supplies are adequate.
Hearn said he would support the current land use plan and would not support spot-zoning.
On another topic, Hearn said Ognio increased the spending limit of County Manager Steve Rapson soon after he took office from $10,000 to $200,000.
“We no longer have citizen input on (those) purchases and no discussion by the staff and commission members. Accountability is absent,” said Hearn. “I would vote to adjust back down the spending limits of the county manager. We need members on the board of commissioners that are looking after the county’s best interest and want to unite the board of commissioners.”
Ognio in his opening remarks responded to some of Hearn’s comments.
“Yes, we did rezone and brought Pinewood here. I think that was a big, economic plus for the county,” said Ognio, adding that he has spoken out many times and voted against a number of rezonings.
Speaking on Hearn’s time as a commissioner, Ognio said, “Mr. Hearn left us in tremendous stress in the budget, he voted all four years for a budget that wasn’t balanced. The last year he made the motion to accept a budget that was over $2 million upside down.”
Turning to the topic of roads, Ognio said some former commissioners have said that too few roads were being paved.
“But the roads are in such bad shape we can’t just repave them, we have to rebuild them, reconstruct them,” said Ognio. “There are all kinds of issues we’ve been dealing with.”
A question for the candidates asked if the county is experiencing increases in various tax revenues and, if so, how those additional funds should be used.
Hearn in response noted the wide-ranging consequences for nearly all tax revenue sources during the Great Recession, including property values. He acknowledged an upswing since those days.
“How we should spend additional revenue, I would love to see it spent on the roads,” Hearn said, explaining the state of some of the roads in south Fayette. “Roads as a priority would be my first choice. We’ve still got to look at bridges and that sort of thing.”
Responding to the question, Ognio said, “We definitely need to get the roads caught up, there’s no question about that. But we also have to look at public safety. The sheriff has done a really good job with the budget he’s got, but you could always use more there. Our 911 center, we’ve got to pay for that somehow. The bandwidth of the existing radios is going to be obsolete so we’ve got to go with (replacements). (All areas totaled) it’s a $15 million price tag. There are always challenges with the budget, so we’ve got to look at the challenges that are there and figure which of those we can afford to take on and how to do it.”
Summing up, Ognio said the sheriff’s needs and 911 center are on the top of the priority list along with needed road work.
Candidates were asked what means they would propose to generate revenues for vital needs by using, for example, another one-percent sales tax or a millage rate increase.
Hearn responded noting the need for a priority list.
“The way you balance this, Fayette County folks expect a certain level of service. So balancing staffing with the level of service that our citizens expect… as commissioners you’ve got to make hard decisions,” Hearn said. “I think you’ve got to partner with (Ga. Dept. of Transportation) and go after more money. I think you’ve got to talk to your state officials and ask them for help. And to go the table with your municipal partners. So it’s a matter of balancing the level of service with the powers that are available.”
Ognio in his response said, “Tough times have been going on the for the past few years. We rolled back the taxes because we felt like the citizens were having as tough a time as anybody. So at times you’ve got to be aware of what the citizens are going through. Yeah, we’ve got tough decisions. There are a lot of things to consider. Maybe when times get a lot better there may be an issue where you have to start increasing the taxes. But you don’t want to do it when the citizens are struggling.”
A question to the candidates dealt with the recent “Fayette Forward” meeting at Pinewood Atlanta Studios that referenced Fayette County being out of balance on population demographics and centered on attracting people ages 18-34 (Millennials) to Fayette and providing walkable living and working environments. Candidates were asked for their assessment and if the commission has a role in bringing the county into balance.
Ognio in his response said it is obvious that Fayette has an aging population.
“I don’t disagree with that. I have some differences of opinion on how we fix that,” Ognio said. “I think you’ve got to get technology here, for one thing. No youth is going to want to come here with (the dial-up Internet speed that exists in some parts of the county). So we’ve got some challenges to see if we can get our technology level up. We also need to bring those kinds of jobs into the county. I think Pinewood was a step in that direction.”
Hearn acknowledged the issue of unbalanced age demographics, adding that people will find a way to live in Fayette if it remains an attractive location.
“I think we’re perhaps out of balance, but I have two sons who are Millennials,” he said, adding that one son lives in Brooks. “I agree that you have to work for it. It’s not cheap to live in Fayette County. It’s difficult to say what role a commission has other than trying to keep the county an attractive place to live. If it remains an attractive place to live people will find a way (to live here).”
For a complete video view of the forum visit www.myfayettegop.org.
