I. INTRODUCTION / PROCEDURE

Future Funding Commission (FFC) members were appointed in the fall of 2004 by a local civic organization, a county commissioner, or the CEO, Vernon Jones. Appointed FFC members are listed below along with an indication of the number of meetings (full committee through February 5 + public hearings) attended by each appointee. Short biographies were collected from each appointee at an early meeting; see Appendix A.

Dan Adair* (9+4)

Robert Brown (2+0)

Mike Cadger* (11+1)

Doreen Carter*+ (8+1)

Robert Dennis (0+0)

Sara Fountain* (9+3)

Davis Fox*+ (10+3)

Ann Fulmer-Kahn* (11+1)

Jarrett Gorlin (3+0)

Jack Honderd*+ (10+3)

Sylvester Hopewell (1+0)

Warren Hutmacher (1+0)

Fannie Mae Jett (0+0)

Ken Jones* (10+5)

Kelly Jordan (2+2)

John Lawson (4+0)

Claudette Leak* (5+2)

Bob Lundsten*+ (10+5)

George Maddox* (9+1)

C. David Moody Jr. (2+0)

Beth Nathan*+ (10+5)

Nancy Quan-Sellers* (10+5)

Terence Ross (1+0)

Bobby Sanford (2+1)

Coleman Seward* (7+1)

Talley Sweat* (6+4)

Mary Lee Thilman*+ (10+4)

Nadine Thomas (3+0)

Gil Turman (1+0)

Robert Vicevich* (10+2)

Theresa Walker* (10+4)

Ed Wall (3+0)

Yvonne Williams (5+1)

Harold Zinsenheim (7+0)

* Appointee involved in the preparation and approval of this report

+ Appointee participated on the public meetings subcommittee

At early meetings, the FFC elected 3 co-chairs (Mike Cadger, Ken Jones, Ed Wall), reduced November 13, 2004, to a single chair (Ken Jones). The FFC prepared a mission statement as follows.

“To establish a countywide vision in order to prioritize and identify infrastructure needs, projects and funding sources which will increase the value of the economic investments made by DeKalb citizens and businesses and improve the quality of life for all citizens. In accomplishing its mission, the committee will act with transparency and in compliance with the DeKalb County Code of Ethics in its effort to obtain community input and consensus and in a non-partisan manner as responsible stewards of taxpayer funds.”

During November, December and into January, the FFC took input from county staff on unfunded capital needs within the county and on funding mechanisms. In February, a subcommittee of six members designed public meetings for March; including converting the information it had received thus far into materials suitable for public use and creating a totally new flow chart of county funding. Subcommittee designs were vetted by the full committee. Information summaries were published on the web and some of them were used as handouts or large charts at the public meetings.

Minutes of full committee meetings are recorded in Appendix B.

The FFC requested and received county assistance in scheduling appropriate venues and dates for five public meetings. The county also provided county staff from 5 departments for all 5 public meetings, publicity through (# newspapers, radio, TV? Other print?), photocopying of the meeting 5-page handout and production of 12 large display boards, 6 of which are suitable for re-use by the Finance Department. The FFC requested publication of more of the material presented by county staff to the FFC on the county website and a moderator from outside the county for the public meetings; as these items were not provided; the FFC self-published background materials at www.dekalbpolitics.org.

Public Meetings:

	# attending (sign-in sheet count)
Dunwoody Library, Thursday, March 10	124
Maloof Auditorium, Monday, March 14	53
Covington Highway Library, Tuesday, March 15	22
Senior Center, Candler Road, Thursday, March 17	25
Wesley Chapel / Brown Library, Monday, March 21	46
total	270

A set of digital “photos” from all phases of all meetings is attached. <Appendix N>

Each meeting’s agenda was identical (see Appendix C), starting with an FFC introduction, and prepared questions (intended to effectively and expeditiously inform and educate the public) from an FFC member to county staff (Libraries, Parks/Recreation, Transportation, Economic Development, and Finance Departments) for approximately 30 minutes, an audience Q&A period, and a Charrette “dots exercise” to take a sampling of public opinion. Each citizen received 8 green dots to be spread among the Categories, 1 black dot to indicate Overall Priority, and 1 orange dot to indicate favored Funding Method. Additionally, post-it-type notes were available to add categories not on the FFC’s list and/or general comments. The questions asked in the Dots Exercise were as follows.

CATEGORIES: For Which Of These Projects Would You Pay Additional Taxes? (8 green dots)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

· Acquire land – for potential use as a civic center

· Acquire land – for a potential public/private partnership amphitheatre

· No economic development projects

LIBRARY PROJECTS

· Build libraries (2) – in fast growing areas where there are no current facilities

· Replace or expand libraries (9) – where facilities are too small to support current demand

· No library projects

PARKS & GREENSPACE PROJECTS

· Regional parks (5) –Implement master plans including trails, picnic pavilions, sports fields & courts, pools, and recreation centers

· Neighborhood parks (7) –Upgrade existing parks in line with their master plans

· Acquire further land –for park expansion, greenways, trails, and open space

· No parks/recreation projects

TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

· Improve major roads (3) –widening and intersection congestion improvements

· Improve congested intersections (10) – turn lanes, signal improvements and synchronization, etc

· Resurface roads (319 miles) –rated poor to very poor condition

· Build sidewalks (148) – around schools, in high traffic areas, or places with safety issues

· No transportation projects

OVERALL PRIORITIES: Which project type is most in need of funding? (1 black dot)

· Economic Development Projects

· Library Projects

· Parks & Recreation Projects

· Transportation Projects

FUNDING OPTIONS: What funding source is most appropriate? (1 orange dot)

· General budget (property tax millage increase)

· Bond issue (property tax millage increase)

· Sales tax increase

· General budget: existing resources or current revenues

II. RESEARCH RESULTS

NEEDS: DEPARTMENTAL PRESENTATIONS

FINANCE: Overview from 2004 <Appendix D – PowerPoint presentation>
PARKS & RECREATION <Appendix E>
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT <Appendix F>
PUBLIC WORKS: TRANSPORTATION, ROAD & DRAINAGE; Details of SIDEWALK NEEDS <Appendix G>
LIBRARIES <Appendix H – PowerPoint presentation>
Summary of needs items presented, full list and top priorities <Appendix I>

MEANS:

Comparison of Current DeKalb Taxation Rates with Other Metro Counties <Appendix J – PowerPoint presentation>
How Funds Currently Flow <Appendix K – PDF file>
Public Funding Options: Advantages versus Disadvantages <Appendix L – PDF file>
How the Fund Flow could work if 1 Additional Mill were added to property taxes <Appendix M – PDF file>

CHOICES: Public Meeting Dot Exercise Results

	10-Mar	14-Mar	15-Mar	17-Mar	21-Mar	Totals	% of Votes Cast
Signed In	124	53	22	25	46	270

OVERALL PRIORITIES
OED	3	0	0	3	3	9	4.48%
LIBRARIES	20	6	4	2	2	34	16.92%
PARKS & REC	26	8	0	0	12	46	22.89%
TRANSPORTATION	68	17	6	10	7	108	53.73%
NONE OF THE ABOVE		1	1	1	1	4	1.99%
total votes cast						201	100.00%

CATEGORIES
OED Projects
Acquire Land-Civic Center	11		0	2	9	22	1.56%
Acquire Land-Amphitheater			0	4	8	12	0.85%
NONE OF THE ABOVE	107	47	24	16	16	210	14.86%
Libraries
Build New Libraries - 2	43	11	4	11	23	92	6.51%
Replace or Expand - 9	83	36	13	10	10	152	10.76%
NONE OF THE ABOVE	25	2	4	6	5	42	2.97%
Parks & Recreation Projects
Regional Parks - 5	45	15	0	8	14	82	5.80%
Neighborhood Parks - 7	57	18	4	21	19	119	8.42%
Acquire Further Land	49	17	1	4	14	85	6.02%
NONE OF THE ABOVE	45	24	12	1	3	85	6.02%
Transportation Projects
Improve Major Roads	36	6	2	9	12	65	4.60%
Improve Congested Intersections	110	28	2	9	10	159	11.25%
Resurface Roads	121	23	9	8.5	15	176.5	12.49%
Build additional Sidewalks	44	23	8	13.5	9	97.5	6.90%
NONE OF THE ABOVE	7	0	2	1	4	14	0.99%
total votes cast						1413	100.00%

FUNDING OPTIONS					**
General Budget	3	6	0	1	4	14	7.49%
General Obligation Bond Issue	12	1	1	1	6	21	11.23%
Sales Tax Increase	27	8	0	0	5	40	21.39%
Existing Resources or Current Revenues	71	11	10	13	1	106	56.68%
NONE OF THE ABOVE	1	0	1	0	4	6	3.21%
total votes cast						187	100.00%

** 3/21 figures taken from photo rather than summary sheet; to be corrected

ADDITIONAL RESPONSES not on the chart, e.g. post-it note responses:

On Overall Priorities:

Youth Recreation Centers
Multi-sport complex that could host nat'l/regional/state tournaments (like soccer).
Transportation - Not One More Dime!
Do NOTHING- Taxes too high!

· Civic Center to cost $700,000 annual to operate will only bring service jobs while costing millions to operate, lose money in long run, read the Forbes article.

On Economic Development:

Forget It. Use Fulton or Gwinnett facilities (1 vote)
Unrealistic (1 vote)
You might get better response if you would give more specifics of studies done; proof we wouldn't be using tax $ to support it in future, distances to other venues, etc. (1 vote)
We don't need Economic Development Department if this is example of their work (1 vote)
We’d support $125,000 per project for feasibility studies to be conducted (1 vote)
Please explain in detail to community the funding, sales tax, etc. (1 vote)
Need single family homes for SR citizens

On Libraries:

Libraries should be integrated into livable centers initiative programs (1 vote)
Not one more dime! (1 vote)
Build and accommodate the need for extended hours and opening on Sat and Sun for the present and the future (1 vote)
Improvement Gresham Park: Library, Hrs, Service and Staff
Please build library in Ellenwood - we are desperate!

On Parks/Recreation:

OFF LEASH DOG PARK (16 votes)

Rec center/basketball near Redan-Trotti Lib. (1 vote)
Not one more Dime! (1 vote)
How do we insure that the money is properly spent?

On Transportation:

Include Bike Lanes, traffic clearing, road diets (16 votes)
Greenway implementation (1 vote)
Rt turn lanes on S Deshon Rd @ Holt and CSX$$ line. (1 vote)
Rt turn lane @ Holt & Shadowroc (1 vote)
Rt turn lane @ Shadowrock & Stone Mt. Lithonia (1 vote)
Acquire one house & land by rail line to connect Holt with Stone Mt. Lithonia to prevent crossing rail line (1 vote)
No bond money for resurfacing-long term money for short term projects. (1 vote)
Stop all studies and comply with need. US D.O.T. fund according to need

On Funding Options:

Stop making homeowner pay for all
Use impact fees to raise funds
Use more impact fees. Use taxes more efficiently, rescind pay increases for CEO & Commissioners
Stop increasing MY taxes
Ck for efficiencies in operating budget: a. No of County employees per capita; b. employee turnover less than industry- get percentage up - higher qualified; c. employee productivity compared to private; d. layoffs should parallel economy; e. have less employee holidays, vacation days, sick days, etc.
a. Be efficient; b. be responsible; c. Get dead wood out of county; d, Be frugal; e. be trustworthy
No millage increase
What happens when bond is 30 yrs old and the life is 10 yrs? What happens to bond debt due?
Explain in greater detail.

III. RECOMMENDATIONS and CONCLUSIONS

DeKalb County has an excellent record for capital improvements relating to water, sewer and sanitation and has historically provided these services at low cost due to efficient operations. That these fundamental services are delivered at the best value in metropolitan Atlanta reflects superior local government management by the current administration and those of the past twenty years. The Future Funding Commission commends the County for consistently providing high quality and value at reasonable cost. However, the FFC is very concerned about the County’s ability to fund other needed capital improvements on an ongoing basis, given the public’s resistance to increasing taxes. The FFC further believes it is critical that the public be educated concerning the enormous costs associated with maintaining and improving its infrastructure in order to meet the demands associated with an ever-growing population.

DeKalb County’s infrastructure needs are immense. The original list of unfunded infrastructure projects presented to the FFC by County government topped $600,000,000. The FFC determined early in the process that these needs could not be funded in their entirety without placing a crushing burden on taxpayers. The FFC therefore asked County staff to develop a more realistic list of projects, which totaled $236,000,000, in the categories of Transportation, Libraries, Parks and Recreation, and Economic Development. This revised list was presented to the public in a series of five hearings[1]. A brief review of a variety of funding options was also presented at the hearings. Based on its study and public input from these hearings, the FFC recommends that the CEO and the Board of Commissioners consider funding $206,900,000 for the projects as discussed below.

General Recommendations

Because DeKalb County’s needs are overwhelming and cannot be funded in totality, the FFC believes it is imperative that the County, with public input, develop a comprehensive Capital Improvement Program (“CIP”) that:

identifies critical recurring and long-term needs;
creates a systematic program for evaluating and meeting those needs;
is integrated with the Comprehensive Development Plan;
contains an effective public participation process that builds public support for meeting the infrastructure needs; and
includes a mix of permanent funding mechanisms exclusive of HOST tax revenues.

Because it is both economically prudent and reflective of the overwhelming public sentiment, expressed at all five hearings, that financing be done on a “pay as you go” basis, the FFC recommends that:

economic development strategies focus on reversing the current imbalance between commercial (41.5%) and residential properties (58.50%) properties in order to ease the tax burden on residents;

a minimum of one mil of the annual operating budget should be dedicated to financing recurring needs, such as maintenance on parks, other facilities, road resurfacing and congestion relief, even if the County’s millage rate is increased as a result;
general obligation bonds should be used to finance long-term capital investments, such as new buildings and intersection improvement projects;
impact fees are inadequate to fully fund all needed capital improvements, but they should be considered to fund roads, libraries, parks and emergency services for the areas in which they are collected;
a sales tax increase should also be considered, but with caution, because the revenues generated will fluctuate with overall economic conditions and consumers may be driven to other counties with lower sales tax rates; and
that the CEO and the Superintendent of Schools should seek every opportunity to build joint facilities with the Board of Education, and should collaborate in planning, building and maintaining recreation and library facilities at schools.

Specific Recommendations

In descending order of level of support, Transportation, Parks and Recreation, and Library projects were generally well received by the public and the FFC. However, there was virtually no support among the public at any of the hearings for the two proposed Economic Development projects. The following discussion represents the consensus opinion of the FFC, which is based on its study and on its consideration of public input from the five hearings.

Transportation

The FFC’s strong consensus is that transportation needs are critical to maintaining a positive, sustainable quality of life. An overwhelming majority of hearing attendees also indicated that their number one priority is transportation.

The projects receiving the highest level of support were resurfacing roads and improving congested intersections (ranked number 1 and 2 respectively out of 11 choices representing projects from all departments), followed by sidewalks (ranked 5^th) and improvements to arterial roads (ranked 9^th). The total estimated cost for these projects is $79,000,000, as detailed below.

1. Road Resurfacing

The Transportation Department stated that current funding provides for resurfacing only 50 miles of County roads annually, but that there are 319 miles of roads rated Poor to Very Poor for which there is no current funding for resurfacing. Transportation asked for funding for all 319 miles of resurfacing projects. Because road resurfacing is essentially on-going maintenance, the FFC recommends using a dedicated percentage of the general operating budget to fund these projects at the rate of approximately $20,000,000 in the first year.

2. Intersection and arterial road improvements and sidewalks

The Transportation Department requested funding for 70 critical pedestrian safety sidewalk projects near schools, 78 heavy pedestrian/vehicular travel sidewalk projects, and 88 sidewalk projects linking neighborhoods to activity centers. Because these are clearly capital improvements, the FFC recommends that approximately $47,000,000 of such projects be funded in the near future with general obligation bonds.

Public hearing comments also indicated some support for bike lanes, traffic calming, road diets, and greenways, none of which were identified as departmental priorities.

Parks and Recreation

The second priority is Parks and Recreation, specifically the development of seven neighborhood parks (ranked 4^th), the acquisition of additional land for new and expansion parks, greenways, trails and open space (ranked 7^th), improvements to DeKalb’s five Major Parks (ranked 8^th). The FFC recommends that general obligation bonds be considered for a total of approximately $75,000,000 for Parks projects, as detailed below:

Neighborhood Park Development	$10,000,000
Land acquisition	$28,000,000
Major Parks	$35,000,000
Dam renovations	$ 2,000,000

The FFC notes its concern that some elements of the Department’s priorities for improvements to Major Parks appear to address deferred maintenance issues, and it recommends that the CEO and Commissioners make appropriate allowances in the general operating budget to permanently fund these expenses going forward.

Public hearing comments indicated some support for additional off-leash dog parks, youth recreation centers, and a multi-sport complex that could host regional, state and/or national tournaments for, as an example, soccer.

Libraries

The third identified priority is libraries, specifically the replacement or expansion of nine over-utilized facilities (ranked 3^rd) and the construction of two new facilities in Ellenwood and Stonecrest (ranked 6^th). The total estimated cost for these projects is

$52,900,000, as detailed below:

Replacement of five libraries	$23,350,000
Expansion of four over-utilized libraries	$16,050,000
New facilities in un-served areas	$13,125,000
Redan-Trotti Area Library upgrades	$ 375,000

Because construction, replacement and expansion of buildings are clearly capital improvements, the FFC recommends that these projects be funded in the near future with general obligation bonds totaling approximately $52,900,000.

It is important to note that recommended funding for new facilities does not include ongoing operational expenses or the cost to furnish and stock them. The FFC recommends that the cost to furnish, stock and operate new facilities be funded through the general operating budget. The FFC has no information on the total cost associated with these items, and thus cannot provide a figure for how it will impact the budget or the millage rate.

Public hearing comments indicated some support for integrating libraries into the Livable Centers Initiative program, and for extended and weekend operating hours.

Economic Development

There was virtually no support at the public hearings for land acquisition for either an amphitheater or civic center (0.03% of total indicated support for all projects) and a high level of negativity (14.86% of all “none of the above” indicators). The most frequent criticisms and concerns, shared by the FFC, were about the lack of hard data showing the need for, benefit from, and total costs for these projects. Without current feasibility studies and concrete information on costs and benefits, the FFC believes that any future attempt to move these projects forward will fail. Therefore, the FFC recommends abandoning any attempt to fund land acquisitions for these Economic Development projects at this time.

Public hearing and FFC comments indicated serious concern over the estimated $700,000 annual loss to County taxpayers for a civic center, above and beyond any bonded indebtedness servicing costs, and the fact that these projects would generate primarily low-wage service sector jobs which will do little to add to the overall wealth of the community. While such projects may, over an unspecified period of time, produce increased sales tax revenues from nearby lodging, restaurant and retail operations, that revenue will likely be offset to an unknown extent by the expected operating losses. With respect to the amphitheater, and specifically the fact that it would be built by the County but operated by a for-profit private corporation, the lack of information as to the benefit to taxpayers, the particulars of the construction costs, rent to the County and other operational considerations makes this project extremely unpalatable. Other public hearing comments indicated that the projects are “unrealistic” and not needed because there are already comparable facilities in neighboring counties, especially if taxpayers will be expected to foot the cost for their operations.

Funding Options

All public hearings included a brief presentation on the funding sources available for infrastructure improvements, as well as their relative advantages and disadvantages. In descending order, attendees indicated support for the following: Use of existing resources or current revenues, sales tax increase, general obligation bond issue, and general budget.

This presents a dilemma: although the attendees indicated support for most projects, more than half did not support additional taxation to fund them. Comments included “Not one more cent!” while others stated that they want DeKalb to stop making “homeowners pay for all” and to “stop increasing my taxes.” Some comments indicate that the public may be somewhat skeptical as to whether any monies raised would actually be spent on infrastructure projects, while others indicated that by “tightening its belt” DeKalb County could find the money it requires.

Because of the criticality of these projects and the immediate needs they represent, the FFC recommends utilizing a mixture of funding sources to finance the projects discussed above. These recommendations include both general obligation bonds and the dedication of a percentage of the operating budget.

While a bond issue may not be the most popular mechanism, it is an economically reasonable way to fund long-term projects and a bond referendum, in separate questions regarding the specified projects for Transportation, Parks and Recreation, and Libraries, could be presented to the public in the summer or fall of 2005. If the CEO and Commissioners decide to select this option, the FFC stresses its recommendation that each Department’s funding needs, as discussed above, be presented as separate ballot questions.

Dedicating a portion of the entire budget to capital improvements may require a raise in the millage rate and/or cutbacks in other budget areas. If existing sources are found to be inadequate and the CEO and Commissioners are unwilling to raise millage rates, a sales tax increase may be feasible. However, it will cause further delay in implementing these critical projects and may or may not be approved by the state legislature in 2006.

CIP Recommendations

The FFC stresses, and pubic hearing comments support, its strong recommendation that the CEO and Commissioners first make every effort to fund the $20,000,000 needed for the CIP budget on a “pay as you go” basis from within the entire budget and existing revenue sources. The FFC also strongly recommends that available surpluses from within the entire budget be reallocated to provide for a new budget line item for CIP projects. It is only after a comprehensive review of the entire ($1 billion) budget that any shortfall should be funded through a millage increase.

ATTACHMENTS & APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Appointee Brief Biographies

Dan Adair

Born May 2^nd 1961 Farrell PA. DeKalb County resident since 1999

Education: Bachelors Communication, Kent State University, Masters Public Administration, Georgia State University

Employment: Since moving to Georgia I have worked predominately in the communication industry. Employed by Time Warner for the past twelve years.

Community Involvement: Rosalie Wright Community Council Southwest Atlanta, Stratford Farms Community Council, Concerned Citizens Miller Road/Thompson Mill Road Community.

My wife Aisha and I have two children.

Appointed by: Commissioner “Hank” Johnson 5^th District

No business relationships with DeKalb County.

Mike Cadger

Michael Cadger is a 22-year resident of DeKalb County having lived in Chamblee (1983 - 1992) and Dunwoody (1992 - current). Mr. Cadger has 28 years of health care finance experience and is currently an independent health care industry consultant. He is a former hospital CFO, Principal with A. Foster Higgins & Co. (now Mercer) in its employer health care benefits practice and Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the largest accounting and consulting firm in the world. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Tennessee and an MBA from the Wharton School. Mr. Cadger was appointed to the Future Funding Commission by Commissioner Judy Yates.

Doreen Carter

Doreen Carter is the founder and CEO of the Wealth and Wisdom Resource Group located in Lithonia, Georgia. Driven by a passion to empower individuals toward financial freedom, she developed an organization focused on the education of foundational principles of money management. These fundamental principles of money management are the key elements for financial integrity and wealth building. Out of her own personal quest to honor her financial obligations she also developed a very simple cash management system. Her determination uses credit as a catalyst for wealth building. This concept has now been duplicated into the cash management software to be used as a premier product of the Wealth and Wisdom Resource Group, “Who Mooved My Money™”.

Over the past 21 years Mrs. Carter has gained incredible financial knowledge through her professional experience at Georgia Pacific, Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), Alumax, Inc., KPMG LLP, Integrity Accounting Group, C.I. Investments, Unity Mortgage, and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Through this experience, Mrs. Carter took the financial strategies learned in the private corporate sector to develop her own personal cash management system. Additionally, she has successfully created and developed a series of financial literacy and wealth building courses. These courses are taught in the School of Personal Finance at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Her credits include a Certified Financial Counselor, a Certified Housing Counselor where she established a comprehensive homebuyers program that included a network of real estate professionals. She was recognized by Fannie Mae as a leader in the industry and subsequently honored as a speaker at their annual Partners roundtable. Her additional speaking debuts include the DeKalb County’s Faith Based and Non-Profit Summit and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Training Division Annual Retreat. Credited to her professional acumen, she holds a B.B.A. in Accounting, and a Certified Biblical Counselor. Mrs. Carter obtained a Series 6 and 63 securities license, HUD Certified Loss Mitigation Training and served on the Community Technology Counsel for Fannie Mae. Most recently she was voted to serve on the Board of Directors at South DeKalb Church Federal Credit Union.

Mrs. Carter is married with three sons, Roland II, Caleb, and Joshua.

Sara Fountain

Ms. Fountain is employed as Executive Director of Leadership DeKalb, Inc. a community leadership program that offers leadership training to adults and high school students. This nonprofit 501(c)3 organization is partially supported (0.07% of budget) by funds from DeKalb County for their diversity workshop, government program and justice & public safety program. She was appointed to the Future Funding Commission by the office of CEO Vernon Jones and she expresses no conflict of interest is felt in this role. She serves on the Public Safety and Municipal Authority of DeKalb County and she recently ended a six-year term on the DeKalb Community Relations Commission.

Leadership DeKalb also accepts donations from a wide variety of sponsors in the community including utilities, corporations, other nonprofits and individuals. The membership of the organization is made up of previous graduates of the program and includes leaders from all sectors of the county, including County department heads, judges, educators, professionals, nonprofit administrators, religious figures, medical and health care executives, real estate developers, small business owners, CEO’s and other top executives with a variety of companies.

Ms. Fountain has been involved with community advocacy and quality of life issues for over three decades. Her primary interests are in sustainable and environmentally responsible growth, environmental health issues, and education. Ms. Fountain is a member of the Business Advisory Council of the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University, a member of the DeKalb Homeless Advisory Council and the DeKalb Literacy Council. She is a founder of ProActive DeKalb, a non-partisan policy group, and a graduate of the 1992 class of Leadership DeKalb. She is also a 2004 graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute.

Ms. Fountain currently serves on the Host Committee of the upcoming international conference for the Community Leadership Association and she maintains active memberships in the Regional Leadership Forum, Atlanta Press Club (recipient of Distinguished Service Award), Decatur Rotary, Sierra Club, Georgia Conservancy, Georgia Organics, Southface Energy Institute, the Briarcliff Woods Civic Association (Board of Directors since 1995). She is a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta.

During her career, she has worked in account services for five advertising agencies, directing full-service and project advertising campaigns for financial institutions, real estate consortia, resort hotels, office/retail/hotel complexes, high-tech software systems suppliers, The Coca-Cola Company, the Resolution Trust Corporation, DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau, professional service firms and non-profit organizations. She was also formerly Director of Public Relations and Public Affairs for Agnes Scott College and an assistant editor at the Savannah Evening Press where she began her professional career.

Davis Fox

Davis Fox was appointed to the Future Funding Commission by CEO Vernon Jones. Davis works for Coldwell Banker Atlanta, and has lived in Druid Hills for more than 20 years. He serves on the Atlanta Regional Commission Board of Directors. He is co-chairman of the Alliance to Improve Emory Village, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation whose goal is to revitalize the commercial district into a pedestrian oriented, mixed-use development. He previously served on the DeKalb County Planning Commission for 8 years. Over his career, he has held a variety of jobs working in urban planning, public policy analysis, economic development, marketing, energy conservation, energy sales, urban redevelopment and residential real estate.

Ann Fulmer-Kahn (FFC Secretary starting December 4)

Ann accepted a position on March 1, 2005 with the law firm of Miles, McGoff & Moore as a litigation associate specializing in mortgage fraud. The firm has represented DeKalb County in a variety of matters, but Ann is not, and will not be, working on matters involving the county.

For the past several years, Ann worked as an independent consultant, expert witness and licensed private detective specializing in mortgage fraud through the firm of Huhn & Associates. She has also worked in an of counsel capacity with the law firm of Weizenecker, Mottern and Fisher. To her knowledge, neither of these firms does, nor has done, any business with DeKalb County.

Ann is also the co-founder and current president of the Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention and Awareness Coalition Inc. (“GREFPAC”), a non-profit corporation that has provided free speakers and printed materials for DeKalb County-sponsored community education programs. As a mortgage fraud expert, Ann has, on request, provided pro bono consultation and expertise to the office of the DeKalb County District Attorney and the DeKalb County Police Department.

She has previously worked for DeKalb County as a tax assessor and as an Assistant District Attorney.

Ann is married to Neil Kahn, a psychiatrist in private practice. They have two minor children. She currently serves as Vice President of the Smoke Rise Community Association.

Jack Honderd

Born: Grand Rapids, MI, 1952. DeKalb County resident since 1982.

Education: BGS, BS.Arch, M.Arch degrees, magna cum laude, University of Michigan, concentration in energy-conscious design

Professional/Business: Jack Honderd was born into a construction family and began working for his father at the age of 11. After college and professional experience with several firms, in 1985, Mr. Honderd left standard architectural practice to form a company with his wife, Elizabeth Eggers, to develop, design and build innovative housing near mass-transit stations. Initially called Jack Honderd Architect, the company was incorporated in 1988 as ArchiTech Partners, Inc., and has designed and built over 100 single family houses in the Brookhaven area of Atlanta. Several houses have been featured in national magazines and on a national TV show. The most recent completed project is Townhomes at Fernwood Park, which is adjacent to the Brookhaven MARTA station and consists of 72 townhomes with live/work units and an ecologically-designed green space. It has been recognized with a Design of Excellence Award (2001) by the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Current projects for Mr. Honderd include the LaFrance Street Lofts, a warehouse conversion near the Edgewood-Candler Park MARTA station; East Decatur Station, a mixed-use redevelopment by the Avondale MARTA station; and Brookhaven Village, a mixed use development near the Brookhaven MARTA station. As shown in his projects, Mr. Honderd has been a long-time advocate of environmentally-friendly design and “smart growth” planning principles.

In addition to business life, Mr. Honderd is a member of Brookhaven Fields Civic Association and is active in the Atlanta Friends Meeting. He enjoys cycling, swimming and travel, and occupies most off-work hours with family activities.

Official DeKalb County Business Interests: Jack Honderd, AIA, and companies in which he is involved have no current business before DeKalb County. A rezoning of Brookhaven property was completed in August, 2004. His last previous rezoning in DeKalb County was in 2000. He serves in no other capacity—advisory, official or unofficial—with DeKalb County or area government.

He was appointed by Commissioner Walldorff to this committee. His decision to serve comes from civic duty and a long-time interest in sound, environmentally-based planning principles.

Ken Jones (FFC Chair)

Employment: Associate. Hall, Booth, Smith & Slover, P.C., Atlanta, Georgia. Principle practice area is governmental liability defense of civil rights claims in law enforcement and employment matters. Also, handle commercial real estate, transactional and business organization matters for firm clients.

Previous: Corporate counsel, Blimpie International Inc; Associate, Wilson Brock & Irby LLC (Principle practice area was in commercial real estate sale/purchase/leasing); County Staff Attorney, Bulloch County Board of Commissioners, Statesboro, GA; Judicial Law Clerk 15^th Judicial Circuit, Montgomery, AL; Legal Intern, Hughes Aircraft-Alabama; Staff Assistant/Projects Director, Senator Sam Nunn

Education: JD, May 1993, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University; Master of Public Administration, August 1989, Georgia Southern College; Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, June 1986, University of Georgia.

Community Involvement: President, DeKalb County League of Women Voters 2001-2002; Leadership DeKalb, Class of 2000; The Rock Creek Watershed Alliance, Inc., Board of Directors; The Trust For Aquatic Greenways, Inc., Board of Directors; Georgia 4-H Program, Volunteer Leader; Past President, International 4-H Youth Exchange Association of the U.S.A., Inc.; 1986 U.S. 4-H Representative to Italy; 1980 Georgia Ambassador to the Hugh O’Brian Youth Foundation International Leadership Seminar.

Claudette Leak (FFC secretary through October & November)

Claudette F. Leak is a 34-year resident of DeKalb County where she has been active in volunteer efforts to enhance quality of life issues affecting DeKalb County.

Education: B.A. Sociology, North Carolina AT&T State University, 1967

Employment: Delta Air Lines 1972-1990. Held various management positions. Retired; Worldspan – 1990-1996 Director Customer service. Retired; 1997–1999 Georgia Department of Labor, Employment Counselor; 1998-Present Pain Net, Inc. Executive Vice President

Affiliations: Member: The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. – MECCA Chapter and has served as the organization’s President and Board Director; Board Member South DeKalb Neighborhoods Coalition; Columbia Valley Community Association - Former Vice President and publisher of the community newsletter; Member: Representative Stan Watson’s Community Council

Contracts with DeKalb County – None in past or present.

Bob Lundsten

Education: BA Rutgers University ‘75

Employment Background: Sales and marketing executive, News Corporation, Cox Direct, Championship Group, Insignia Systems

DeKalb County: No business with DeKalb County at anytime.

DeKalb County Planning Commission (1988- 1997), Appointed by Commissioner Scott 1988-92, Appointed by Commissioner Boyer 1992-97

DeKalb County Board of Appeals (1999-2004), Appointed by Commissioner Boyer

Associations: President, Dunwoody Homeowners Association, (1984, 1985); Board Member DHA (1983- 1988, 1999 –2004)

George Maddox

State Representative: District 59, Post 2 , Portions of: Clayton, DeKalb and Henry Counties

Beth Nathan

Residency: DeKalb 1999-2004, 1978-1983. City of Atlanta resident 1983-1999. Previous residences: suburbs of Dayton OH and Philadelphia PA; Ann Arbor MI; Bay City MI.

Employment: Computer programmer/consultant specializing in database work. Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Georgia, 2001-03, part-time. Previously a computer hardware technician and a pharmacological lab technician. Operating as a one-person business, gazebo software inc, since 1994. Occasional contracts with election campaigns; none of those candidates govern in DeKalb.

Volunteerism: Current president of Hawthorne Civic Assn encompassing 1400+ residents in the Lakeside High School area. League of Women Voters of DeKalb (LWVDK) officer. Chair of LWVDK’s 2003-04 study of Development Impact Fees. President of League of Women Voters of Georgia, 1999-2001. Involved on behalf of LWV in a multitude of voter service, educational and/or advocacy efforts relating to government and public issues. Native plant rescue facilitator with the Georgia Native Plant Society.

B.S. University of Michigan; M.A. University of Pennsylvania. Married for 33 years to Robert Nathan, a Consulting Analyst (computer hardware & software) with NCR. No children, two dogs.

Appointed by Commissioner Kathie Gannon

Nancy Quan-Sellers

A native Atlantan, born at Crawford Long Hospital, Nancy grew up near the Fulton/DeKalb line, attended Georgia State University and has lived in DeKalb since 1996. She was appointed to the Future Funding Commission by CEO Vernon Jones.

Her career has been in commercial real estate since 1989, representing landlords and tenants within multi-billion dollar corporations such as Ackerman (VP), Advantis (industrial properties), AFCO/Galbreath (office & retail properties), Myrick Company (office & retail properties), Peachtree Crossing Realty (foreign investments in hotel/industrial/land/multi-family/office/retail). She is currently Vice President of Galaxy Partners, Inc., of Atlanta.

Involved in community service since grammar school days, Nancy is active in the Asian American Commission for a New Georgia (appointed by Gov. Perdue), Atlanta Woman’s Club, Clean Air Campaign (founding member), Coverdell Leadership Class of 2002, Keep DeKalb Beautiful (board member), DeKalb Convention Center Authority (board member), Grady Health System Board of Visitors, Gwinnett Technical College (charter board member, vice chairman), Gwinnett Technical College (adult education advisory board), Metropolitan Atlanta Better Films Council (life member), Native Atlantans Club (life member), and Perimeter Presbyterian Church. She has been a member of over 30 other organizations representing interests spanning the arts, the environment, politics, religion, international & ethnic groups including the Quota Club of Atlanta (past president), Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Meeting Planners International (chairman, hospitality committee), National Association of Chinese Americans (board member), and the Travel Industry Association of Georgia (founding member).

Coleman R. Seward

Coleman R. Seward is a 28 year resident of DeKalb County, living at 3650 Paddock Drive, Decatur, GA 30034. He is the retired Regional Director of Science for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Former Research Biochemist at the National Institutes of Health and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Publish more than 50 research papers in the area of Vitamin research in leading national and international scientific journals. Former President of DeKalb County Branch of the NAACP, former member of the Atlanta Diocesan Council, governing body of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and a former member of the Senior Citizen Tax Taskforce. Former Regional Vice President of Primerica Financial Services, a subsidiary of Citigroup. A 30 US Dow Jones Company.

He served as campaign manager for former Commissioner Lou Walker and community liaison for district #7 as Director of Constituent Services.

Coleman is currently serving as a member of the FFC, appointed by CEO Vernon Jones. He is also serving as a member of the DeKalb County Hospital Authority also appointed by the CEO. He is a member and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Saint Paul’s College, Lawrenceville, VA. Saint Paul’s is a 4-year liberal arts college, affiliated with the Episcopal Church. He is a Life member of the NAACP.

Mr. Seward has been honored by, the NAACP, his alma mater, his fraternity, and several community groups.

Mr. Seward is married to Marlon E. Seward and they have two sons, Clifford Ray, a physician here in Decatur and Brian Elwin, an Attorney in New York City.

Tally Sweat

Tally Sweat, president, Olmsted Linear Park Alliance Board of Directors; past president, The Callanwolde Foundation; member, Smoke Rise Morning Glories Garden Club; founding president, Park Pride Atlanta (now Park Pride); past president, DeKalb County Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.; member, Georgia Advisory Council, Trust for Public Land; member, Kiwanis Club of Atlanta; past member of Board of Directors, Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc.; past president, Garden Center of Greater Atlanta, member First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta.

During the years I have lived in DeKalb County (off and on since 1954), I have served on various advisory boards to DeKalb County government, City of Atlanta and Atlanta Olympic committees. During these years, I have never received any personal benefit from any of these relationships, including my service on Olmsted Linear Park Alliance (OLPA) Board of Directors where I have served as the unpaid president since its founding in 1997. OLPA is a successful public-private partnership whose goal is to restore the park on Ponce de Leon Avenue, all of which lies in DeKalb County. The alliance includes DeKalb County as one of its three stakeholders along with the City of Atlanta and Fernbank, Inc., which owns the park segments in unincorporated DeKalb County. As a long-term lessee of these park segments, DeKalb County has funded a portion of the rehabilitation of these parks through HOST funds and Greenspace Funds. To date, more than five million dollars has been raised for the park rehabilitation, with the county's contribution being $625,000.

Early in my married life, my husband, Dan, served as chief executive officer to County Commission Chairman Charles Emmerich (1961-1965). A graduate of Georgia State University, I have worked as a journalist (Atlanta Journal and Neighbor Newspapers), a teacher (DeKalb County Schools), a World Book salesperson and a homemaker.

Mary Lee Thilman

Mary Lee Thilman, originally from Greenville, SC attended Greenville Technical College attaining credentials as a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM). Ms. Thilman has been a resident of DeKalb County since July 1992.

Ms. Thilman, formerly a purchasing manager for a textile machinery manufacturer and later a materials handling firm in Greenville, SC moved to Atlanta in 1990 and became a partner in a local material handling firm and has sold, designed and installed rack and conveyor systems in distribution centers throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Most recognizable among these projects was a multi-million dollar project with the national retailer, Marshall-Fields in Chicago, IL, with over 6-1/2 miles of conveyor.

Ms. Thilman currently serves as the Director of Sales and Marketing for an award winning developer/builder in Atlanta. In her official capacity she also is extremely involved with zoning issues in several governmental entities including: DeKalb, Gwinnett, City of Duluth and the City of Atlanta.

Recent notable accomplishments include positioning the developer for receipt of the following awards: Gold Professionalism Award for Best Building Design 2003, Silver Professionalism Award for Best Interior Merchandising 2003 and the Gold Professionalism Award for Land Use Planning – 2002. Each of these awards has particular significance, as they were ‘blind judged’ by a panel of national judges. 2004 includes four (4) nominations for Professionalism Awards yet to be announced.

Ms. Thilman has further valuable experience in the realm of Smart Growth. She is simultaneously involved in three (3) separate mixed-use developments (retail/office/residential); wherein, community ‘buy-in’ to the concept of higher density development and reduced urban sprawl has been crucial.

Ms. Thilman married in 1993 to Tim Thilman – one adult daughter, who resides with her family in Snellville, GA.

Mary Lee has volunteered in several political campaigns including County, State, and Federal level elections.

Ms. Thilman continues to serve as an Advisor to the Board of Trustees for the Northlake Community Alliance; has been active with “Trees Atlanta”; works on numerous community service projects annually with the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Atlanta, GA, in which her husband, Tim, serves on the Executive Board; received special recognition for volunteer work with the organization, Friends of Disabled Adults – a “Hands on Atlanta” project; spearheads fundraising annually when she ‘adopts a family’ during the holiday season; member of the Downtown Merchants Association of Duluth – a Georgia “Main Street City”; and, serves as an Advisor to the Board of the recently formed Brookhaven Arts Alliance.

Ms. Thilman was appointed to the Future Funding Commission of DeKalb County by the Northlake Community Alliance recommendation to Commissioner Gale Walldorff.

Robert Vicevich

Theresa Walker

Theresa Walker, executive director, Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce. 30 years professional experience and expert consultant services in public relations, marketing and public involvement, minority and small business technical assistance programs. Skilled and proficient in media relations, promotional marketing, community relations, public awareness campaigns, government relations, special event design and production, conference/meeting planning and management.

Honors/Appointments: 1988, 1989, 1995 National Association of Media Women, Best PR Campaign; Atlanta Regional Minority Purchasing Council, 1989 Minority Supplier of the Year Nominee Award; Atlanta Business League, 1990 Committee Chairperson of the Year Award; Georgia Chapter PRSA, Phoenix Award; Governor Appointments-Georgia representative to the National Association of Women Highway Safety Leaders and Georgia Statewide DUI Task Force

Affiliations: Public Relations Society of America (PRSA); Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce, NAACP, Charter/Founding Member, Metropolitan Atlanta Coalition of 100 Black Women

Experience:

Co-owner of Paragon Productions for 23 years with her late husband DeKalb County Commissioner Lou Walker; owner Blues In The Alley nightclub in Underground Atlanta

Senior Account Executive – Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations. Implemented PR programs and special events for high profile local and national clients – Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, “Look At Atlanta Now” three-year campaign; handled on-site publicity, promotion and special event support for the Coca-Cola U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and Memorabilia Exhibit in Los Angeles during the 1984 Olympic Games; coordinated new product introduction at Tavern On The Green, New York for CIBA Vision Care (Softcolors Contacts); introduction of General Foods’ Maxwell House Coffee (vacuum packed packaging), 17-city concert/media tour featuring Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed; Tom’s Foods Dixie National Rodeo promotion, Jackson, MS; etc.

Public Information/Special Activities Manager – Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Coordinated the annual meetings, all special event functions and press conferences. Managed the public information staff that responded to thousands seeking tourism information and demographics on Atlanta, developed tradeshow displays, conducted quarterly orientation sessions for new police and fire recruits, and produced newcomer brochures.

Resident of DeKalb County since 1976 – Member, Saint Philip AME Church, Decatur -- member, Greater Towers Community Association

Appointed by Commissioner Connie Stokes

APPENDIX B: Meeting Minutes

DeKalb County Future Funding Committee

Meeting Minutes

October 23, 2004

Corrected

The first meeting of the DeKalb County Future Funding Committee was held on Saturday, October 23, 2004 at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center and convened at 9:15 a.m.

Representatives from DeKalb County government were: CEO Vernon Jones, Mr. Richard Stogner and Dr. Michael Bell.

Each member gave self-introductions. Attendees provided their contact information on a sign in sheet.

Mr. Jones stated that the Funding Commission’s purpose is to evaluate and prioritize County infrastructure needs and to determine the best methods of financing them. It was suggested that the committee hold community meetings to solicit and obtain input from county residents. Mr. Jones also indicated that the committee should work toward the best interest of the entire county.

Dr. Bell and Mr. Jones presented the 2004 County budget and potential projects. Attendees were provided with copies of the budget summary. Highlights include:

Ø Public Safety and the Courts account for 54% of the general budget ($268 million)

Ø The county is obligated through 2013 to support unfunded indigent care for Grady Hospital ($21.6 million)

Ø The Sheriff’s Department receives $62 million, with $10-12 million used for court ordered medical services to inmates

Ø HOST receipts for 1999 and 2000 were sufficient to cover a 100% exemption. Beginning in 2001, receipts were not sufficient to continue providing the 100% exemption

Ø The current tax digest is based on 55% residential properties and 45% commercial properties. Five years ago this trend was the reverse.

Committee officers were elected as follows:

Co-chairs: Mike Cadger (nominated by Nancy Quan-Sellers)

Ken Jones (nominated by Claudette Leak)

Ed Wall (nominated by CEO Jones)

The co-chairs will rotate facilitation of the meetings.

Secretary: Claudette Leak (nominated by George Maddox)

The committee requested the following information for the next meeting agenda: (a) any projections, feasibility studies and economic forecasts pertaining to the projects and operations; Commissioner Judy Yates mentioned a Georgia Power economic study, (b) a mission statement was discussed and each member was asked to brings a draft statement to the next meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Claudette F. Leak

Secretary

REPORT

of the DeKalb

FUTURE FUNDING COMMISSION

Contents.............................................................................................................................. Page

Introduction/Procedure........................................................................................................ 02