www.dadeinfo.com

What I heard from the grapevine.
Dade County government is expected to run out of money if no money is received from fema before next weeks payroll. Fema has said it will give the money to gema who will then issue it out to the counties. This is because of the amount of money the county has been having to spend associated with the clean up. I did see Commisioner Robert Goff speak to Tom Graves on this matter at the convention. I missed when the Governor came by to see if Robert had a chance to talk to him about the situation. I have heard Ted has been working in overtime mode on this issue.

You can only live on the edge for so long. Are we still paying NWGAJDA? Are we still funding the library? Does the Chamber get any money? Are elected officials and office staff taking any unpaid furlough days? Are we still giving "mandatory" raises to administrative staff when they don't have to. Are we still funding parks and recreation instead of creating a separate non profit rec department? If the answer to any of these is YES then someone isn't really concerned about running out of money.

As you BOTH know that money ALWAYS gets tight this time of year, even in ya'lls terms as Commissioners. The money has dried up from the property taxes and that is the biggest form (almost only) form of revenue. Yea, spending has alot to do with it, but also my point has been for years that we just re-act and not plan for the future. Now this is a special case with the tornado damage (which in some areas will hurt even more by taking houses off the tax digest) and we just plain don't have the money. I understand that we here (on the TRUTH FORUM) seem to always have the sky falling but "Fluffing" the issues just isn't working.

We have through the storm, stood tall amoung the ruble but the fact remains that this county hasn't has any plan for action since the creation of this county. With NO PLAN you have NO ACTION.


Let's hope that the Goverment saves this County.... Yea right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just what is our "Track Record" with FEMA anyway? HHHMMM let's see.... One Bridge and one Dam! Anyone want to guess how they went... Well one is STILL going and both of you should remember it back in the day...lol...lol..lol... How did that work for us???????????

FEMA actually had nothing to do with either the dam or the bridge. The shortfall the county faces today is because of the additional employees FEMA required the county to hire, temporarily, to manage the cleanup. FEMA now completely controls the transfer station and inert dump behind it. Usually things don't get tight for a couple of months yet after property tax collections have ceased. This has turned up the clock some.

If you think it's tight now wait till the next time the millage rate comes up for a vote. Because of the foreclosures and now the tornado devastation the digest is going to be a lot lower and that means to get the same amount of money the commission is either going to have to cut some, or all, the things I listed above OR raise the millage rate at a time when people don't have the money to pay higher property taxes. I know which I'd pick. How about you?

Just got off the phone with Scottie. He said the county should be ok with payroll this week. The feds are going to give us money. (I am not buying that) Should be interesting to see how long it takes to go from FEMA to GEMA to Dade. I am betting you won't be able to lay off, or furlough to make up for this. Good comment on the digest going down. Didn't think about that.

Actually Ramblin, FEMA was the hang up on Both the Bridge and Dam. And the Dam still isn't finished.. Both projects were listed as FEMA projects so the County would not have to fund them.... My whole point being that evertime you call on the Fed Gov. you have alot of "Red Tape" and "Hoops" before you can get your money..... Not looking for a "Check" anytime soon............

The engineers’ report was sent to Safe Dams in January 2008 and Dade County was informed that the department had 12 months to review and make a decision on Lookout Lake dam.

In a meeting with the Safe Dams people last Tuesday in Atlanta, Rumley learned that it could be six more months before a review of the plans submitted by the engineering company is completed and it could take up to 12 months before all the permits are acquired and improvements to the dam can begin.

“We are at a standstill waiting on them,” Moore said.

After an hour and a half meeting with the Safe Dams representatives in Atlanta, Rumley agrees with Moore.

In a strange twist of fate Rumley was a Dade County Commissioner in 2004 when the dam first became an issue. Now it seems that the Lookout Lake dam problems have come full circle to land, once again, on Rumley’s doorstep.

Rumley will make another trip to Atlanta tomorrow, this time to attend a meeting that Sen. Jeff Mullis has called with all the county commissioners in Mullis’ district.

So, for the time being the Lookout Lake Dam continues to wait on government decision while other, more urgent issues, take the lead.
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In a strange twist of fate Rumley was a Dade County Commissioner in 2004 when the dam first became an issue. Now it seems that the Lookout Lake dam problems have come full circle to land, once again, on Rumley’s doorstep.

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"If" my memory serves me correct back then in 2004 Mr. Rumley called FEMA in to help with the "Dam Project" and then is when all heck broke loose when the goverment got involved with the "Safe Dams".............. I did like the fact that Mr. Mullis was gonna get something done but as of yet like always... "Failed to produce"...


I hope you don't ask me to do any research on the Mega Bridge in Rising Fawn, because of the crappy local media coverage it's very time consuming to do any re-search....lol...lol...lol...

Dade wasn't declared a disaster area in 2004 over the dam issue I don't think so it wouldn't have come under FEMA. GEMA would have been the governing authority on that and as we know, Georgia has no money for things like this. The issue with the dam is more political than practical. This was an instance of the state trying to prove a point that they can't be ignored and that you will do it their way or suffer the consequences. The sensitivity is because of the dam that broke in Toccoa years ago and killed some people. I have stories about my conversations with the "safe dams" people about Lookout lake that you would not believe. The problem with Lookout lake came about when it was initially reported. We, the county, could have had it completely finished by now if not for the state.

Same thing with the bridge, if we could have built the one initially planned it would have cost less than half what we ended up with. The state made us build one to survive the next 100 year flood instead. If you go ask everyone who lives on the loop, virtually none of them even wanted it repaired because it cut down on the traffic.