Clayton County, Georgia
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Clayton County is one of 159 counties in Georgia. Its county seat is Jonesboro. As of 2000, the population was 236,517. The 2008 Census estimate placed the population at 273,718.[1] Clayton County is within the five-county core of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, and is the county in which most of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lies.
[edit] Evaluation of website
This website was most recently evaluated May 7, 2012.
- Main article: Evaluation of Georgia county websites
[edit] The good
- Current budget and audits are posted.[2].
- Commission meeting minutes are posted[3].
- The County Commissioners and their contact information is available[4].
- The Administrators and their contact information is listed. [5]
- Building permits and zoning information are provided[6].
- Contract bids and proposals are published online.[7][8]
- The county does disclose it belongs to taxpayer-funded lobbying associations[9].
- The website outlines who to contact for a public records request.[10]
- Local tax information is available,[11][12] including millage rates.[13]
- In addition to Sunshine Review's transparency checklist, the county has also taken the initiative to post salary information.[14]
[edit] Budget
The total operating budget in Clayton County for FY2010 was $447.7 million; in FY2011, the total operating budget was $265.6 million, a change of 40.7%.
[edit] Stimulus
[edit] Elected Officials
[edit] County Commissioners
A of the commission's powers and duties is posted.[15]
Pursuant to Ordinance 2009-50, adopted by the Clayton County Board of Commissioners on April 7, 2009, the Board of Commissioners shall hold regular meetings on the first, second, and third Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. in its Boardroom located at 112 Smith Street, Jonesboro, Georgia, unless postponed to a subsequent date by action taken at a regular meeting. Meetings shall be open to the public. The Board of Commissioners may also hold such additional meetings as shall be necessary. Whenever any regular meeting of the board shall fall on a holiday, the meeting shall be held on the following day. All zoning meetings shall be conducted at night beginning at 7:00 p.m.[4]
Commissioners serve staggered terms of four years and are elected by district.[16]. Current commissioners are:[4]
| Member | Title | District | Term Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eldrin Bell | Chairman | County-Wide | 12-31-12 |
| Sonna Singleton | Commissioner | District 1 | 12-31-14 |
| Gail Hambrick | Commissioner | District 2 | 12-31-12 |
| Wole Ralph | Commissioner | District 3 | 12-31-12 |
| Michael Edmondson | Commissioner | District 4 | 12-31-14 |
[edit] Administrative Officials
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| Tax Commissioner | Terry L. Baskin |
| Chief Tax Appraiser | Rodney McDaniel |
| Director, Board of Elections and Registration | Annie C. Bright |
| Interim Director, Building and Maintenance | Les Markland |
| Director, Central Services | Theodis Locke |
| Director, Community Development | Patrick Ejike |
| Warden, Corrections Department | Frank Taylor Smith |
| Director, Economic Development | Grant Wainscott |
| Director, Internal Audit | Stacey Merritt |
| Director, Parks & Recreation | Detrick Stanford |
| Director, Transportation and Development | Jeff Metarko |
[edit] Salaries
The county is also disclosing salaries by employee classification.[14] The four highest paid positions start off above $90,000 and were the Fire Captain, Director of Transportation, Director of Parks and Recreation and Development and the Director of Human Resources. Though, these are appointed positions.
[edit] Pensions
Details about pension plans unavailable.
[edit] Emergency personnel
| Department | Title | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Department/EMA | Fire Chief | Jeff Hood |
| Police Department | Chief of Police | Gregory Porter |
| Sheriff's Office | Sheriff | Kemuel A. Kimbrough |
[edit] Lobbying
Clayton County participates in the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). The ACCG engages in lobbying the Georgia state legislature.[17]. The ACCG is a member of the National Association of Counties, a national taxpayer-funded lobbying organization.
[edit] Transparency & public records
In 2011 Clayton County earned a Sunny Award for having a perfect website transparency score.
[edit] Taxes
Millage rates are posted.[13] For 2011, the county's overall tax rate was 36.063 mills, of which .250 was in state taxes.[18]
The tax commissioner shares the following concerning exemptions for millage (property) taxes in Clayton County:[19]
"Certain homeowners are eligible for various types of homestead exemptions. Homeowner must have owned, occupied and claimed Georgia as their legal state of residence on January 1st of the calendar year in order to apply. Active duty personnel will need the first Leave and Earning Statement (LES) of the year to verify their legal state of residence. Once qualified, exemption will remain as long as homeowner occupies that same house or there are no name changes."
[edit] External links
- Clayton County website
- Clayton County on E-Reference
- Clayton County Public Schools
- Clayton County Police Department
- Clayton News Daily Online
- Clayton County on Georgia.gov
- Clayton County on Twitter
[edit] References
- ↑ Annual Estimates of the Population for Counties of Georgia
- ↑ Finance
- ↑ Meetings
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 commissioner profiles
- ↑ Departments
- ↑ Building/Zoning
- ↑ Bids and Proposals
- ↑ Central Services
- ↑ Lobbying
- ↑ Public Records
- ↑ Tax Commissioner
- ↑ Tax Assessor
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Clayton County "Millage Rates," Accessed December 21, 2011
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Salaries
- ↑ powers and duties
- ↑ commission
- ↑ ACCG Legislative Advocacy Information
- ↑ Clayton County "2011 Millage Rates," Accessed December 21, 2011
- ↑ Property Tax Exemptions
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