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In addition to voting to keep Jason Frazier and Julie Adams off the Board of Registration and Elections, Commissioner Mo Ivory once again attempted to push through a series of budget amendments—which had already been rejected by this Board in a previous meeting.
This is now the second time these same proposals have come before us. In Fulton County, when the Board votes to reject an item, it is called a motion to file. Once that happens, the expectation is clear: those same items are not to be brought back without meaningful changes or proper process. That practice was completely ignored.
We have a process as commissioners, and it keeps things fair, transparent, and focused on priorities. Commissioner Ivory completely disregarded that process—both before and during the meeting. She ignored the guidance from our finance team, neglected to engage the county manager, and made no effort to collaborate or even inform other commissioners about her amendments. This isn’t just a procedural misstep—it’s a deliberate dismissal of the process we all agreed to follow, and one that ensures government runs in an orderly, thoughtful way.
During the meeting, Commissioner Abdur-Rahman expressed concern, noting, “There is protocol and procedure of what we do and how something goes on the agenda, especially when it is financially impacting. The county manager, the finance department, as well as, the Commissioners, are due a conversation. . .Go and look at my swearing in, when I stated that if you do not within two weeks time have a conversation with me about an item that you’re going to put on the agenda, the answer is no. Commissioner Ivory did not have a conversation with me.” Yet Commissioner Ivory moved forward without pause, adding it to the next agenda, still neglecting to have a conversation with anyone. So the question becomes: Is this really about passing meaningful improvements, or just putting on a show?
She claims the Board is "playing politics" when we reject these items. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s the reality:
- Our County has a professional budget and finance team whose job is to assess departmental needs.
- The BOC ultimately votes on spending, but we generally follow the recommendations of the experts who understand what’s essential, what’s discretionary, and what we can actually afford.
- What we cannot support—what I will not support—is forcing departments to spend more money than they have asked for, especially when those funds are discretionary and not tied to mandated services.
And more importantly—this is not the time to dip into surplus funds.
Fulton County is staring down the barrel of a $1 billion price tag for the new jail facility next year. That’s not optional. That’s not political. That’s a core public safety issue that we must fund. Every dollar we waste today—every unnecessary allocation from our reserves—puts more strain on taxpayers tomorrow.
We must focus on mandated spending and protect taxpayers from the need for future tax increases or cuts to critical services. Fiscal discipline isn’t always flashy, but it’s the responsible thing to do. We owe it to the people of Fulton County to focus on what’s necessary, not what’s politically convenient.
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