This summary provides an overview of the document in 3 sentences: The document is a news article that discusses proposals for expanding the police force in the new city of Dunwoody, Georgia. An internal task force recommended a larger and more expensive police force than what was initially proposed to voters. The task force proposal would increase spending on police by over $1 million and cut budgets for other departments to make up the difference, posing a challenge within Dunwoody's overall $18.8 million budget.

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METRO Sunday
On ajc.com/metro: Breaking news — up-to-the-minute details of the latest stories
Metro&State
D SUNDAY, AUG. 31, 2008 ● ● ● ● ●
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Driven to teach
psychology
Dr. Russ Bent worked
on the forefront of
psychology to make sure
his colleagues were well-
trained for the job. D3
INSIDE
Dunwoody police plan
adds of cers, ups cost
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COMMUTE DISTANCE / TIMES: ATLANTA METRO RAIL
CHARLES W. JONES / Staff
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DUNWOODY POLICE: NUMBERS SHIFT AFTER ELECTION
Here is a comparison of the proposed size and payroll cost of the
Dunwoody police force in the plan provided by Citizens for Dunwoody
before the July 15 cityhood referendum and in the Citizens for
Dunwoody Police Task Force report released one month later.
TITLE POSITIONS POSITIONS PAYROLL PAYROLL
BEFORE AFTER BEFORE AFTER
Full-time
officers 20 23 $1,190,592 $1,446,900
Part-time
officers 0 6 $0 $352,800
Detectives 2 5 $152,474 $351,000
Sergeants 3 5 $257,353 $383,500
Lieutenants 1 4 $96,455 $351,000
Chief 1 1 $147,420 $146,964
Outreach 1 0 $76,237 $0
Civilians 0 7 $0 $310,300
Total 28 51 $1,939,499* $3,342,464
*Figure includes $18,968 for recruitment
By DAVID SIMPSON
dsimpson@ajc.com
and DAVID MARKIEWICZ
dmarkiewicz@ajc.com
Even as backers of
the Dunwoody cityhood
push were telling voters
that their modest pro-
posed police budget would
improvepublicsafetywhile
avoiding a tax increase,
an internal task force was
preparing a report recom-
mending a much larger
— and more expensive —
police department.
The task force recom-
mendation would increase
the projected police pay-
roll for the new DeKalb
County city by more than
$1 million.In a report dated
Aug. 16, the group rec-
ommended cutting other
departments’ spending
to make the up the differ-
ence. That could be a chal-
lenge in an overall budget
estimated at $18.8 million
with a surplus of less than
$300,000.
In an e-mail reply
to questions from The
Atlanta Journal-Constitu-
tion, Oliver Porter, oper-
ations consultant to the
task force, said the new
City Council, slated to be
elected Sept. 16, will con-
sider the recommendation.
“As in almost any
WHAT IS COMMUTER RAIL?
➤ Heavy conventional passenger equipment like Amtrak’s,
with diesel locomotives pulling coaches over existing rail
lines.
➤ Trains would make scheduled stops inbound to the city in
the morning and outbound to the suburbs in the afternoon.
➤ Service would range far beyond MARTA’s territory, possi-
bly as far as Athens and Macon.
➤ All lines would converge on a proposed “Multi-Modal Pas-
senger Terminal” next to the MARTA Five Points station.
BENEFITS OF
COMMUTER RAIL
➤ Reduced congestion costs
➤ Improved quality of life
➤ Reduced highway mainte-
nance costs
➤ Improved air quality
➤ Faster commuting times
➤ Avoided vehicle costs
➤ Economic development
➤ Fuel conservation
➤ Safer travel by train than
by car
➤More efficient land use
SOURCE: “Commuter Rail Plan
Update: A Report to the Transit
Planning Board, Georgia Depart-
ment of Transportation and Metro
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce,”
prepared by R.L. Banks & Associ-
ates Inc., December 2007.
FOR COMMUTER
RAIL TO SUCCEED
➤ Trains must run reliably
and on time.
➤ Every train should have
enough seats so no one has
to stand.
➤ There should be enough
trains to satisfy people’s
schedules.
➤ Commuter trains
should make convenient
connections with MARTA
trains, buses.
➤ Adequate parking, pref-
erably free, should be pro-
vided at outlying com-
muter stations.
SOURCE:“Commuter
Rail Plan Update.”
POTENTIAL OBSTACLES
➤ Many area freight lines are at capacity; trackage rights and
other issues must be negotiated with freight railroads.
➤ Extensive track and other upgrades are necessary to
increase capacity and train speeds for passenger service.
➤ Cost objections are likely; the seven proposed lines could
require $1.5 billion in total start-up costs and $89 million in
total annual operating expenses to benefit about 20,000 com-
muters.
➤ Community opposition is possible. Earlier this decade,
some DeKalb County residents objected to a plan for com-
muter trains to Emory University.
➤ Backing for transit has been spotty: The state is moving to
sell 6 acres at Atlantic Station that could have been a com-
muter rail stop; a July 15 straw poll found Gwinnett voters nar-
rowly opposed to a MARTA extension; and Gov. Sonny Perdue
only recently endorsed the idea of a pilot commuter rail line,
to Griffin.
SOURCES: “Commuter Rail Plan Update,”
AJC news reports and commentary.
If commuter rail ever comes to
Atlanta, what would it look like? Seven
lines using existing freight railroads
and extending as far as Macon and
Athens have been studied for years. But
only recently,with Gov.Sonny Perdue’s
support of a pilot line from Five Points
south to Griffin, have commuter trains
had a chance of serious consideration
by state policymakers.
That’s critical, because a substan-
tial investment of public dollars will
be necessary — from $100 million to
$500 million per line in start-up costs,
according to a report by the consulting
firm of R.L. Banks & Associates. The
payoff? Faster commutes, less traffic
congestion and cleaner air.
The hurdles are daunting. Except for
federal monies pledged for the Griffin
line, there are no identified sources of
capital and operating funds,no locomo-
tives or passenger coaches on hand, no
stations or parking lots ready for riders.
Existing freight lines are crowded
with their own traffic. Most haven’t
seen passenger trains since shortly after
the Crackers left Ponce de Leon Avenue,
and one is in such marginal condition its
speed limit is 10 mph.
On a positive note, the Transit Plan-
ning Board last week made commuter
rail a key component in its final, com-
prehensive plan for public transporta-
tion in metro Atlanta.
In December 2007, R.L. Banks deliv-
ered a study updating the seven com-
muter rail plans for the TPB, Metro
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and
Georgia Department of Transportation.
This graphic draws from the Banks
report to map the lines — all radiate out-
ward from Five Points in downtown
Atlanta — and to list estimated travel
times for three routes: the governor’s
“pilot” line to Griffin; the much-dis-
cussed Athens “Brain Train” line serving
the University of Georgia, Emory Uni-
versityandGeorgiaTech;andtheCanton
line,forwhichthestateofGeorgiaalready
owns much of the track. Other proposed
lines would go to Bremen, Senoia, Madi-
sonandGainesville.
– David Ibata
PROS AND CONS
OF RAIL TO WORK
RICK McKAY / Cox Washington Bureau
Traveling by rail to work from the suburbs is a way of life for
Manassas, Va., commuters heading to Washington.
By JAMES SALZER
jsalzer@ajc.com
and CAMERON McWHIRTER
cmcwhirter@ajc.com
Road-building companies
were by far the biggest ben-
eficiaries of taxpayer-funded
state contracts last year.
The value of those trans-
portation contracts — at least
for the top firms — more than
tripled during the past three
years.
Twelve of the top 20 state
contractors — excluding those
for the university system —
were road construction com-
panies, receiving a com-
bined $1.48 billion in taxpayer
money, according to an AJC
analysis of State Accounting
Office payments for the fiscal
year that ended June 30.
Other companies on the
top 20 contractor list include
a private prison operator,
computer companies and
Bank of America.
Someonthelistweremajor
donors to political campaigns
of state leaders, while others
gave little or nothing. Several
had teams of lobbyists reg-
istered at the Capitol, while
others had none.
Topping the list was Mar-
ietta-based C.W. Matthews,
which was paid more than
$522 million, far more than
any other state contractor.
The top nonroadwork con-
tractor was Maximus, a com-
pany that provides admin-
istration services for various
state departments, which
earned $199 million.
The contractor data
examined does not include
payments made by the state
University system and a few
smaller agencies, which keep
Road builders ate lots of state contract funds, analysis shows
POLICY-MAKERS ARE TAKING A SERIOUS LOOK AT COMMUTER TRAINS
➤ Please see POLICE, D7
➤ Please see TOP 20, D10