Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The board will hold a work session at 4:30 p.m. in the Westchester Center.
Big changes in the Decatur anexation discussion. The Decatur School Board meets at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday (time changed from 5:30 p.m.) to talk about how annexation would affect the schools. But there's a very strong chance annexation would not add as many students as first expected. The conversation took a big turn Monday night when City Manager Peggy Merriss recommended the city only annex two of six areas under consideration. Those commercial-heavy areas only include a few hundred residents, meaning the impact on the city school system would not be as great as expected. The school system issued a report last month saying annexation would put great stress on the what is already the fastest-growing system in the state. The school board meets…
Monday, October 29, 2012
The board is expected to adopt a position on annexation. The meetings start at 6 p.m. in the Westchester Center.
The Decatur Board of Education is expected to adopt a position on annexation during a meeting Monday, Oct. 29, at the Westchester Center. At 6 p.m., the board will hold a work session to talk about the effects of annexation on the school system. A study committee's report, which is posted on the City Schools of Decatur annexation blog, says annexation would add more students than the city government anticipates, probably cause a tax increase, lower per-student spending and accelerate the need to build new schools and renovate old ones. At 7 p.m., the board will hold a separate meeting and is expected to adopt a recommendation to give to the Decatur City Commission, which alone has decision-making power on whether to proceed with annexation…
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
About 150 people packed a Monday public hearing on the possible annexation of land into Decatur. Most citizens opposing the idea said they don't want to pay higher city taxes.
People who might be annexed into Decatur told the City Commission on Monday they oppose the idea because Decatur's property taxes are so much higher than DeKalb County's. Approximately 150 people crowded into the city commission chambers for the public hearing and comment session, part of the process as the commission decides if it wants to move ahead with annexation. Taxes were the overriding theme. F.M. Ripley, 70, told commissioners he moved out of Decatur to escape city property taxes. "We've saved about $15,000 in six years," he said. "There's no benefit to being in the city." In a list of FAQs, the city said taxes on a $250,000 house would be $4,844 in Decatur, $3,514 in unincorporated DeKalb. Of that amount, $4,079 goes to the city…
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
A City of DeKalb would be created out of unincorporated land in DeKalb County -- an idea that is affecting annexation discussions in the City of Decatur.
Legislators are discussing the idea of a City of DeKalb that would be created out of all the unincorporated areas of DeKalb County. State Sen. Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain, will chair a Senate study committee on the incorporation of the city of DeKalb, according to Neighbor Newspapers. Her office said the other committee members are Sens. Steve Henson, Gail Davenport, Emanuel Jones, Jason Carter, Ronald Ramsey and Fran Millar. From the story: Butler will be joined by a group of seven committee members, consisting of fellow legislators and local officials from DeKalb County. “Throughout the committee process, it is important to remember that the people who live in our cities and counties share an underlying love for their community,” …
Monday, September 24, 2012
A community leader says residents in Sagamore Hills and North Briarcliff have been inspired by the incorporation of Brookhaven.
Residents in the Sagamore Hills and North Briarcliff communities outside of Decatur are exploring cityhood options as new municipalities in northern DeKalb County place more fianancial pressure on residents in unincorporated areas, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday. The communities have been inspired by the recent vote to incorporate Brookhaven's residents. They've also noticed that Decatur is talking about annexing areas on the edge of the city limits. From the story: Nancy Love, a leader of the [Civic Association Network], an umbrella group trying to pull north-central DeKalb civic associations together, said the referendum in July to form Brookhaven, a city with 49,000 residents, has caused its neighbors to start …
Monday, September 17, 2012
The writer for the website www.annexmenot.com makes her case.
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Monday, September 17, 2012
By Molly A. Badgett Lots of incoming missiles, so I’ll put on a helmet. But I’ve decided not to lay low. I’m the writer and webmaster for www.annexmenot.com. It is, in fact, a group effort, representing a number of long-term residents of the B-1 area that the City of Decatur has targeted, yet again, for annexation. The more people we talk to about annexation the more we discover are on our side of this debate; they’re admittedly uneasy, however, about voicing their opinions online, particularly on social media. To me, this is the most unfortunate aspect of this issue, the marginalization of those who dare say to lovely Decatur, “Thanks, but no thanks.” It’s not a popular position. The City’s last attempt to grab the properties of …
Monday, August 20, 2012
The city commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the proposed annexation of Suburban Plaza and other areas.
Update: The City of Decatur will provide live video streaming of the work session on annexation that starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 20. The city started providing streaming video two weeks ago but only for the regular commission meeting at 7:30 p.m. Providing it for the work session will be a real convenience for interested residents. Linda Harris at city hall said in an email that the camera will provide only one shot -- the wide panoramic view of the city commission -- until the the camera operator arrives a little later. To view the streaming video or to go back later and watch, visit the City of Decatur webpage and pull down on City Government, City Commission and Streaming Video. The previous story: Annexation is in the news again. …
wiggedout
11:24 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012
Steve, you just answered your own question. more ›