DeKalb Freepress 7-1-16

7/25/2019 DeKalb Freepress 7-1-16

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C HA MP IO NN EW SPA PE R C HA MP IO NN EW S CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS

FREEPRESSFRiDaY, JUlY 1, 2016 Vol. 19, no. 12 FREE

A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS erving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

the DeKalb

GET MORE LOCAL NEWS IN THE CHAMPIONSEE PAGE 6 FOR LOCATIONS

See Solar on Page 5

by R. Scott [email protected]

Most Americans haveconsidered switching tosolar power, according to a2015 GALLUP poll showingmore than 70 percent ofespondents want more

emphasis on domestic solarenergy.

According to JennetteGayer, Environment Georgiadirector and Solarize Decatur-DeKalb (SDD) spokesperson,most Americans dontknow how to go aboutobtaining solar energy

or businesses or homeswithout a substantial nancialnvestment.

DeKalb County residentsand business owners maynot have to worry aboutnancial outlay, as SolarizeDecatur-DeKalb is aimingo implement a bulk solar-

energy purchasing programater in 2016.

SDD, a partnershipbetween Sierra Club, Georgianterfaith Power and Light,

Solar Crowdsource, DecaturSustainability Board andEnvironment Georgia, planso streamline the solar

process by creating a bulkorder and installation processailored to DeKalb Countyesidents needs.

From there, SDD wouldenroll participants to take careof the cost of the purchasewith nancial incentives.As more people sign up,he price per watt drops,

meaning the more peoplewho participate, the higher

discount. A solarize programin Athens saw residentialpricing drop from $3.19 per

watt to $2.90 per watt.A town hall event washosted on June 14 at DecaturFirst United Methodist Churchwith approximately 150people in attendance. Gayersaid the event was to ndout specic concerns DeKalbresidents have about solarenergy.

Were sort of in thebuilding phase right now,Gayer said. We are pullingtogether a coalition ofpeople who will promote the

project. The town hall was achance to get feedback onwhats important for people;it could be price; it may becomponents; it may be buyinglocal.

Gayer said the primaryconcern in DeKalb wasprice. The average price forsolar installation, withoutthe Solarize discount or taxcredits, is approximately$20,000.

Theres a federal taxcredit that pays for a thirdof that and we say Solarizecan knock another third offof that, Gayer said. Weretalking somewhere in therange of $10,000. Weretalking to local banks tosee what sort of nancingpackages they can offer sothe system is paying for itselfin a very short time frame.

SDD will take this inputand select a solar energycompany that reflects DeKalbCountys energy needs.Once a company is chosen,

Decatur and DeKalb County maylead the way in solar technology

Catching some rays


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LOCAL DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 Page 2A

See Bikes on Page 4A

Stronghold Christian Church

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Bethesda Cathedral

Free Use of Indoor Track and Weight Room, Mondays thru Thursdays, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Zumba and Zumba Gold, Saturdays, 10 AM to 11 AM

Low Impact Cardio, Mondays, 7 PM to 8 PM

724 Rock Chapel Road, Lithonia, GA 30058

1989 Austin Drive. Decatur, GA 30032

Basketball for ages 12-18, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

5140 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30038

Zumba for all ages, Mondays, 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Excellent Abs Class, Thursdays, 6:30 PM to 7:15 PM

Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For more info: [email protected]

For more info: call (404) 534-3322

For more info: (770) 322-9010

To celebrate 25 years ofservice to DeKalb County, weare offering a 52 -week mailed

subscription for only

To subscribe call404-373-7779 X 0

Subscribe and SAVE

$25

Bikes a possible solutionto Dunwoody traffi cby R. Scott [email protected]

Dunwoody ofcialsdiscussed a possible plano bring more cyclists tohe Perimeter area during

a regularly scheduled citycouncil meeting.

Yvonne Williams,president and chiefexecutive ofcer of thePerimeter Communitymprovement District

(PCID), said Dunwoodyshould look at ways ofncorporating alternativemeans of transportation

such as bicycles tomaintain its position as apremier ofce and retail

market.Williams listed cycling

as a preference for youngprofessionals, a lifestylechoice for emergingmarkets and a worthwhilecommuting option due tohe regions density.

What wouldnfrastructure need toook like to incorporatebicycling? Williams asked.Bicycling will support the

Perimeter in ways weve

never seen before. Wenever thought 10 yearsago that the residentialcommunity would havedensity toward transit

stations, she explained.Williams outlined the

number of commuters whobike to transit stations, useMARTA and never enter acar. She also mentionedsuch strategies as third-party bike shares, whichallows bicycles to berented.

We have a wealth ofamenities to where we canhave that type of program,Williams said.

According to Williamsplan, implementingcorrect cycling measuresbegins with a promotional

campaign, government ornon-prot taking the lead,developing committedpartners, proper fundingand proper infrastructure.

Dunwoody residentCheryl Summersvoiceda negative opinion to citycouncil, stating the initiativewas a backdoor attemptto implement a change to[Dunwoodys transportationmaster plan].

[The mastertransportation plan] issupposed to be conductedthis year, she said. Here

we are throwing somethingin that we havent evenconsidered. Theres beenno public comment, nopublic surveys.

Summers likenedthe initiative to a May

2015 issue where a TillyMill Road sidewalk planmorphed into a discussionabout bicyclists, cars, left-turn lanes and sidewalks.She spoke at that meetingas well, stating she wouldprefer more sidewalksrather than more bike laneswithin city limits.

It makes me questionwho was involved in puttingthis together, Summerssaid. Could it be the samepeople from our bikingcommunity who are pushing

their own agenda again?This should be tabled untilthe master transportationplan is presented.

A new transportationmaster plan for Dunwoodyis scheduled to becompleted this year. Amaster plan is completedevery ve years to guidethe citys capital budgetingeach year according to citydocuments.

The ComprehensiveTransportation Planapproved March 2011shows that Tilly Mill

Road was scheduled for$200,000 in signed bikeroute and/or sharrowsbefore 2015. Chamblee-Dunwoody Road is the

only road scheduled for on-street bike lanes between2016 and 2020.

Councilman DougThompson said the councilshould be responsiveto trafc issues in theDunwoody area.

Councilman Terry Nallsaid it was one thing tocreate biking infrastructurein residential areas, butanother to link them tocommercial ones.

Dunwoody ofcials are considering bike options as a possiblesolution to Perimeter region trafc. File photo/Travis Hudgons


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AROUNDDEKALBCOUNTYWIDECities agree on Peachtree Gateway Partnership

Four DeKalb County citiesChamblee, Brookhaven, Doraville andDunwoodyhave agreed on the Peachtree Gateway Partnership, aneffort to make [an] already thriving part of metro Atlanta an even betterplace to live, work and play.

Home to three MARTA rail stations, a redeveloping General Motorsplant, an airport and interstate hub, Peachtree Gateway Partnershipstates that its mission is to brand, improve and promote the generalarea the three cities inhabit. In addition to branding, a news releasementions a larger connected trail project as a future endeavor.

According to a release, the partnership was created by mayorsJohnErnst(Brookhaven), EricClarkson(Chamblee), DonnaPittman(Doraville) and DenisShortal(Dunwoody). Leaders from localbusinesses, such as DeKalb-Peachtree airport, have joined them.

Doraville is extremely proud to be a part of the partnership,said Pittman. We believe this will be a great collaboration with oursurrounding cities that will offer many opportunities to collaborate on avariety of projects, resulting in very positive outcomes for all four cities.

So many neighboring communities around the Atlanta region are

working together for the good of their larger areas, said Clarkson. Werealized that we could be more successful if we join forces to promotethe many strengths and assets we share.

CHAMBLEECity permits DeKalb Police memorial

Chamblee City Council approved the establishment of a DeKalbCounty law enforcement memorial at Dresden Park.

The monument, which is set to stand 5 feet long and 6 feet high, isset to cost the North Decatur Lions Club $10,000. The memorial is inthe shape of DeKalb County and will feature the names of ofcers whohave died in the line of duty.

This past year, we again heard much criticism of our lawenforcement ofcials and after much thought, decided that we should

again act, reads a letter from CharleneFang, who presented the itemto Chamblees City Council on June 21. We decided that we shouldhave a memorial in DeKalb County to honor those police ofcers whohave been killed in the line of duty. A park setting was proposed andDresden Park was suggested.

While the club encourages help in raising funds for the memorial,the Lions Club has only asked for permission to create the memorial.

Dresden Park was acquired by Chamblee in February. It is locatedat 2301 Dresden Drive.

DECATURClerk of Superior Court to host eFile CLE training

DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk DebraDeBerryand Tyler

Technologies are hosting another free eFile CLE lunch and learntraining session on Friday, July 8, at 11 a.m. in the Jury AssemblyRoom on the rst oor of the DeKalb County Courthouse, 556 N.McDonough St., in downtown Decatur.

This training workshop is recommended by the clerks ofce forany attorney and staff who le documents in DeKalb County ClerksOfce. We are excited to begin the implementation of our new casemanagement system, Odyssey. This has long been a goal for me thatour county utilize and benet from the best, said DeBerry.

Contact AnnetteTaylorby July 6 to reserve a seat at (404) 371-2251 or [email protected].

History center announces July lunch and learn topic

DeKalb History Centers next July lunch and learn will be presentedby Dr. TomKeating, educator and author of Saturday School: HowOne Town Kept Out The Jewish 1902-32.

For 30 years, Decaturs school system held classes Tuesdaythrough Saturday; Keating wrote the book in 1998 to delve into thereasons and history behind this practice. states a release.

Keating focuses his 45-year career as a teacher, administrator,instructor, lobbyist and school board member on the Decatur practiceof holding the weekly holiday on Mondayseven though the majority ofparents and half the board of education opposed Saturday School, the

release continued. The event is free and attendees are encouragedto bring a bagged lunch. The lunch and learn will be held TuesdayJuly 19, noon - 1 p.m. at DeKalb History Center, located in the historicDeKalb courthouse, 101 E. Court Square in downtown Decatur.

DORAVILLEVolunteers needed for Oakcliff Elementary makeover

Volunteers are needed for the Oakcliff Elementary Schoolmakeover July 22 and July 23.

Located at 3151 Willow Oak Way in Doraville, Oakcliff was chosenas this years Georgia United Credit Unions 2016 School Crashersgrand prize winner. The prize entails a school makeover, complete withgrounds and facility improvements.

The school was awarded the makeover out of hundreds of schoolsthroughout Georgia. The selection was made after third-grader ChloeRigginssubmitted a 250-word essay explaining why the schoolneeded a makeover.

Volunteers are needed to carry out such tasks as painting,landscaping, construction and supplying materials. All skill levels areneeded and bilingual volunteers are encouraged.

For more information on volunteering to makeover OakcliffElementary School in Doraville, including registration, visit https://gucu.org/about-us/community-development/school-crashers.


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BIKES Continued From Page 2A

by Carla [email protected]

Tucker now has a full-time cityclerk.

Jennifer Davis wasappointed as city clerk June 13after a unanimous approval vote

by the city council. Davis hasexperience as a city clerk andaccountant to other new citiesand provided accounting servicesto Sandy Springs and PeachtreeCorners.

Davis also assisted inthe startup of Brookhavensrevenue department, includingcreating forms, preparing

correspondences and followingup with business owners.

The Tucker City Council alsoappointed Tami Hanlinas actingcity manager. Hanlin is a seniormanagement consultant forCH2M Operations ManagementServices. CH2M was selected

by Tucker to provide municipalservices.

Hanlin has more than 25years of experience in planning,developing and implementingservices. She holds a mastersdegree in public administrationand is a certied manager ofcommunity associations. Shealso has experience in program

and project management andorganizational development andcommunications planning andexecution.

Hanlin will serve as acting citymanager as she leads the searchfor a candidate to ll the positionlong term.

We are looking forwardto helping Tucker establish aresponsive customer-centeredcity government, Hanlin saidin a released statement. Ourrst order of business will beto establish a policy frameworkbased on the priorities of thecity council in order to ensurethat city operations are efcient,

transparent and accountable, inorder to deliver the high qualityof service the residents of Tuckerdeserve.

CH2M will manage thecitys administration, nanceand community developmentdepartments. The rm will perform

code enforcement, planning andzoning, and building permittingand inspections. The rm will alsohandle administrative services,including revenue collection,nancial support and general staffsupport.

CH2Ms initial service contractwith Tucker ends in 2020.

Tucker appoints city clerk, acting city manager

Malcolm appointed toAssembly CID Boardby R. Scott Belzer

[email protected]

Doraville City Council has takenanother step in redeveloping theormer General Motors site now

known as the Assembly.On June 20, Mayor Donna

Pittmanpresented Alan Malcolmas her choice to serve on Assemblyscommunity improvement districtCID) board, which will govern taxes,ees and assessments at the site

with nine other board members.I cannot think of anyone that

would serve that position any better,Pittman said. Hes a great nanceperson and a great citizen. Hes beenhere a long time and truly does careabout our community.

Malcolms name is mentionedn past Livable Centers InitiativeLCI) steering committees, ethics

committees, city council agendasand books about Doraville. He is afelong Northwoods neighborhoodesident and Regions Bank vice

president.He is well respected by the

community and known for being fair,evelheaded and very progressive,said Robert Kelley, publicnformation ofcer for Doraville. Hesvery interested in Doravilles future

and what is best for the city. He willbe an invaluable asset to the CIDventure since he is a big fan of the

Assembly project, especially with his

nancial expertise.According to city council records,

Malcolm has been a proponentof property maintenance, single-family residential living, restrictingrestaurant hours and attracting moreDoraville residents.

Doraville approved the creationof a CID for the Assembly project onMay 9. CIDs are self-taxing districtsoutlined by municipalities andcounties to help fund infrastructureimprovements. Property ownerswithin the CID will pay taxes, feesand assessments that will go towardpaying for street construction,maintenance, parks and recreationareas, sewage and stormwaterimprovements, public transportation,parking and other facilities as maybe provided for by general law.

According to Doraville CityManager Shawn Gillen, this meansthe sites redevelopment would beprimarily funded by property ownerswithin the district.

According to a Doravilleresolution passed in May, eight other

Assembly CID board members willbe chosen by a caucus of electorsand one board member will beappointed by DeKalb County. Thedocument states the caucus will take

place within 90 days of the May 9meeting.

The exact amount of money

When you start talking aboutbiking, you hear a lot of buzzwords

ke live, work, play, Nall said.But is there any empirical

evidence that shows workers wanto bike to work? I see nothing that

says this will take 2,000 or 5,000

cars off the road.Councilwoman Lynn Deutsch

said the Perimeter area ischanging and Dunwoody shouldbe ahead of the curve.

Trafc is going to drivepeople to take alternative means

of transportation, Deutsch said.I think its going to change the

decision making factors youngsingle people make in terms ofwhere they live. Im interested tosee how this evolves.

Mayor Denis Shortaland

councilman John Heneghansaidthe city should do whatever is

possible to foster an alternative todriving in Dunwoody.

To sit here and do nothing is amistake, Shortal said. We have tothink outside the box on this.

that will be collected from CID

property owners has yet to beestablished, as the completegoverning board has not been

chosen.

The Doraville City Councilunanimously approved Malcolmsappointment.

The Doraville Assembly CID serves as a way to tax property within a deneddistrict.


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DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 local Page 5

SOLAR Continued From Page 1A

SDD also will facilitate siteevaluations, proposals andnstallation. The coalition alsowill provide information on taxncentives and grants.

When we launch, well

have a three-month windowwhere people can decide if theysign up, Gayer said. Youllget a free site evaluation andhen have the option to sign acontract. We have a residentialside and a more commercialand municipal side. This helpsdeal with the barriers peopleace when they want to put solarpanels on their roof.

Barriers mentioned includeexpense, confusion in thebidding and warranty processand overall hesitancy in makinga drastic home change.

We do all that for you,Gayer said.

She said theres a big pushor solar energy on both thestate and national level. Shesaid in Georgia alone, increaseshave come in several hundredpercent increments.

You see sharp increasesn the amount of solar energycoming online, Gayer said.Were installing more solar

capacity than we are naturalgas, nuclear or coal. Were inhe middle of a revolution in

how we generate energy andwhat that looks like. [Georgia]has gone from basically zeroto 1,000 megawatts in thepipeline.

Gayer said the environmental

benets, home property valueincreases and permanentsource of energy makes goingsolar a great choice overtraditional means or energy.

The traditional energy picturecauses all sorts of problems.Theres all sorts of negativeexternalities that come withfossil fuels and nuclear power,Gayer said. The one weregrappling with here in Georgia isthe issue of coal ash. Were justnow coming to terms with thefact that we have these pondsfull of toxic sludge all over ourstate.

Gayer consideres the townhall meeting held June 14 asuccess and hopes to keepthe momentum going as thesolarizing process continues.

Decatur and DeKalb Countyhave the sun, the engagedcitizens, and the possibleworkforce to be a solar leader inthe South, Gayer said. Solarenergy is a proven, pollution-free resource, Solarize Decatur-DeKalb will help jump start ourcommunitys big solar potential.


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DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 opinion Page 6

Letter to the EditorDear Mr. Hewitt,

I enjoyed reading yourcolumn Summertime and theliving is easy. I remember thesummers of my youth in ruralTennessee lled with many funand carefree times. I lived in anextended family on my maternalgrandparents farm. My uncleraised many crops for marketand my brothers and otherswould chop cotton, pick okra,purple hull peas and soybeans.I worked in the garden with mymother and helped to preparevegetables and fruits from the

orchard for canning or freezing.My main job was housecleaningand doing the laundry in aringer washing machine.

The weather was very hotwithout air-conditioning until the

late evening. I loved summerthunderstorms that would make

the dust smell so earthy andclean, and would cool us offa bit. The grownups would sitoutside in the late eveningstalking while old rags burned tokeep away the mosquitos. Wechildren would play hide-and-seek until it was too dark to see.Sometimes my mother wouldtell scary stories, and I would betoo afraid to go inside alone.

As Black people living inthe South during the timeof segregation, life had itschallenges; however, there were

many good times spent goingto movies in town, barbecuing,enjoying homemade ice cream,and taking an occasional tripto the city, Memphis, to shopor visit the zoo. Sometimes we

would have visitors from theNorth or from California and

North Carolina.I often complained about the

heat and having to work in thegarden. I didnt like sweatingand looking ugly. My motherand grandmother and I coveredcompletely in cotton shirts,pants, and we wore strawhats. I wasnt fond of that look.They believed in protectingthemselves from the sun evenbefore we knew about itsharmful rays.

As a young girl I wanteda city-life lled with parties

and dancing, but that wasntavailable to me. As I look back,I appreciate what my family wasabouthard work, taking care oftheir business, and carving outa piece of the American dream

for us.There are many things from

the past that I hold dear, yet Iknow there is no going back,and if I could, I would have toexperience all. Therefore, Imove forward through the restof my life, not as carefree oras optimistic as I once was,yet grateful for the opportunityto experience life during thesefast-paced and sometimes tooexciting times. I am thankfulfor the journey. Thanks forthe memories. I appreciatesharing with someone whounderstands. My young people

want no part of my past.

Sincerely,Barbara G. Armstrong


7/20

With your help we can begino change the narrative and thedirection of our DeKalb County.

We can end the toxic pairing ofcorruption and incompetenceso prevalent in so many areasof our county government...and changing direction meansa need to change leadership.Lets finish the mission!

DeKalb County businessmanand DeKalb Commission District4 candidate Steve Bradshawduring recent remarks to hissupporters.

A low but discerning numberof DeKalb County votersbegan the challenging work of

mproving the reputation andperformance of DeKalbs countygovernment during the Maygeneral primary elections. Runoffelections will occur on Tuesday,July 26, and early voting beginsTuesday, July 5.

DeKalb voters overwhelminglyselected SolicitorSherryBostonas their next districtattorney, and gave a decisiveDemocratic primary victory to theparty nominee for CEO, MichaelThurmond.

Though the angry, anti-ncumbent, anti-establishmentmood of the presidentialelectorate did not lter down tohese local elections, DeKalbvoters did make changes ints legislative delegation, anddid not in all cases returnncumbents to ofce or even toheir party nomination.

The Honest Governmentof DeKalb PAC, drawing ona broad and diverse cross-section of community leaders,activists and stakeholders, had

a good run with its series ofendorsements. And even onraces where the group could notreach an endorsement decision,candidates the PAC opposeddid not make it into the runoffelections.

On the DeKalb Countycommission, better workingrelationships should

be developed with theofce of CEO, as well asamong the commissionerthemselves. Several currentmembers of the commissionbarely speak to each other, andless than adult behavior is oftenpresented in a wide array offorums as a result.

On controversial issuesranging from the creation,structure and funding ofDeKalbs Ethics Commission,use of purchasing cards,stronger control/audit procedures

for county government contractsto the purchase of YMCAs andother properties with countyPark SPLOST funding; thecommission votes are typicallydecided in a repeating 4/3split. The resignation of SuperDistrict 7 Commissioner StanWatson,who left to seek theofce of tax commissioner,returned the board to a frequent3/3 tie, as had occurred fornearly two years during the openseat for District 5.

The current makeup of thecommission, with the 4/3 votesplit, generally opposed more

funding and authority for theethics commission, did notsupport the immediate endof P-card use, has opposedstronger purchasing procedures,audits and controls and wasmoving in the direction ofacquiring the East DeKalbYMCA, despite another YMCAfacility already under countyownership a few miles away.

Paraphrasing formerPresidentBill Clintonduringhis successful White House runin 1992, Democratic District 4sleading candidate in the Primaryelection, Bradshaw often says,There is nothing wrong withDeKalb County that we cannotsolve with all that is right withDeKalb County.

Incumbent CommissionerSharon Barnes-Suttonhas runa campaign without participatingin numerous candidate forumsand debates, focusing onidentifying and turning out hersupporters and often makingattacks of a more personalnature against her challenger. Iwill note that the commissionerhas done some good in herdistrict, and public service isno cake walk, but the generalperception most often repeatedconcerns self-service trumpingpublic service on mattersranging from P-card usage tofree YMCA memberships for thecommissioner and her staff.

This runoff includescritical local elections fortax commissioner, countycommissioner and several

legislative posts across theregion. Though an evensmaller turnout is projected and

expectednearly 80 percent ofDeKalb voters who did not votein the primary are eligible to votein the runoff elections. The onlythings active voters cannot dois crossover from voting in oneparty primary to another politicalpartys primary runoff. You haveto stay in the lane you earlierselected.

The property tax bills you pay,and county government policyranging from water rates togarbage pick-up schedules androad resurfacing, as well as thedirection of the countys policeand public safety functions, areall locally controlled.

If you like the way thingshave been going, you havean easy choice. Stay at homeor vote the full slate of run-offincumbents. But if you are likemeconcerned and regularlyexperiencing great pause overthe cause and direction of ourcountythen pay attention,attend candidate forums,speak with community leaders,neighbors and others seeking tohelp DeKalb turn a corner and

lets nish the mission.

Bill Crane also serves as apolitical analyst and commenta-tor for Channel 2s Action News,WSB-AM News/Talk 750 and now95.5 FM, as well as a columnist forThe Champion, Champion FreePress and Georgia Trend. Craneis a DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. You canreach him or comment on a col-umn at [email protected].

DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 opinion Page 7

Lets finish the mission

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writers name, address and telephone number for

verification. All letters will be considered for publication.

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Championwas founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for allcommunity residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effecta more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

Publisher:John Hewitt

Chief Financial Officer:Dr. Er D. Ge

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Staff Reporters:cr prkerR. Stt BezerHre Hm

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let Us Kw Wht Yu Thk!SEnD lETTERS To EDiToR,The DeKalb Free Press,P. O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347;Send email to J [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903; Phone: (404) 373-7779.

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FREEPRESSthe DeKalb

One MansOpinion

Bill Crane

[email protected]

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8/20


Doraville and Chamblee LCI grant goes to third-place firmby R. Scott [email protected]

The city of Doravilleecently awarded a Buford

Highway consultant contract

o a team that cumulativelyscored lower than two otherrms that also submitted

bids.On June 20 and June

21, Canvas PlanningGroup, an Atlanta-basedcommunity planning group,was awarded consultingduties on a $96,000 LivableCenters Initiative (LCI) grantawarded to Doraville andChamblee in February.

The Atlanta RegionalCommission (ARC)awarded the two cities the$96,0000 grant to help

evitalize Buford Highwaysconnectivity, affordablehousing and pedestriansafety. Doraville andChamblee will be required tomake a 20 percent match.

The two cities recentlysigned an intergovernmentalagreement outliningesponsibilities of how the

LCI will be spent. Doravilleopted to select, work withand pay consultants whileChamblee chose to providespace for public meetingsand give city-specic input.

Both cities took part inhe selection of Canvassproject team made up ofAaron Fortner, RyanGravel, Joel Mann, CalvinGladney, Carlos Perez,Marian Liouand MaryCaroline Russell. Theirates, according to the

project proposal, will rangefrom $75 per hour to $175per hour, with salariesranging from $750 to$48,750.

Gravels rm, Sixpitch,is known for the AtlantaBeltline project while Liou

is known for her work in WeLove BuHi, an enterpriseadvocating for a brighterBuford Highway future.Fortner, Canvass founder,is also known for his roleas Atlantas city plannerand working on the AtlantaBeltlines master plan.

While the three namesmay be consideredreputable by some, criteriafor awarding the projectincluded understandingof the area, experience,accountability and past work

in the region.On that criteria, Canvasranked lower than two otherrms.

Council members DawnOConnor and SharonSpangler questionedDoravilles Director ofEconomic Development

Luke Howeon the selectioncommittees process andscoring method in choosingCanvas, as two other rms,

Atlantas TSW Planning andWashington, D.C.s LSLPlanning, scored higher.

Canvas scored 75 out of

a possible 100, with four ofsix members of the selectioncommittee ranking the rmthird. LSL Planning scored84 while TSW scored 83.

How did you come upwith those score totals?Theres kind of a vastdifference between some ofthose, OConnor said.

Howe said Canvas

stood apart as a candidateduring the two-day interviewprocess.

We came to theunanimous decision to offerCanvas Planning to bothDoraville and Chambleecity councils, Howe said.They did score lower on thequantitative measure. Butthey did an outstanding jobon their interview and blewus away.

Howe said none of theproposals were overlyimpressive and lookedboilerplate, making

them difcult to score. Hespecically mentionedGravels Chambleeroots, passion for BufordHighway and experience

in working with theGeorgia Department ofTransportation (GDOT) asdeciding factors.

The crux of this is goingto be transportation, Howe

said. Thats going to require[GDOTs] cooperation. Theirenthusiasm, thoughtfulnesson the project, and ability toeffect change for the projectset them apart.

Enrique Bascunana,community developmentdirector for Doraville,echoed Howesmethodology.

Their tendency to thinkoutside the box and comeup with creative solutionsis really applicable to whatcan possibly occur for theBuford Highway corridor,

Bascunana said.Chamblee city council

also approved the choiceof Canvas at its June 21meeting.

TheCityofChambleeCityCouncildoesherebyannouncethatthemillageratewillbesetatameetingtobeheldattheChambleeCivic

Centerlocatedat3540BroadStreet,Chamblee,GeorgiaonJuly7,2016at6:00PMandpursuanttotherequirementsofGa.Code

48532doesherbypublishthefollowingpresentationofthecurrentyear'staxdigestandlevy,alongwiththehistoryofthetaxdigest

andlevy

for

the

past

five

years.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real&Personal 797,623,949 729,978,100 723,574,965 991,264,465 1,123,309,202 1,260,612,144

MotorVehicles&HeavyEquipment 14,131,410 22,076,110 27,471,830 23,809,872 20,050,020 15,797,850

PublicUtilities 11,087,937 9,128,386 9,726,659 10,289,198 15,151,224 13,476,415

GrossDigest 822,843,296 761,182,596 760,773,454 1,025,363,535 1,158,510,446 1,289,886,409

LessExemptions 88,432,680 83,119,557 86,685,769 136,343,322 147,895,254 152,537,275

AdjustedNetDigest 734,410,616 678,063,039 674,087,685 889,020,213 1,010,615,192 1,137,349,134

GrossMillageRage 7.4 7.4 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.4

NetTaxes

Levied 5,434,639 5,017,666 4,314,161 5,689,729 6,467,937 7,279,034

NetTaxes$Increase 1,360,970 (416,972) (703,505) 1,375,568 778,208 811,097

NetTaxes%increase 33.41% 7.67% 14.02% 31.88% 13.68% 12.54%

CURRENT 2016 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

NOTICE

According to needs assessment data, heavy and binge drinking inDeKalb County is a particular concern. Binge drinking is dened as a pattern of alcohol consumption thatwhich brings the blood alcohol concentration level to 0.08% or or

more. Binge drinking is 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men and 4 ormore on a single occasion for females. Heavy drinking is dened as consuming

15 drinks or more per week for men or 8 or more drinks per week for women. Nineteen percent of adults or nearly one-fth of adults 18-25 years of age inDeKalb County reported binge or heavy drinking making this behavior higherthan the state and national average.Be Safe DeKalb!

For more information

Call (770) 285-6037 orE-mail: [email protected]

Did you know?

Marian LiouRyan GravelAaron Fortner


9/20


Sticks and stonesDoraville mailersraise questions onsocial, legal issues

by R. Scott [email protected]

Despite the sticks and stonesadage, when the words involvemisrepresenting local government,t gets a little more complicated, ass the case with the city of Doraville.

Since early June, someDoraville residents have found ateast two sets of iers in their mail.One claims Doraville is raisingaxes due to pending lawsuits andawyers while the other, whicheatures the Doraville city logo, callsor Doraville ofcials to formallyecognize the lesbian, bisexual,

gay, transgender and queerLBGTQ) community.

Many residents have regularly

contacted the city about themailings.On June 20, the issue seemed

o hit fever pitch as Mayor DonnaPittman began a scheduledcity council meeting with anannouncement addressing theiers, stating they do not representhe city in any way.

Many of our citizens are gettingpostcards with what I would callpropaganda, Pittman said. Ithas the Doraville logo on it. Werechecking into that, however, it is notrom the city of Doraville. The logos being used illegally.Pittman said she and city councilmembers have been contactedby concerned residents who wereangry they received the iers.Doraville resident Susan Fraysse

suggested the city copyright itslogo, making it illegal to use withoutpermission.

I dont want any confusion suchas this postcard suggests, Frayssesaid. When they use [Doravilles]logo, I resent it. They are notspeaking on behalf of the city, theywerent elected by anybody. [Some]people dont always follow up withthings and they wont understand.

Doraville made an ofcial

statement via email stating the ierscontained distorted facts regardingDoraville council actions andpolicies.

If anyone has received thesemailings, be assured they do notrepresent nor do they correctlyexpress the efforts being putforth by city leaders on behalf ofDoravilles citizens, the statementreads, also stating legal action isbeing considered.

The specic ier with Doravilleslogo addresses attempts made byQueer Youth for Equality askingofcials to formally recognize June26 as LGBT Day, as June 26 was

the day the United States SupremeCourt ruled in favor of gay marriage.

Jill Chambers, a representativeof Oasis Goodtime Emporium,said she sent one the mailers,which informed residents about thecitys ongoing litigation with certainbusinesses including Oasis.

Since Oasis was annexed intocity limits, it has been illegal for theestablishment to serve liquor whilealso providing adult entertainment

such as nude dancers. Thebusiness has since been in a legalbattle with Doraville with the citygoing as far as not cashing taxchecks from Oasis.

I dont know about propaganda,but I did send an orange postcardmy name is on it, Chambers said.The total was $422,000 as ofNov. 11, 2015. The lawyers haveprobably continued to bill the citysince then, so its probably over halfa million dollars by now.

Chambers, a regular attendeeof Doraville City Council meetings,argues Oasis should be ableto serve alcohol under county

ordinances. At Doravilles June6 meeting, representatives fromShooter Alley, which has closed itsdoors since the new ordinanceshave been enforced, also voicedtheir concerns, citing discriminatorypractices.

Chambers, via the mailer, saidSandy Springs has been in a similarlitigation battle for more than 11years.

The motions and lings are

almost identical, Chambers said.Same fees, same ordinances.Sandy Springs has already paidmore than $700,000 on this. Howmuch more is Doraville going tocontinue to spend to continue tolitigate, when, if you accept theDeKalb agreement, it would all beover in six years?

Doraville has been unable topublicly respond to Chambersassertions, as litigation issuesare typically handled in executivesession behind closed doors. Cityofcials have also hinted that anysort of response would validateclaims they view as false.

Fliers informing residents about ongoing litigation in Doraville and LGBT rights have been dismissed by city ofcials.

Many of our citizens aregetting postcards with what

I would call propaganda.

Doraville Mayor Donna Pittman


10/20


File photo/Travis Hudgons

Joy (ID# 31343279) is a happy go lucky one year oldwiggleworm who cant wait to do zoomies around the backyardand cuddle up next to you at night. She is short, stout, and totally

adorable! She loves to play and cant wait to have afamily to entertain with her goofy personality.

This sweetie qualifies for our June Make Wavespromotion. Adoption fee is Waived for dogs over 25

lbs. and for all cats!Adoption includes

spay/neuter,vaccinations,microchip and

more! If youwould like more information

about Joy please emailadoption@dekalbanimalservices.

com or call (404) 294-2165. Allpotential adopters will be screened

to ensure Joy goes to a goodhome.

PET OFTHEWEEK

by Horace [email protected]

The DeKalb County Boardof Commissioners approved aresolution June 28 to allow the rstmonthly committee of the wholemeeting to be held at 5 p.m. insteadof 10 a.m.

The resolution was enactedafter DeKalb County residentscomplained that early-morningmeetings were too difcult to attenddue to scheduling.

According to the resolution, the5 p.m. meeting times will ensureadequate opportunity for thepublic to attend the rst monthlyCommittee of the Whole meeting.

Committee of the Wholemeetings are generally held onhe rst and third Tuesday of everymonth.

Commissioner Kathie Gannonsaid shes supportive of the timechange.

I think its a good way forthe board to be responsive to thecommunity and hopefully theytake the opportunity to come downand visit and give us a comment,Gannon said. We had peoplecitizens coming to meetingsand suggesting that we hold themeetings at night so that morecitizens can get involved.

The 5 p.m. meetings willbe held at different locationsthroughout DeKalb County.

Although the locations have yet tobe determined, Gannon said themeetings will likely be held in public

libraries.The resolution also added a30-minute public comment sectionto the evening meetings. Gannon

said the commissioners decided notto extend the public speaking timedespite resident complaints.

We rarely use the 30 minutesof public speaking time. Peoplewere not interested in extending thepublic speaking time, but I think thisis a step in the right direction. Wellhave to do a good job of getting theword out, Gannon said. Its all rightto shake it up every now and then.

However, some DeKalb Countyresidents feel the meeting timechange isnt enough.

Jeff Long, 51, a lifelongresident of DeKalb County, said5 p.m. still doesnt give residentsadequate time to commute fromwork to meetings.

What does that really gain us?asked Long. Some of us havepretty horrendous commutes so 5p.m. would still be a struggle. Now

if they want to move comment timeto the end of the meeting that mightwork.

Long said he feels the board ofcommissioners should revise therules at it relates to the amount oftime allocated to public comment.

When you go to Fulton Countyor to Atlanta and they see thereare an extra number of people thathave a comment to make theyallow them to talk. Ive never seenthat with DeKalb County. (DeKalbCounty) cuts everybody off at 10speakers, said Long, who worksas a government consultant outsideDeKalb County. I really would liketo see the board of commissionersmeeting moved back. Im not really

interested in the committee of thewhole. The board of commissionersshould be more sensitive to ourtime.

DeKalb BOC changes committee meeting time

New Features Include:

Self-enroll in E-billing and/or selectto receive paper statements.

Name and password requirementfor enhanced security.

Research your payment historyand view billing statements.

Link multiple accounts allowing forgreater account management.

For more information or to pay your bill online,

please visit us at www.dekalbwatershed.com. $4 processing fee will apply; fee can be avoided with auto-pay.


11/20


PHOTOS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DCTV

WEEKinPICTURES

DeKalb County implements changes to garbage and recycling container requirements and collection

procedures April 18, 2016.

Only county-provided garbage and recycling containers are approved for sanitation collection service.

For more info, call or visit:

(404) 294-2900

www.rollingforwardtoone.com

The DeKalb County Bar Association was honored with the Best Website Award forvoluntary bar associations with 251 to 500 members, presented June 17 during theAnnual Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia at Amelia Island, Fla.

Rep. Hank Johnson was one of many congressman to participate in a June 22it-in demanding a vote take place on legislation. Photo submitted.

Dignitaries from Portugal visited Clarkston Community Center to observe the citys practices

n welcoming refugees. Photo submitted.

A Portuguese delegation observed children participating in Clarkston

Community Centers summer camp program to learn how the city hasembraced a refugee community. Photo submitted.

Armored trucks sit at the Army National Guard Armory in Decatur.Marists Will Kingseld placed eighth in the javelin throw (187-07) at the USATF Junior National Outdoor Track and FieldChampionships in Clovis, Calif.


12/20



With the possibility of theproposed city of Greenhaven,

which features all ofunincorporated DeKalb Countyn its map, Avondale Estateshas launched an annexationdiscussion.

The Avondale Estates Boardof Mayor and Commissionersdiscussed annexation at its June5 work session. The topic was

brought up after CommissionerBrianFishersent an email aboutevisiting annexation to Mayor

JonathanElmoreand CityManager ClaiBrown.

I am for [annexation] basedupon the feasibility studyon

some of the things we are doingdowntown. I feel like if were goingo do it then we need to startalking about it now and have a

game plan so that if were going tostart [on] Jan.1 we got somethingn someones lap so that were ableo get enough public conversationwith] those that may be affected

so its not a surprise or hurry up.Last year, the city considered

annexing two areas. One areancludes commercial property northof the city along East Ponce DeLeon Avenue, the old AvondaleMiddle School property andesidential property northeast of

he city along Old Rockbridge Roadand the DeKalb School of the Artsand residential property south thecity along Berkeley Road.

The second area also includes

properties along Old RockbridgeRoad and Berkeley Road, inaddition includes residentialproperties west of the city alongKatie Kerr Drive and South

Columbia Drive. Earlier this year,the city decided not to pursueannexation plans for the remainderof 2016.

In his email, Fisher suggestedlooking at amending the proposedmap.

As you look at it, I think theKatie Kerr area its separated fromus by a creek, he said. I think itwould be a mistake not to includeDecatur Terrace into it. Whywould we invest that money intodowntown and the most walkablepiece of it is not part of ourdowntown? I think we have to have

some consensus to run this group.Do we really want to engage in thisor not? If we do, then lets take thenecessary steps. If we dont, thenlets table it and be done with thisfor a period of time.

We need to go ahead andschedule a meeting way inadvance for residents to give inputso that we can go to the electedofcials and say this is what wewant to get done and [these are]the steps weve taken, Fisheradded.

Commissioner RandyBeebeagreed with Fisher.

I think we do need to get on

top of this because I think its goingto hit us quickly next year withGreenhaven, Beebe said. I thinkwe need to come up with a map forannexation.

During the last annexationdiscussion, which caught residentsand property owners by surprise,some property owners spoke

against annexation. Propertyowners included the AmericanLegion Post 66 on Covington

Consultant suggests county admin buildings move, consolidate

Annexation back on the table for Avondale Estates


DeKalb County ofcials maybe looking for a new home aftera Chicago-based consulting

company suggested the countysadministrative buildings do notadequately serve their residents.

In a DeKalb Board ofCommissioners workshopmeeting held at Tucker Reid H.Cofer Library, Vice President ofLL Jeremy Beckersaid one of

DeKalb Countys administrativebuildings did not serve residents tohe best of its potential, specicallyhe Manuel J Maloof Centerocated at 1300 Commerce Drive.

In an 86-page report to thecommissioners, Becker suggestedhe board consolidate and move to

he corner of Kensington Road andMemorial Drive.According to JLLs research,

he potential new site would becentrally located within DeKalbCounty and would allow easyaccess to Interstate 285.

We looked at youradministrative footprint and welooked at your buildings and said,where are they (located) and atthe end of the day do they bestserve your customers? Or do they

serve your customers the bestthat they can? And I think its fairto say the answer to that is likelyno, Becker said. You have a lotof administrative buildings thatare certainly past their usefullife. Administrative buildings indowntown Decatur are difcult forcustomers.

Becker said the researchincluded interviews and surveyswith more than 25 governmentemployees.

As a whole, people aresupportive of the concept ofmaking their lives easier. We spent

signicant time with interviews,research and analysis. We cameup with a consolidated facility thatscentrally located and the proposedconguration makes it customer

See DeKalb on Page 14A

See Annexation on Page 14A


Avondale Estates has gone back to discussing annexation.


13/20


PUBLIC NOTICE

MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM

SITE VISITEmory University Orthopedics and Spine Hospital-EUOSH has applied to the American NursesCredentialing Center (ANCC) for the prestigiousdesignation of Magnet. Magnet designationrecognizes excellence in nursing services.

Patients, family members, staff, and interested

parties who would like to provide comments areencouraged to do so. Anyone may send commentsvia e-mail, and direct mail. All comments received byphone must be followed up in writing to the MagnetProgram Ofce.

NOTE: All comments are CONFIDENTIALand are not shared with the health careorganization. Comments may be anonymous,but they must be sent in writing to the MagnetProgram Ofce.

Your comments must be received by July 17, 2016.

Address: AMERICAN NURSES CREDENTIALINGCENTER (ANCC)

MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM OFFICE

8515 Georgia Ave., Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492

E-Mail: [email protected]: 866-588-3301 (toll free)All comments received by phone must be followed upin writing to the Magnet Program Ofce.

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The Board of Education of the City of Decatur hastentatively adopted a millage which will remain the same asthe Fiscal Year 2016 millage rate of 18.66 mills; however dueto property reassessments, this will represent an averageincrease of 0.80% in property taxes.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing onthis tax increase to be held at the Board Room of the CentralOfce, 125 Electric Avenue, Decatur, Georgia on Tuesday,July 12, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 18.66mills, an increase of 0.148 millsover the rollback millage.The rollback millage rate is calculated to produce the sametotal revenue on the current years digest that last yearsmillage rate would have produced had no reassessmentsoccurred. Without this tentative tax increase, the rollbackmillage rate will be no more than 18.512 mills. Theproposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value

of$400,000is approximately $30and the proposed taxincrease for nonhomestead property with a fair market valueof$475,000is approximately $36.


After a short discussion, theAvondale Estates Board of Mayor

and Commissioners approvedan interim agreement to provideunding to the citys Downtown

Development Authority for an artpark.

The board voted 4-1 toapprove the agreement at itsune 22 special called meeting.

Commissioner Terry Giagerwashe lone no vote.

According to the city, theAvondale Arts Alliance, artists,ocal residents and businessesproposed to create a temporary cityparkthe Art Lotin an underusedspace at 70 North Avondale Road

near the Tudor Village Building.The proposed project would turnhe unused land into a pop-up art

park to create a temporary publicspace where locals and visitors canexplore various art works.

It could also have otherdaily uses, according to the city.The project goal is to supportand increase pedestrian safety,neighborhood identity andbeautication along the four-lanecorridor of North Avondale Road,according to the city.

The board of mayor andcommissioners approved anntergovernmental agreement

hat provides interim funding of$36,000 to the DDA for 90 dayswhile the city negotiates a long-termntergovernmental agreement. Theoriginal agreement called for the

city to pay the DDA $42,500 beforethe board agreed to reduce theamount.

Giager said he did not have aproblem with funding the DDA, but

with funding the project as it stands.

The solution, in my opinion,should be that we do some short-term work, let them run it for twoweeks or a month. I would suggestthat we give them a lot less, maybe$4,000, do some of their festivals,whatever they want to do and seewhat happens.

Giager was also doubtful thatthe Art Lot would be as successfulin Avondale Estates as it has beenin other larger cities.

All of them were in major

metropolitan cities in the densest,most pedestrian-trafc areas withthriving businesses surroundingthem, he said. Therefore, theyhave the pedestrian trafc that we

dont have, and thats why theywere popular. Most of them wereopened for one day, maybe twoon a weekend, some for a weekand I found one that was open for

two weeks.

Mayor Jonathan Elmoresaidthe project would be event-driven.

Its not pedestrian driven,Elmore said. We want to attractpedestrians but the way were doingthat is with events.

I think this is a uniqueopportunity for us to try something,to invest in our city, to put ourmoney where our mouth is, Elmoresaid. Were going to try and keepthis thing up and running for aslong as we can. I think this is a

worthwhile risk and a worthwhileinvestment.

The city rst mentioned theproposed project on June 16through a news release posted on

its website. The board discussedthe project for the rst time publiclyat its June 20 regular meeting, andsome residents spoke out againstthe project citing the cost and that

the project felt rushed.During the June 22 meeting,

resident Elizabeth Goodsteinasked the board to give the publicmore time for discussion.

Im not sure this level ofnancial input should go forwardwithout a clear nancial accountingof the risks and of the possibilitiesof a real return on the investment,Goodstein said. I think its awonderful idea to do somethingdowntown. We all hope to getsomething going but when we tryto accomplish complex projectswe really need a longer discussion

period, we need more input and weneed all of the voices and all theexpertise to come in. Give us moretime. Let everyone get involved,lets have some open conversation.

Business owner Rachel Herzogsaid the city needs to take a chanceon a project such as the Art Lot.

As business owners, openinga business in Avondale Estates,we took a big chance to live hereand we want to see it ourish,Herzog said. What Im hearingmakes me sad because we aretaking a chance. I feel like the cityis not. If we dont do something,businesses are not going to come

here. This is an amazing chance forus. You guys need to take a chancebecause we all have.

The city expects the park toopen in August.

Art park coming to Avondale Estates

I think this is a unique

opportunity for us to try

something, to invest in

our city.

Avondale Estates Mayor Jonathan Elmore


14/20


THE DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DOES HEREBY ANNOUNCE THAT THE MILLAGE RATE WILL BE SET AT A MEETING

TO BE HELD AT THE MANUEL J. MALOOF CENTER AUDITORIUM, 1300 COMMERCE DRIVE, DECATUR, GEORGIA 30030 ON JULY 12, 2016

AT 10:00 A.M. AND ALL CONCERNED CITIZENS ARE INVITED TO THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR COMMENT ON THE MILLAGE RATE ON

JULY 12, 2016 AT 10:00 A.M. AT THE MANUEL J. MALOOF CENTER AUDITORIUM, 1300 COMMERCE DRIVE, DECATUR, GEORGIA 30030,

AND PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF O.C.G.A. 48-5-32 DOES HEREBY PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING PRESENTATION OF THE

CURRENT YEAR'S TAX DIGEST AND PROPOSED MILLAGE RATES ALONG WITH THE HISTORY OF THE TAX DIGEST AND LEVY OF THE

PAST FIVE YEARS. IF THE BOARD DEFERS ACTION ON A RATE ON JULY 12, THEN THE RATE WILL BE SET ON JULY 19, 2016 AT

10 A.M. AT THE SAME LOCATION.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real & Personal 21,399,133,588 19,286,135,214 19,237,343,834 20,940,598,158 21,627,393,285 23,575,054,966

Motor Vehicle 1,317,170,660 1,362,176,640 1,468,928,740 1,231,387,800 851,329,130 621,157,010

Mobile Homes 510,171 440,056 396,572 355,333 358,733 769,100

Timber - 100% 0 0 0 0 0 0

Heavy Duty Equipment 82,712 77,829 34,308 57,864 2,208 76,000

Gross Digest 22,716,897,131 21,017,441,547 21,086,933,073 22,545,529,410 22,479,083,356 24,197,057,076

Less M&O Exemptions 1,919,082,084 2,090,546,483 2,061,365,888 2,345,016,850 2,883,683,825 3,246,932,064

Net M&O Digest 20,797,815,047 18,926,895,064 19,025,567,185 20,200,512,560 19,595,399,531 20,950,125,012

Gross M&O Millage (1) 10.31 11.37 11.51 9.02 11.28 10.50

Net Tax Levy (2) 214,425,473 215,198,797 218,984,278 182,208,623 221,036,107 219,976,313

Net Tax Increase ($) 1,828,362 773,324 3,785,481 (36,775,655) 38,827,483 (1,059,794)

Net Tax Increase (%) 0.86% 0.36% 1.76% -16.79% 21.31% -0.48%

(1) Countywide taxes only; no Special Services, Fire and Police Services or bonds in accordance with OCGA 48-5-32/32.1.


PROPOSEDFiscal Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Assessment Ratio 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

REAL PROPERTY 1,149,844,600 1,168,366,733 1,168,516,565 1,326,224,078 1,593,567,251 1,694,990,829

PERSONAL PROPERTY 21,146,700 22,174,136 23,211,680 22,086,973 23,124,213 23,048,831

PUBLIC UTILITIES 18,933,750 14,297,200 14,639,953 15,152,714 15,236,377 15,658,734

MOTOR VEHICLE 46,119,000 49,311,000 52,979,900 47,331,663 35,521,587 26,623,700

GROSS DIGEST 1,236,044,050 1,254,149,069 1,259,348,098 1,410,795,428 1,667,449,428 1,760,322,094

LESS M&O EXEMPTIONS 65,428,635 65,244,138 66,558,918 65,251,923 65,148,453 84,747,413

NET M&O DIGEST 1,170,615,415 1,188,904,931 1,192,789,180 1,345,543,505 1,602,300,975 1,675,574,681

GROSS M&O MILLAGE 20.90 20.90 20.90 20.50 18.66 18.66

LESS ROLLBACKS 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

NET M&O MILLAGE 20.90 20.90 20.90 20.50 18.66 18.66

NET TAXES LEVIED $24,465,862 $24,848,113 $24,929,294 $27,583,642 $29,898,936 $31,266,224

NET TAXES $ INCREASE $1,140,561 $382,251 $81,181 $2,654,348 $2,315,294 $1,367,287

NET TAXES % INCREASE 4.89% 1.56% 0.33% 10.65% 8.39% 4.57%


NOTICE

The Board of Education of the City of Decatur does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at theBoard Room of the Central Office at 125 Electric Avenue, Decatur, Georgia on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 6:30 PM

and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digestand levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.

riendly, Becker said.Becker said county

acilities have roughly$28 million in deferredmaintenance cost.

During a June 10

commissioner workshopmeeting, CommissionerJeff Radersaid hewould like to see moreanalysis before making adecision on consolidatingadministrative buildings.

The observation I haves that a lot of the analysisweve seen only supportsone recommendation. Sowe have a decision whichs yes or no. It seems tome this is a multi-variantype of equation and not

necessarily one that takes

you to a single governmentower, Rader said of JLLsecommendation. Its noto say we wouldnt come tohe same answer, but even

your conguration as aower is an assumption. Im

struggling with supportinghe conclusion.

The cost ofconstructing a newgovernment center isncluded on the SpecialLocal Option Sales TaxSPLOST).

The total project,sted as DeKalb County

Government Center,s projected to costhe county $40 million,

accounting for 9 percent ofSPLOST funding.

Commissioner LarryJohnson said othercounties have made aone-tower system work.ohnson said Sandy

Springs used an oldTarget store site for itsgovernment center tocreate a one-stop shopor its customers.

The Target store

building, located onRoswell Road, cost thecity roughly $8 million toenovate, according toeports.

This is a new trend.Alpharetta is doing thesame thing where theyare taking the library andransforming it, Johnson

said. What we currentlyhave are a lot of leasesout there. The customershat we serve have to go to

Memorial Drive for taxes,over here for water, thenget on the bus line and tryo do certain things. Its

very difcult. We need tomake it more accessible.Why not contribute toeconomic development?

DEKALBContinued From Page 12A

ANNEXATION Continued From Page 12AANNEXATION Continued From Page 12A

Highway.Commissioner TerryGiager

said the American Legion and othercommercial properties will get onboard with an Avondale annexationif Greenhaven becomes a realpossibility.

I think we have to be preparedbecause we dont know whats goingto happen, Giager said.

Elmore said he is in support ofannexation more now than before.

Im still in favor of it becauseI think its in our best long-terminterest for economic growth andnow its sort of protection againstGreenhaven annexing stuff that wewould like to annex, he said.

Elmore mentioned that formerDecatur mayor BillFloyd, who ischairman of the DeKalb Municipal

Association, thinks al l DeKalb citiesshould get together and look at theirmaps, work out any overlaps and

eliminate any islands.Everybody needs to realize that

any island thats created over therewith the Legionits not going toChamblee, its not going to Decatur;its only going to us, Elmore said.The legislators are not going toleave it just sitting there. Theyregoing to put it in our plan no matterwhat, but we do need to reach out.We should denitely move forward.


15/20

EDUCATION DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 Page 15A

$2.8 million in E-SPLOST spent on custodial equipmentby R. Scott [email protected]

M

ore than $3million in taxrevenue remains

in question ayear after a major custodialequipment purchase inDeKalb County.

In April 2015, theDeKalb County board ofeducation approved a$2.8 million purchase forcustodial equipment, partsand training from SoutheastLINK, a janitorial supplierand training companybased in Atlanta.

Where that $2.8 millioncame from, what it wasntended for, and how it wasapproved has community

stakeholders questioninghe decision.

According to DCSDdocuments, the fundingor the purchase camerom the Local School

Priority Request (LSPR),a 2013 program in whichschools were able toequest specic capitalmprovements from thedistricts special local optionsales tax (E-SPLOST).

The total amount setaside for the LSPR was$3.2 million, with $50,000

going to at least 60 schools.Funds were to be balancedacross the region and couldnot include non-capitalmprovements such aspainting.

Similar restrictionsexist for E-SPLOST which,according to the GeorgiaConstitution, can only beused for capital outlayprojects for educationalpurposes and theetirement of previouslyncurred general obligationdebt with respect only tocapital outlay projects of the

school system.Teachers, staff and

principals were able todirectly contact the districtwith improvement requestson the DCSD website.mprovements includedepavement, more parking,

walkie-talkies, carpeting,ooring, cafeteria tables,

updated bathroom doors,arger conference roomsand ceiling repairs.

The district received324 requests from 70different schools.

E-SPLOST IIIsLSPR, lasting from 2007o 2012 with a budget of

approximately $8.6 million,

was made up of similarrequests. Lockers, paving,kitchen equipment, dryerase boards, carpeting and

restroom upgrades weredelivered to schools acrossthe district.

Project budgets rangedfrom $365,425 (NancyCreek Elementarysbus loop and parkinglot) to $1,325 (IdlewoodElementarys carpetreplacement).

E-SPLOST IVs LSPRhad a different complexion.

Board approval ofthe 2012-2017 LSPR listfrom E-SPLOST IV wasscheduled for August 2015.

Approval does not showup on any archived DCSDmeeting agendas, nor hasa formal list ever beenpublished.

According to QuinnHudson, director ofcommunications for DCSD,this is not out of theordinary.

The list of solicitedrequests was not formallypresented to the board,Hudson said. The boardtrusts the district to managedecisions of this nature.

According to the 2015-

2016 DCSD vendor spendreport, schools insteadreceived $2.8 million in

custodial services. Thebudget lists 109 itemsunder LSPR funding, withsome as high as $49,011.

Other payments were alsomade to Southeast LINKwith DCSDs general fund.

The unequal numberof requests from the vegeographic regions andspecically a small numberof requests from Region5 schools prompted then-Superintendent MichaelThurmondin April 2015 torecommend to the DeKalbCounty School Boardthat all schools receivebadly needed custodial(janitorial/cleaning)equipment, Hudson said.This recommendationallowed the district to meeta primary objective for theLSPR Programbalancedfunding to all regions in thedistrict.

Invoices show thesepurchases accounted forfour types of custodialequipment for everyschool as well as trainingfor custodians. Only thedistricts four stadiums andits administrative ofcesremain lacking, accordingto its custodial equipment

roll-out schedule.Approval for LSPRs

spending came in April

2015 through a FacilitiesManagement requestmade by Joshua Williams,chief of DCSDs Division

of Operations, and DebraHenson, former executivedirector of DCSDs FacilitiesManagement Department.

The FacilitiesManagement Departmentoversees FacilitiesMaintenance (CustodialEquipment Parts) andE-SPLOST Programming(Custodial Equipment andTraining), Hudson said Itsexactly how a request forcustodial equipment and aparts contract agreementshould be made.

Hudson said board ofeducation chairman MelvinJohnson, and vice chairJames L. Jim McMahanacknowledged the requestin a formal agenda-settingmeeting.

SuperintendentThurmond made a formalrecommendation forfunding through [Williams]to the board of education,Hudson said. The boardgave nal approval.

The agenda item liststhree companies throughwhich DCSD would be

piggybacked on dealsfor custodial equipmentthrough Cobb County

School District, SoutheastLINK included. Accordingto the 2015-2016 vendorspend report, of the three

companies, Southeast LINKreceived the most moneywhile Ferguson Enterprisesreceived $5,904 from aseparate funding source.

The most recent inquiryabout the matter came fromboard member Stan Jesteron June 6, more than ayear after the purchase wasapproved by him and fellowboard members.

Half of the schools thatparticipated and submitteda lot of the local schoolrequest items for facilities,several of them wereactually part of existingprojects we had allocatedunder some other projects,Williams said. We cameback to the board per thedirection of [SuperintendentMichael Thurmond] andwe deployed custodialequipment to all schools We will probably havesome dollars that are stillremaining that will go backand provide another roundof LSPR. Were workingthrough that process nowto scrub all those budgets

to provide that support ifnecessary.



16/20

BUSINESS DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 Page 16A

by Kathy Mitchell

The name can bemisleading. Two Men andA Truck is now actuallyhousands of men and

housands of trucks at 330ocations worldwide. Also,he business was founded

not by two men but by awoman.

Approximately 30 yearsago teenage brothers Brigand JonSorberstartedoffering their servicesas movers to make attle pocket cash. It washeir mom,Mary Ellen

Sheets, a data processoror the state of Michigan,

who turned the informalenterprise into a business,now franchised in 39 states

as well as Canada, Irelandand the United Kingdom.

Jerome Jones, aco-franchise owner inTucker and Decatur, saidelationships are why heoves Two Men and ATruck. I came to work hereas a mover because I justneeded a job. They sawpotential in me and helpedme develop my potential,ones recalled.

Within weeks I wasmoved up to driver andwithin two years I was an

assistant manager. Then Ibecame general manager.ts a good company to

work for. They have beenoyal to me and supportiveof me, said Jones, whogrew up in Decatur wherehe still lives.

Hes a role modelor our entire system,

commented RandyShacka, president ofTwo Men and A Truck.He is exactly the type of

person we look for in ourorganization. He believes inour values. He works hard

and he genuinely caresabout people. Three out ofour of our management

staff have come fromwithin. I started with thecompany as an intern.

Estimating thatapproximately 1,000moving companies servehe Atlanta area, Jones

said relationships insidehe company and with

customers make Two Menand A Truck stand out.Moving is stressful underhe best circumstances, he

said. And sometimes itsnot the best circumstances.Sometimes people movebecause they have tonotbecause they want to. Wemake every effort to bepatient and considerate.

Jones said that alongwith training movers tohandle furniture without

hurting themselves ordamaging the furniture, thecompany trains moversin personal relations. Wewant customers to have aslittle stress as possible. Wewant them to feel theresnothing we wont do tomake this easier for them.Every move is differentand we try to be exible.We really want to satisfyeverybody, he said.

Most of the time itworks, Jones added.He said the companyconsistently receives highcustomer approval ratingsand approximately 97percent of its new businesscomes from referrals fromsatised customers. Wedo on average 250 to300 moves a month outof the Tucker ofce andmaybe 300 a month out ofthe Decatur ofce duringour busy season. Its achallenge to make thatmany customers happybut we sure try. We wantto take their worst day andturn it into their best day.

Jones said thecompanys growth in the

Atlanta area has beenamazing. The Tuckerofce started off small in2001. There was an ofcestaff or four or ve and afew movers. Now we keepbetween 20 and 60 moversand 19 trucks busy.

Jones business isamong three nationwidechosen for a pilot program

testing a new Two Menand A Truck service thatuses a customized movingcontainer that can bedisconnected from the truckand shipped across thecountry using a partneringcarrier.

Two Men and A Truckwas named to Ideal Living

Magazines 2016 Best ofthe Best list.

Shacka said the moving

industry as a whole doeshave a great reputation.Were trying to turn thataround one move at a time.We know that people careabout who comes into theirhome and whos handlingtheir possessions. Ourmotto is Movers Who Care,and thats more than a

motto to usits how we dobusiness.

Moving on up with Two Men and A Truck

CORRECTION: In the June 16 issue of The Championon page 17A, the general manager of Dunwoody Hampton Inn was incorrectly

identifed in the photograph. He is Jason Caughron.

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The City of Chambleehas tentatively adopted a new millage rateof6.40 millsfor the General Fund which will require an increase inproperty taxes by 10.25%over the rollback millage rate.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on thistax increase to be held at the Chamblee Civic Center locatedat 3540 Broad St, Chamblee Georgia on June 30, 2016 at 6:00

PM.

Two additional public hearings on this tax increase will be held atthe Chamblee Civic Center on July 7, 2016. There will be onehearing at 11:30 AMand a fnal hearing at 6:00 PM. After the fnalpublic hearing, the millage rate will be formally adopted.

This tentative new millage rate of 6.40 millswill result in anincrease of .595 mills. Without this tentative tax increase, themillage rate will be 5.805 mills. The proposed tax increase for ahome with a fair market value of $225,000is approximately $35.70and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with afair market value of $650,000is approximately $154.70.


17/20

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18/20

SPORTS DEKALB FREE PRESS Friday, July 1, 2016 Page 18A

The Oglethorpe mens golfeam has three players named tohe Division III Ping All-Americaeams June 21 by the Golf Coaches

Association of America (GCAA).Senior David Klecknerand

reshman Kyle Shealy, who alsowon the Phil Mickelson OutstandingFreshman Award, garnered secondeam All-America status whilereshman Patrick Millsreceived

honors as a third team All-Americaperformer.

This marks the 27th time anOglethorpe mens golfer has beennamed to a GCAA All-America teamand the fourth time that Oglethorpehas put three men on All-Americaeams in a given season. In

addition, it marks the second timehat the Petrel mens golf team has

put two freshmen on All-Americaeams.

A nalist for the Jack NicklausNational Player of the Year Awardand an All-SAA rst team selectionas well as a Ping All-SoutheastRegion selection, Kleckner posteda victory in September at the SAAPreview and tied for rst in a dualmatch against Emory in February.He has three additional top 10

nishes on his resume this year andonly two nishes outside the top 10,

sporting a 71.82 stroke average.Kleckner nished the seasonranked ninth in the nation inGolfstats individual rankings.This serves as his second careerPing All-America selection afterhe earned All-America honorablemention in 2014.

Shealy is fresh off winningthe Phil Mickelson Award as the

nations best Division III freshmangolfer and taking Ping All-Southeast

Region honors from the GCAA. Hewon the individual medal at the SAAMens Golf Championship in late

April and led his team to its secondSAA championship and 12thoverall conference title at the event,earning SAA Co-Newcomer of theYear honors and a spot on the All-SAA First Team in the process.He nished sixth in the country in

the Golfstat individual rankings,and tied for the lowest Division IIIround by an individual this seasonafter posting a 64 at the GolfweekDivision III Fall Invitational.

Mills also earned Ping All-

Southeast Region honors from theGCAA. He nished second at theSAA Championship and sharedSAA Newcomer of the Year honorswith Shealy. He also took All-SAArst team accolades for his efforts.His seven eagles on the seasonplaced him rst in the nation in thatcategory and he nished 13th in theGolfstat individual rankings.

I am very proud and excitedthat we got three players on the

All-America teams this year, saidOglethorpe director of golf JimOwen. All three nished in thetop 15 of the Golfstat rankings,so all were richly deserving. Allhad spectacular seasons for us,leading us to our 16th straightNCAA appearance and our 12thconference title. Im happy to seeDavid nish out his Oglethorpecareer with an All-America selectionand Im excited to see what ourfreshmen can do going forward,along with the rest of this team.

Three Oglethorpe golfers named Ping All-Americans

Three Oglethorpe golfers were named to the Division III Ping All-America teams.


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The city of Brookhaven will be without

a re station as DeKalb County ofcialsconrmed a second potential re stationwas taken off the nal special purposeocal option sales tax (SPLOST) list.

On June 21, the DeKalb Countygoverning authority hosted a meeting todiscuss implementation of the (SPLOST)and Equalized Homestead Option SalesTax (HOST) with governing authorities ofAvondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee,Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody,Lithonia, Pine Lake, Stone Mountain andTucker.

During the meeting, Brookhavensnew City Manager Christian Sigman saidhe was curious why a proposed second

re station in Brookhaven was left off theSPLOST funding list.Presumably the re station was based

on some recommendation from the Chiefas a response to cutting down responseime, Sigman said. That second re

department is now off (the SPLOST list).s that not an operational need anymore?

What was the reasoning for taking that offhe original list?

A nine-person SPLOST citizen advisorycommittee helped create the nal SPLOSTproject list. David Sjoquist, interim CEOof the citizen advisory committee, said Ifhe facility was located near a municipality,

we took it off the list. We werent interestedor willing to spend unincorporated area

money, which is what the SPLOST is, onservices in municipalities, Sjoquist said.

The proposed Brookhaven re station,isted as re station 34 in the original

SPLOST list, would have been locatedat the intersection of Ashford-DunwoodyRoad and Johnson Ferry Road.

Currently, the SPLOST list will fund thereconstruction of four existing re stations

and the construction of seven additionalre stations.

The department of re servicesaccounts for 12 percent of the SPLOSTfunding. Brookhavens re station wasprojected to cost around $4 million.

City of Brookhaven CommunicationsManagerAnn Quillsaid Brookhavenis not interested in creating its own redepartment.

While the county does have a restation on Dresdon Drive in Brookhaven,there is a known need for a re stationon the northern part of our city, or inthat area, but the funding in SPLOSTis for unincorporated areas, Quill said.

However, that is in the countys hands, notours. Theres really not much we can doabout it.

DeKalb County Interim CEO LeeMay said the SPLOST funding creates adilemma for the county and surroundingmunicipalities.

We would have to look at the refund. That is a property tax fund. As far asthese (SPLOST) funds are concerned, wecan only deal with unincorporated focusdollars, May said. Thats our dilemma.Its a weakness in the law itself becauseit doesnt force us to sit down at the tableand come up with those tier one projects.We have long said if a city denitely wantsto see that project accomplished in their

district, we would gladly put up funding tohelp accomplish that, but the cities have tocome up with the funding itself.

Brookhaven fire station

off SPLOST list

Photo by Horace Holloman


20/20


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The Brookhaven City Council unani-mously approved changes to its 2034comprehensive plan to align with the cityszoning map.

The citys comprehensive plan was ad-opted in December 2014 and was amend-ed in May 2015. The plan is a long-termvision for the city.

The amendments approved by thecouncil at its June 21 regular meeting willalign character areas in the comprehen-sive plan with the citys zoning map, ac-cording to Amanda Hatton, project man-ager of the comprehensive plan.

The Peachtree Corridor Overlay Dis-rict is one of the character areas and that

was aligned directly with your overlay dis-rict, Hatton said. Since we were working

on the plan, that overlay district has beenupdated as a part of your ofcial zoningmap in January of this year. These editsmake sure that your comprehensive planaligns with those changes.

On the northern end of the PeachtreeCorridor Overlay District, residential prop-erties that fell near the Ashford Park/DrewValley character area will be put in thatcharacter area. Councilman John Parksaid some residents in that area have de-manded to be taken out of the PeachtreeCorridor Overlay District and moved into

the Ashford Park/Drew Valley characterarea.

They consider themselves a part of theAshford Park neighborhood and not in theoverlay, Park said. [These changes are]

just correcting an error in my opinion.In the southern portion, some parcels

that are commercial properties were movedout of the Osborne character area andplaced in the Peachtree Corridor OverlayDistrict character area, according to Hatton.Properties along Caldwell Road will betaken out of the Peachtree Corridor OverlayDistrict and will be placed in Ashford Park/Drew Valley, and thats consistent with thezoning map amendments that were ap-proved, Hatton said.

According to the city, the comprehen-sive plan is built from the ground-up, withthe communitys desires and goals for thecitys future as the basis for the implemen-tation program that follows.

The long-term vision for Brookhavenis to be a model community that preserveswhat makes it greatincluding its people,neighborhoods, parks, tree canopy, andaccessibilitywhile acknowledging its roleas a premier community within the Atlantaregion, the city stated. Brookhaven is stra-tegically positioned for redevelopment andadditional investment to build upon walk-ability, transit use and community hubs thatfoster a vibrant economy and high-qualityof life.

The Brookhaven city council adopted amendments that would alignthe citys 2034 comprehensive plan with its zoning map.

Brookhaven approves amendments to 2034 comprehensive plan

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