ICS Poetry Night [Feb 28]

ICS's poetry slam is now Poetry Night!

DeKalb news roundup, via the AJC

AJC, keeping us informed!

DeKalb expects no new taxes, no new fixes
No plan for increased taxes in 2013, but it's not all happy news. Part of the concern is over no fixes for business licensing/permitting infrastructure that encourages and supports local business:

The result: Last year, the county took 42 days on average to issue a permit for a single-family home, the simplest type of construction. A permit for a new office took 99 days, or more than three months, according to county documents.

By comparison, officials in Cobb and Gwinnett say they issue permits for homes in two to four days. Nearly all commercial permits, no matter how complicated, are issued within a month.

Deal suspends six of nine DeKalb school board members
Governor Deal voted to suspend all but the newly elected members. Normally, suspension triggers a process where each member can appeal the suspension but since a federal judge has put a stay on any action until the DeKalb Board of Education's challenge is heard later this week, there's more waiting... while DeKalb County citizens absorb the costs of salaries and lawsuits:

Eugene Walker, the former school board chairman who is one of those pursuing the challenges, left little wiggle room. He vowed Monday to press on with the lawsuits, saying “We’ve done nothing wrong.” He said he might run for another term in 2014 if the courts uphold Deal’s decision, and defended using taxpayer dollars to press his legal claims.
“I’m using public money to help protect the democratic process,” he said. “What price do you put on liberty and justice?”

The "nothing wrong" refers to a SACS accreditation report so tortured that it led to the system being placed in probation and the state's Board of Education and governor getting involved.

Rain Barrel workshop [Feb 27]

Posted in DeKalb County's website:

DECATUR – The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management will host a Rain Barrel Workshop for DeKalb County citizens on Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 7 – 8 p.m. at the Wylde Garden Center, 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030.

Collecting rain water in rain barrels for use during dry months is an excellent way to conserve water and reduce your water bill. During the workshop, citizens will be instructed on rain barrel maintenance and the importance of water conservation.

The workshop will be open to the first 20 DeKalb County residents who sign up.  This is a “hands-on” workshop where residents will make their own rain barrels with assistance.

The cost of the workshop is $40 and will include all the materials to make a barrel. For more information, contact Michael O’Shield at msoshield@dekalbcountyga.gov or 770-724-1456.

DeKalb has additional information on rain barrels--why they are useful, and how to build them:

Rain Barrel Fact Sheet 

How to make your own rain barrel and materials list

DeKalb Board of Education fights back with successful federal court appeal

Ty Tagami at the AJC reports that

"A federal judge has issued an order that temporarily prevents Gov. Nathan Deal from replacing the DeKalb County school board members who were recommended for suspension by a state panel."

Current GA law allows the governor to

"suspend and ultimately remove any local school board that is recommended for suspension by the state education board because of risk to the local school district’s accreditation. The law authorizes the state to act only in districts that have been placed on “probation” by an accreditation authority. Read the rest @ AJC 

Governor Deal, who announced a press conference for 11am monday, could still recommend the Board's suspension but is now hindered from actually removing them from office. The article warns that a similar scenario arose in Sumter county las november and three months later, the legal dustup continues.

Scott Boulevard Baptist Church: past, present, future

The Associated Baptist Press, Inc. has a lovely interview with Pastor Greg Smith at the Scott Blvd. Baptist Church. In it, he discusses the congregations's history, the process that led to the decision to sell the property, and the church's future plans.

This congregation had its heyday in the ‘60s with an average attendance of around 500 people. But the neighborhood … aged out as the children left home in the early '70s and never returned. So the congregation aged with the neighborhood. 

Please see the ABP's website to read Church sold as members go missional.

City of Decatur major meets with DeKalb delegation

DecaturMetro reports that the meeting included a lot of discussion on annexation and includes a quote that again emphasizes build-bridging between city and county:

...  There was not much agreement by the people that were there about the issue. But the general assembly members encouraged the cities to get with the county to try to have some constructive meetings to do some long-term planning about the issue so they’re not dealing with [annexation] on a piecemeal basis.

GA Board of Education votes to remove 6 DeKalb school board members

Ty Tagami at the AJC reports that

After a grueling 14-hour hearing that lasted until 10 p.m. Thursday night, the Georgia Board of Education voted unanimously to recommend suspending six of the nine members of the DeKalb County school board. Read on @AJC

Only the newest members, elected in 2012, were in the "stay" list.

The AJC previously reported that the DeKalb School Board had sued to prevent this vote from taking place, but they filed the lawsuit too late to prevent the vote. When the case is heard on February 28, we will know whether that lawsuit places constraints on how the Governor acts upon the state Board of Education's recommendation.