Annexation Round-Up: DeKalb County Edition

A City of South DeKalb? This week (h/t to Deanne!), our representative Rahn Mayo (D - Decatur. District 84) issued a press release through his email list on his stance on annexation,

"Generally speaking I support a community in pursuit of self determination. My reluctance to supporting additional new cities in DeKalb County is based on the lack of cohesiveness with which new cities are often created. In the past, there has been a tremendous disconnect between DeKalb citizens, and political leaders driving cityhood efforts. In my opinion, cityhood plans have provided very little concern for the impact on the DeKalb County as a whole. 

I have witnessed what appears to be "cherry picking" of valuable commercial assets by newly formed cities and communities sponsoring annexation plans. Furthermore, there are often contentious boundary disputes with maps and exclusion of neighborhoods bordering proposed cities, which often feel neglected and without input regarding their fate. 

Currently, there are several proposals for annexation and incorporation in DeKalb County. I recently requested a feasibility study (on behalf of organizers) from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, for a proposed City of South DeKalb. My current position is to carefully review the feasibility and equity concerns of each cityhood and annexation plan and consider the overall fiscal impact on DeKalb County as a whole."

Brookhaven favored? The City of Briarcliff, in conjunction with the City of Lakeside leadership, protested a move by North Druid Hills Rd businesses east of I-85 to requested inclusion into Brookhaven. These businesses have been part of the Lakeside Initiative's map and would be important in providing services for a new city in north central DeKalb (aka the expected  Lakeside/Briarcliff combined city proposal).

Briarcliff and Lakeside tango! Briarcliff/Lakeside Briarcliff and Lakeside continue to struggle towards compromise, but Reporter Newspapers says that they are not ready to release a combined map yet.

A Tale of Two Cities? Even after the 2014's messy legislative session, compromise in map-making was stalled.  Late in August, State Representative Mike Jacobs (R-80, Brookhaven/Chamblee), with the blessing of the House Government Affairs Committee, set a November 15 deadline for finalizing new city and annexation maps. The Brookhaven Post reported that State Representative Scott Holcomb (D-81, Northlake/Brookhaven) guesses that when five-member House Government Affairs sub-committee meets, they will propose a two-city solution for North DeKalb: Tucker and the expected combination of the Briarcliff and Lakeside proposals.

Charter helter-skelter.  The Druid Hills Charter Cluster withdrew its petition amid allegations that the DeKalb County School System illegally log-jammed the review and approval process, and stated that the organizers would "step away from our efforts in order to give life to other active processes underway in our communities that affect our constituency, such as annexation and city-hood." Druid Hills residents have been pondering the possibility of annexation into the City of Atlanta; in that eventuality, Druid Hills High School, Briar Vista and Fernbank Elementary schools would join the Atlanta Public School System. Update: WABE/NPR reports on this issue.

DeKalb Hazardous Waste Disposal Event [Oct 19]

via http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/pdf/2014_10_18_household_hazardous_waste_event.pdf

Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve Harvest Festival [Oct 19]

from Chris Beck, CSNP President:

"We are looking forward to seeing everyone next Sunday from 4-7pm. A local girl scout troop will be holding a bake sale and we will have hot dogs, drinks, and fixings available as well. We will also be joined by Cutie the sheep, who is part of flock who will be grazing our English ivy later this winter. Come early to walk the trails and do a little bird watching or geocaching."

MANA annexation survey will launch this weekend

The MANA Annexation Survey seeks feedback from
residents within our organization's boundaries.
Click to enlarge.

Over the coming weekend, MANA volunteers will distribute the latest issue of the Medlock Matters newsletter. The newsletter includes the usual updates about going ons around the neighborhood, but is also a special issue on cityhood and annexation that complements our annexation survey. To get this information out there as soon as possible, the Fall newsletter is now available online (pdf) ahead of the print edition.

We encourage you to read articles by your MANA Board as they explore the potential impact of annexation and cityhood on key concerns such as our property taxes and schools. Much is unknown, but we still need to voice our preference so that our elected representatives and annexation proponents understand our wishes.

The home-delivered newsletter includes an insert with our survey and instructions on how to complete it by the October 28 deadline. Survey content is shared below. We hope that this information is useful and encourages conversation and discussion. We will start reporting on our survey results at the next community meeting (October 27). For timeline information, see our earlier post.

Thank you for your patience as we prepared these materials.

NEWSLETTER INSERT

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ANNEXATION AND PROPOSAL MAP:

Click to enlarge.

This map (dated July 2014) was shared by the City of Tucker Initiative and has been edited to highlight key features. The map has been cropped to focus on annexation activity in our area. The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association (MANA) has been highlighted in white. Proposed cities are labeled in italics and existing cities are labeled in capital letters. To see the unedited map, click here.

We highlight Decatur’s proposed annexations (which include Suburban Plaza, Medlock Plaza where Meltons is located, and the whole Medline LCI study area as well as businesses at the Clairmont and North Decatur Road intersection, among others) because their annexation into Decatur would primarily allocate those properties’ commercial taxes to a small city that already possesses ample resources. Combined, these commercial annexations would increase Decatur’s footprint by more than 10%. We believe these commercial properties should serve as large a number of DeKalb citizens as possible:

City of Decatur population (2013):	~ 20,000
DeKalb County population (2013):	~ 700,000 (~500,000 unincorporated)
Proposed Briarcliff population (2013):	~ 93,000
Proposed Lakeside population (2013):	~ 63,000

The map also illustrates how the Medlock neighborhood might be squeezed into an unincorporated island scenario.

SURVEY QUESTIONS: 

This is a sample, shared to ensure all residents have ample time to prepare for the survey -- do not complete it or send it in. The real survey is being distributed with the newsletter. If you don't receive a newsletter and you live within the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association's boundaries, email medlockassoc@gmail.com.

I. Respondent Information: Questions marked with an asterisk require an answer. Age information will help us better understand our population and represent our residents’ diverse needs and concerns, now and in the near future. Please answer as many questions as you can.

Your Name (optional):
Your Street*:

Describe your household: how many residents in each age category?*

 [ _____ ]  0-4         [ _____ ]  5-10         [ _____ ]  11-14      [ _____ ]  15-18      [ _____ ]  19-30  

 [ _____ ]  31-40     [ _____ ]  41-50       [ _____ ]  51-60      [ _____ ]  61-70       [ _____ ]  71+

II. Annexation Questions: If we had the opportunity to vote on this...

The Medlock neighborhood faces several possible options as alternatives to remaining in unincorporated DeKalb County. MANA board members met with City of Decatur officials who stated they are not interested in annexing our Medlock Park neighborhood, however, the Decatur City Commission has not voted on such a decision.
Each item is a separate question; you may answer “yes” or “no” on multiple proposals. 

How would you vote on a proposal to become part of City of Decatur?*
☐ YES: annex to City of Decatur    ☐ NO: remain in unincorporated DeKalb County

How would you vote on a proposal to become part of a new city to the north (currently represented by the Briarcliff and/or Lakeside proposals)?*
☐ YES: annex to a new city (Briarcliff/Lakeside)    ☐ NO: remain in unincorporated DeKalb County

How would you vote on a proposal to become part of City of Atlanta?*
☐ YES: annex to City of Atlanta    ☐ NO: remain in unincorporated DeKalb County

Would you support a one-year moratorium on all new cities and annexations in DeKalb County?*
☐ YES: I would support a 1-year moratorium during which we stay in unincorporated DeKalb County
☐ NO: the legislature should take action now

All things being equal, what is your preferred outcome for our Medlock Park neighborhood? Please rank these options, from 1 to 5, with 1 being your most favorite and 5 being your least favorite.* Please do not use the same number more than once.

[___] Join City of Atlanta  

[___] Join City of Decatur

[___] Join a new city to the north (currently represented by the Briarcliff/Lakeside proposals)

[___] Remain unincorporated

[___] 1-year moratorium on annexations by new AND existing cities

Comments:

Druid Hills Charter Cluster withdraws its petition

In a letter published on its Facebook page, the  Druid Hills Charter Cluster explains why it has decided to withdraw its petition to create a charter cluster involving the Druid Hills High School and all its feeder schools.  See https://www.facebook.com/DruidHillsCharterCluster for the whole statement.

'tis the season to get flu shots

Flu: so far so good, but for how long?
via http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

This is a public service reminder that the ideal time to get a flu shot is as soon as the vaccines are released (which is now).

The CDC's Flu Page tells us that takes about 2 weeks to develop enough antibodies to enjoy the vaccine's full benefit. January and February are typically the peak time for the flu but infections can occur from fall to spring.

We are only seeing sporadic reports in Georgia so far, which makes this the perfect time to get immunized:

Test your Flu IQ!

1) to enjoy the longest protection from the flu (the whole season vs. parts of it). The chance that you will come in contact with the flu grows as the season progresses. People can be contagious before they show symptoms. When you encounter the Flu Class of 2014, and you will, you want your antibodies to be ready to rumble!

2) to keep the holiday season jolly and the new year happy: get immunized now before things get busy and you forget. If you hate needles, there's a nasal spray option.

3) to protect others. Vaccination can help you jinx the flu's nefarious plan to use and abuse you while turning you into a juicy virus factory. Take that, influenza!

Find a flu shot provider near you by typing your zip code in the widget to the left. This handy article explores the cost of flu shot costs and finds them ranging from $14.99 to $31.99 at stores such as Costco, Walmart, and Kroger and pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS and RiteAid.

The DeKalb County Board of Health offers flu shots for $30. They are located at 440 Winn Way, and the clinic is open Monday-Frirday 8:15-11am and 1-4pm. Walk-ins are welcome.

MANA annexation survey coming soon

from the MANA Board:

Dear Medlock Area neighbors,

MANA boundaries: residents of the shaded (grey) area
should complete the survey. See our About page
for more information about our civic organization.
 Click to enlarge.

We have been working on a survey to better understand how residents within the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association's (MANA) boundaries feel about our annexation options. We have been very deliberate with this process, as we aimed to

1) design a survey that gathers the data we need (no more, no less),

2) release informational materials that are accurate and current and help our residents better understand the choices we face and

3) report on our findings in a timely manner.

The survey timeline will be as follows:

Week of October 13: Information (on the impact of various proposals on property taxes and schools) and survey questions will be posted on the MANA website to allow everyone to familiarize themselves with the issues and survey content.

October 19ish and on: MANA volunteers will distribute our Medlock Matters newsletter door to door. The newsletter will include an insert with the same information previously posted on the website, the actual survey, and instructions on how to complete it. A phone number and email address will be provided for anyone who would prefer to have a MANA volunteer visit their home and help them complete the survey. Likewise, anyone with a delivery or access concern (e.g., will be traveling during the survey period) should contact medlockassoc@gmail.com.

October 27: We will report on survey responses at the MANA community meeting (7pm at the North Decatur Presbyterian Church). House Representative Mary Margaret Oliver will be our guest speaker. Ms. Oliver no longer represents our neighborhood but did in the past; she is part of the House Government Affairs committee, which will play a significant role in the legislative process. Hard copies of the survey will be available at the meeting.

October 28: The survey closes at midnight (no additional data will be received). Data analysis begins the next day.

by November 3: Final survey results will be shared via the MANA website and other neighborhood media, and e-mailed to our legislators, elected representatives and civic collaborators.

Thank you for your patience and please mark your calendars to complete the survey by October 28. We will send some reminders too.

As always, let us know if you have any questions through medlockassoc@gmail.com