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Fourth of July Sanitation Schedule

The DeKalb County Sanitation Department announces its collection schedule for Independence Day, which will be observed Friday, July 3, 2009. There will be no collection service on Friday, July 3, 2009. Garbage and yard waste collection for Thursday, July 2, 2009 will be collected on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Garbage and yard waste collection for Friday, July 3, 2009 will be collected Thursday, July 2, 2009. Regular scheduled pick-up will resume on Monday, July 6, 2009.

CEO Ellis announces board to review waste, fraud and abuse in county government

From the county website (thanks to the heads up from CommunityRadar.com): Former Commissioner Gale Walldorff to Chair Transparency and Accountability Board DECATUR – DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis announced the establishment of the Board of Transparency & Accountability (BTA) to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse in the county and to improve operations while restoring integrity and public trust in government. The BTA will be responsible for organizing the office of Transparency and Accountability and the selection of an Inspector General to head the office. Read more

DeKalb commission OKs budget adjustments, higher millage rate

From the DeKalb Neighbor newspaper: Kyle Dominy, June 24, 2009: DeKalb commissioners approved a millage rate increase, cuts and an unpaid holiday to balance the county’s budget Tuesday. In a 5-2 vote, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved mid-year budget adjustments that would take the county’s budget to about $606 million — down from the $616 million budget approved by commissioners earlier this year. Read more
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Commissioner Rader Digest, June 19, 2009

from Jeff Rader: Here are some topics of interest from recent Board of Commissioner meetings: Alcohol Beverage Code Briarwood Renovation City Contracts DeKalb Tennis Center Standing Rules

Alcohol ordinance update

From Druid Hills Civic Association re. their June 17th Board Meeting Discussion on Alcohol Ordinance: "Thanks to everyone who attended the June 17th DHCA board meeting, and especially to Commissioners Kathie Gannon and Jeff Rader. We also thank our commissioners for bringing a draft revised ordinance that includes a buffer between restaurants that sell alcohol in the overlay district and homes that are adjacent to the district. We understand from their explanation that it is intended to be a straight line 50' buffer from property line to property line, in addition to setbacks.

Emory Village Update re. Power Line Work

From Druid Hills Civic Association: "John Kelley, Area Manager for Georgia Power's Metro East Region has informed the DHCA of the plan to begin working on the Emory Village Project on June 15, 2009. All work will be done in the evening, between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Working during the evening and night hours will offer the workers a safer, less traffic environment and would allow the completion of the project in less time, (projected 8 weeks as opposed to 12 weeks). The plan involves burying power lines in the Village, which will remove unsightly utility wires and wooden poles in the commercial district. After the power lines are buried, DeKalb County will begin work on the Village roadwork and roundabout."

AJC on Sembler tax break

DeKalb may vote on troubled Sembler project Thursday morning: Firm has asked for major tax break to build 54-acre mixed-use development By Ty Tagami, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. "A developer with a major project in north DeKalb County might get a $52 million tax break from taxpayers Thursday. At 8 a.m., the DeKalb Development Authority will meet in downtown Decatur and discuss, and possibly vote on, the request by Florida-based Sembler Co. for a public subsidy at its mixed-use development on Peachtree Road near Oglethorpe University." Read more

Brookhaven neighbor on Sembler tax break

From communityradar.com : "This is a reprint of an opinion circulated by one of our Brookhaven neighbors, Bill Draper. I thought it made interesting reading and wanted to share with as many area residents as possible." "At Mike Jacob's town hall meeting last Monday about the pending Sembler tax abatement, Jeff Fuqua, president of Sembler in Atlanta, was more persuasive than I expected about issues I thought we disagreed on. We now seem to be of one mind that a full Town Brookhaven is all wrong. I replayed the tape several times to be sure I wasn't projecting onto it. I'm convinced." Read more

State rep. Mike Jacobs on Sembler tax break

From State Rep. Mike Jacobs... Sembler + Tax Abatement = Taxpayers Lose After spending some time crunching the numbers this weekend, this simple equation sums up the conclusion I have reached. And I'm not the only one reaching this conclusion.

Commissioner Rader on Sembler tax break

From Commissioner Jeff Rader... Tax Breaks: A Flawed Process, Jun 14, 2009, by Jeff Rader DeKalb County, like the rest of the country, is facing extremely difficult decisions about how to manage its money. The latest example is the proposed tax abatement on behalf of the Town Brookhaven project (on Peachtree Road near Oglethorpe University). The use of tax breaks for developments is a complex issue that ultimately boils down to a prediction about new wealth and job creation. Therefore, it is important to have a well-defined process that allows policy makers to make the best possible informed decision.
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