'Dunwoody dead'
Referendum to create city dies in committee
by Andy Phelan
andy@dekalbchamp.com
The drive to allow citizens of Dunwoody in northeast DeKalb to vote on becoming a city is dead for the foreseeable future.
It comes after the House subcommittee on governmental affairs refused to send it to the floor for a vote, where it would have likely passed.
Both sides argued their cases before committee Chairman Austin Scott for more than two hours Jan. 31 – the same committee that heard more than 12 hours of testimony last year.
“This is dead,” said state Rep. Howard Mosby, D-Atlanta and member of the committee, after the meeting. “I was surprised they it came up this early in the session quite frankly.”
For Ken Wright, president of Citizens for Dunwoody Inc. that supported putting the question to a referendum, it’s the end of thousands of hours of time and effort.
“It’s very disappointing,” he said after the vote. “Residents of our community won’t have a vote. We’re not going to give up. This is another case of the little guy losing.”
Wright and his cohorts have been working on cityhood for more than two years, and had hoped that by incorporating Dunwoodians would assume more local control of land use and planning, parks, zoning and police.
The vote not to send the bill to the floor comes as a bit of surprise considering Republicans run the General Assembly, and the same government affairs committee allowed the residents of Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek, all in Fulton County, to vote on incorporation the past two years.
All three decided to break with Fulton.
State Rep. Stan Watson, chair of the county delegation, seemed to sum up the mood of many at the meeting.
“I’m tired of Dunwoody and DeKalb County politics,” said Watson, who was angered that the incorporation bill did not come through his delegation, but was floated as general legislation.
“I know this bill will pass, and the skids are greased,” said Watson, who told Rep. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, and Sen. Dan Weber, R-Atlanta, authors of the Dunwoody legislation, he felt “disrespected” they didn’t bring the bills through him.
“We need to stop letting other people who don’t live in DeKalb and don’t pay taxes here to make decisions for us,” said Watson, referring to the fact the bill was put forth as general, not local legislation.
But in the end it was Rep. Jill Chambers, R-Atlanta, who would represented parts of the potential city, who had more to do with scuttling the bill.
Chambers’ pointed questions, and ultimately her vote against the bill, led to its downfall.
“Tell Representative Chambers next time don’t stab people in the back,” said Millar, who indicated he thought he had her support. “She ambushed this bill.”
Chambers said there were too many unanswered questions, plus the latest presentation to the homeowners’ association told residents that taxes would not go up with the formation of a city.
“I support the right to self-determination, but I also think people should have a good-faith estimate of what things will cost,” she said. In particular Chambers said the $1.4 million HOST tax Citizens for Dunwoody Inc. had in its budget, would be contested by DeKalb and would not be available right away.
In an $18 million budget, $1.4 million is significant, said Chambers.
DeKalb County Finance Director Michael Bell confirmed the county would sue over the HOST funds.
“The crossbow is coming,” said Bell. “No suit has been filed because no one has reached for dollars. Yet.”
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