Is now the time for a city of Dunwoody?

Is now the time for a city?
Dunwoody Crier, Editorial
by: Mr. Bob Dallas
Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Bob Dallas

There are so many things that make Dunwoody a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I say this from the perspective of serving more than 10 years as the District 1 Planning Commissioner, 24-year Dunwoody resident, and father raising five boys through our public schools. Importantly, our neighbors and my kids’ schoolmates reinforce my belief that it is great people that make a place great to call home.

The question facing many of us is “Will we be able to make Dunwoody better as we face the challenges of future growth?” These challenges include a form of county government often at odds with itself, lack of impact fees, inundation of apartments, little residential planning in the Perimeter Center district, ridiculous 4 a.m. bar closing hours, insufficient public input into parks’ decisions, challenged code enforcement, and the need for more law enforcement patrols, just to name a few.

This is not to criticize DeKalb County, but to suggest that as it has doubled in population over the past 25 years, its one-size-fits-all approach may not work for Dunwoody. The fact is from fire to police to public works to development to parks to sanitation, the DeKalb County employees all want to serve the citizens well. Too often, however, the policies and management of the county prevent them from doing just that.

That is why I believe the time is now for the people of Dunwoody to consider if they want to become the citizens of the City of Dunwoody. Rep. Fran Millar and Sen. Dan Weber have worked tirelessly to define a city charter that is both politically and economically feasible. Thankfully Rep. Jill Chambers has worked hard to ensure the legislation is properly vetted and the costs and impacts a city has on every home and business owner are fully disclosed and understood.

Will the city of Dunwoody cost more? It may. Not because it will add another layer of government, but because it will provide more localized levels of government to its citizens versus the larger DeKalb County. Fortunately the proposed city has a good tax base and selected services can be contracted out, thus minimizing this impact. Ultimately the people of Dunwoody will have to balance the costs with the benefits of localized government.

Are we qualified to govern ourselves? Absolutely. While there may be startup pains in creating a new city, I firmly believe Dunwoody has an abundance of qualified civic-minded citizens. Because there is no perfect form of government, having officials closer to the people ensures a government which is more responsive to the people. Consider this; will a county commissioners’ meeting at the Maloof Building in Decatur or a city council’s meeting in Dunwoody be more responsive to your vision of Dunwoody?

Is forming a city of Dunwoody in any way abandoning DeKalb County? Absolutely not. That is akin to suggesting the cities of Decatur or Lithonia are not part of DeKalb County. However, by being a citizen of the city of Dunwoody you will have more of a say in the place you call home.

Because I believe Dunwoody is great and can be better as it grows, I believe now is the time to let the people of Dunwoody decide whether they want to become citizens of the city of Dunwoody.