 |
| Full Press Release |
Dunwoody’s Mayor and City Council voted unanimously Monday night to oppose Georgia House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 172, which would prevent local governments from enforcing and regulating building design elements for residential homes. Members of Dunwoody City Council have been in close contact with our elected State Representatives, Senator Sally Harrell, Representatives Mike Wilensky, and Matthew Wilson, all of whom have taken strong stands against these proposals. The City has been in discussions with the Georgia Municipal Association, the DeKalb Municipal Association and has been in constant contact with our lobbyist in opposing these proposed actions.
Ten years ago the City of Dunwoody was created to allow us the right of self-determination and it is my opinion that this over reach proposed by the State Legislature not only erodes the home rule doctrine in the Georgia Constitution, which allows municipalities to have self-government over building and housing codes; but it completely eliminates the municipalities allowance of home rule.
Dunwoody Council Member Lynn Deutsch introduced a resolution respectfully requesting that the General Assembly oppose the bill. The Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution during Monday night’s City Council Meeting.
“We do not take this decision lightly. Most housing in the City of Dunwoody would be impacted by this,” said Council Member Deutsch. “This is an issue of local control. We have set minimum building standards that protect the safety of our residents and enhance the quality of construction.”
“This is an encroachment that is unbelievable to me,” added Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal. “We became a city to keep decisions close to home. This bill strips us of the rights to keep Dunwoody the way the citizens want it.”
Council Member Pam Tallmadge encouraged concerned residents to e-mail lawmakers who are backing the bills (Georgia House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 172.
No comments:
Post a Comment