The agenda for the 2025 Dunwoody City Council Retreat has been released and there are many of the same topics up for discussion as in previous years. The big one on the table for me is financial planning, as personnel & public safety costs have increased greater than our current revenue streams in order to provide the same level of service. I'm not going to say everything else on the two day agenda is fluff but without wrapping our hands around the financial stability of the city, other services will need to be re-evaluated.
I just published a recap of the 2024 Retreat including all documents therefore I highly recommend you review those to become become familiar with city issues we are facing. I have also been raising concerns regarding financial stability for years and will post a few items below.
- Dunwoody Councilman John Heneghan answers "re-election" questions by Dunwoody Reporter / Rough Draft Atlanta
- Dunwoody City Council Meeting Video - 2024 Budget & Beyond Conversation
Large investments in police services & EMS has happened in 2024 and by 2026 some of the Federal Funds we received for covid will not be there to fund these services. I am of the opinion that cutting the police budget will not happen and in fact will only rise as payroll raises are also due. The city is enjoying the city's investment in EMS services as we are paying for an additional ambulance (over what DeKalb County provides) to lower response times; that should also stay.
How do we pay for these huge public safety costs is the main issue, do we ask for a tax increase per a referendum as stated in our charter, find a creative way to raise taxes outside our charter as is allowed by State law or do we cut other municipal services that have grown since the start of the city? Municipal cuts can happen but is it what the community wants? Guessing long term, not paving our streets nor maintaining the parks we have would not be a wise move.
A year ago, my friend and former Dunwoody City Councilman Robert Wittenstein penned an op-ed piece in Rough Draft Atlanta (Dunwoody Reporter) discussing city finances titled by the newspaper "The city of Dunwoody is headed for a slow-motion train wreck" and we are still a year later moving down those tracks today with no decision on how to correct course.
The huge unknown in our 2026 budget planning is our rebidding of municipal contracts as in 2020 we got a pretty good deal on a five year contract and it is now time to renegotiate. (For historical perspective I have included some links down below.)
The 2025 retreat agenda is below and I am very happy to see that it will be live streamed via ZOOM and hopefully pushed to Facebook at the same time? The recording should also be saved so that residents can watch later at a time that suits them? Please note there are no attachments available to the Wednesday & Thursday agenda announcements on the city site and on top of that please note that there are different Zoom links for each day.
The meeting open to the public, please feel free to join us in person.
DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL
2025 STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT
Day One
Wednesday - MARCH 12, 2025 - 9:30 AM
GLEN-ELLA SPRINGS INN & RESTAURANT
1789 BEAR GAP ROAD
CLARKESVILLE, GA 30523
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/84486061059
Phone one-tap: +14703812552,,84486061059#
CALL TO ORDER
9:30 am – 10:00 am - INTRODUCTION
- Set Ground Rules and Goals With Facilitator
10:00 am – 11:30 am - REVIEWING DUNWOODY
- Recapping 2024 Retreat Direction and Deliverables
- Council SWOT Analysis/Setting 2025 Retreat Direction
- Additional Topics/Discussion
11:30 am – 12:00 pm – POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – LUNCH
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm - BUILDING DUNWOODY
- Streetlights
- Mt. Vernon/Ashford Dunwoody Corridors
- Concrete and Steel in Construction
- Federal Funding Update
- Additional Topics/Discussion
3:15 pm – 5:00 pm - ELEVATING DUNWOODY - WHAT DO WE NEED TO STAY RELEVANT?
- Defining Downtown Dunwoody (What, Where, Why)
- Additional Topics/Discussion
EXECUTIVE SESSION
ADJOURN
Day Two Agenda
DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL
2025 STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT
Day Two
Thursday - MARCH 13, 2025 - 8:00 AM
GLEN-ELLA SPRINGS INN & RESTAURANT
1789 BEAR GAP ROAD
CLARKESVILLE, GA 30523
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/88127860771
Phone one-tap: +14703812552,,88127860771#
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - BREAKFAST
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - RECAP DAY ONE, QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - INVESTING DUNWOODY
- Public Investments to Improve Commercial Areas
- Veterans Memorial - Funding
- Homecoming/Wildcat Parks
- Peachtree Middle School Turf
- Additional Topics/Discussion
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - PROTECTING DUNWOODY
- Drones/Flock
- EMS Service
- Staffing/Technology
- Speed Limits
- Additional Topics/Discussion
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - LUNCH
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - OPERATING DUNWOODY
- Boards and Commissions
- Municipal Service Rebidding
- City Needs
- Additional Topics/Discussion
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm – List of Deliverables/Prioritization/Recap of Retreat
Wrap Up – Anything Missing?
EXECUTIVE SESSION
ADJOURN
____________
Documents related to City Services outside Police
Rebidding of Municipal Contracts - City Manager Analysis
Approval of Municipal Contract for Parks and Public Works - Lowe
Approval of Municipal Contract for Information Technology - Interdev
Approval of Municipal Contract for Finance and Administration - CH2M Hill / Jacobs
Approval of Municipal Contract for Community Development - The Collaborative Inc.
AMR Additional Ambulance Service - May 2023
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