DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
January 9, 2023 - 6:00 PM
DUNWOODY CITY HALL - DUNWOODY HALL
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GA 30338
Agenda 6 pm - City Site Agenda
City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page.
They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/83571238287 or phone +14702509358,,83571238287#
You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.
Invocation
Administration of Oath of Office to Officer Mario Umana
Public comments - in person 3 min each / 30 min max with additional at end of meeting if needed.
Final Recap of 2022 Retreat and City Council Goals and Actions
City Manager's Report
Approval of December 13, 2022 City Council Special Called Meeting Minutes - Meeting with State / DeKalb Legislative Representatives
FIRST READ: Consideration of Text Amendments to Chapter 20, Signs
Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Village Crossroads Project Traffic and Overhead Utility Discussion
Contract for 2023 Pavement Resurfacing
Expiring MARTA Bus Shelter Contracts
Happy New Year and I hope everyone's holiday season was joyous spending time with those you love, staying warm and dry as the days are now getting longer. This meeting starting at 6 pm looks short because many of us (and staff) may have other plans for later that evening but that doesn't mean important things aren't being done. First we are adding another police officer to our ranks and we are getting closer to being fully staffed, welcome Officer Umana.
Read the retreat document, look at what we accomplished in 2022 but also note what we have put off or kicked down the road. In 2022 we put off a call for a General Obligation Bond for Capital Projects and a Special Tax District for Parks & Police for operational expenses. I believe both may be back on the agenda in the coming months, to be possibly be added to the ballot in November of 2023?
Immediately below I am re-posting document links from the May 23, 2022 meeting where city finances and possible bonds were discussed.
City of Dunwoody Millage and Bond Rate Discussion and comparable rates in DeKalb the possible list of projects - Bond FAQ - Steps to Bond Referendum
Remember how just a few months ago I said our 2023 budget looked like an ugly baby? We need to determine the capital desires of the community and the correlating operational expenses (more parks/more maintenance expenses) vs (fully staffed Police Department at appropriate salary / benefit level is an expense we can not compromise on) with inflationary pressures on a tax digest that has limited escalating raises. Because Dunwoody was one of the first cities to break away from a County to incorporate, we were given very tight financial constraints that other newer cities do not have. 14 years after incorporation we have rising inflation, rising costs but also have a home valuation freeze, a 1 mil tax reduction that was a replacement for a credit that was given back, but the reduction stuck, and we are now at our maximum ad valorem tax rate on real property of 3.04 which by my reading of the Charter would need the approval of the Citizens to increase that general tax rate. Tough decisions & discussions on finance are coming.
All of these conversations will be taking place in the future as I am always concerned of the viability of our many office towers as leases come up for renewal and the pressures to have employees work from home seems to grow. A vibrant office district in Perimeter Center is what we all desire as it is an economic engine that also fills the restaurants, the stores, raises demands on housing and also adds to the tax base which lowers the burden on the residents who live here. We need a vibrant mix and the Mayor and City Council have been working on that goal since day one of incorporation.
Please read the City Managers Report as it is eye-opening in many ways, the City does so much behind the scenes and I have nothing but admiration for the staff and police officers who make this City function everyday. You may have heard about the shooting between two knuckleheads at the mall, I don't know more than anyone else, but I do know Dunwoody PD showed up in force, handled the situation and brought the person responsible into custody. Please be aware of your surroundings but don't let knuckleheads make you fearful of living your life, Perimeter Mall and Dunwoody is still a safe place to be.
City Council had a special called meeting on a day I was out of town to talk to our State Legislators, I'm sorry I missed as the minutes tell me topics but not specifics. If I'm lucky I hope to attend a few DeKalb Delegation meetings down at the Capital as I think they take place on Mondays at Noon and I can't think of a more entertaining lunch.
Monday is a first read (just discussion / not approval) of an update to our Sign Ordinance which looks like minor tweaks and administrative fixes. I have a couple of days to read & evaluate the proposed changes, if there are issues with the proposed changes please let me (us) know as I value your input.
There is a discussion scheduled to talk about the pedestrian improvements in Dunwoody Village as I (and a few others) pushed back on the proposed design as there is a lot of money being planned to be spent whereby there wouldn't any vehicle throughput improvements through the intersections of Chamblee Dunwoody & Mt. Vernon. Staff has looked at modifying the proposal and did not find a way to improve traffic flow with out negatively impacting (obtaining) business properties. Staff also received an 8 million dollar estimate to bury electrical lines as part of the project and at the moment we do not have the funds for that idea to move forward. It looks like the original plans without any traffic improvements, is back on the table.
The proposed improvements presented in March 2022 consist of a cycle track and wider sidewalks on both sides of Chamblee Dunwoody Road from Womack Road to Roberts Drive. The cycle track will be separated from the vehicle travel lanes and raised to the level of the sidewalk. A landscape buffer with street trees and lighting will separate the cycle track from the sidewalk. In areas, such as in front of the farmhouse, where the public right of way is not as wide, the buffer width will be reduced and landscaped without street trees. The proposed design for the roadway generally maintains the lane configurations as they currently exist with the exception of removing one of the southbound through-lanes south of Mount Vernon Road. In areas north of Mount Vernon Road where a center turn lane is not needed, the turn lane would be converted to a landscaped median with the goal of adding greenery, calming traffic and creating safer pedestrian crossings.
The 2023 paving plan is moving forward (as the streets have been planned and scheduled for repaving in a past 3 - 5 year plan) and we are spending close to 3 million dollars to pave 15 lane miles of streets. Looking at the map, we are doing well to pave the worst first and it won't be long before every public street in Dunwoody would have been paved.
Finally we have a contract to consider on MARTA Bus Shelter advertising. I like shelters where needed, I dislike the advertising & signage that is sometimes not appropriate for single family neighborhoods & near schools. Would you believe that I raised this very topic ten years ago, argued that we were not under contract with MARTA nor the Advertising company, converted several signed shelters to non-signed; while agreeing to allow a few advertising shelters in place in commercial zones where appropriate. We now have all contracts prior in place expiring and they are up for renegotiation. What should we do?
