Marta CEO Keith Parker, the Driver Behind Public Transit’s Transformation in Atlanta - Governing.com

 Keith Parker

As a daily rider of Marta, I notice and appreciate the positive changes made by CEO Parker and also know that a portion of the Kudos being given needs to go to the Georgia Legislative MARTOC Committee, including Chairman Mike Jacobs, Vice Chairman Fran Millar and representative Tom Taylor.

Governing Magazine - Oct 2014

Keith Parker took over one of the most beleaguered and least loved transit systems in America -- and almost instantly reversed its course.

Keith Parker had run large-scale transit operations in Charlotte and San Antonio, but he realized from the start that Atlanta would be his toughest assignment yet.

The beleaguered Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is the ninth-largest enterprise of its kind in the country. But ever since its beginnings in the early 1970s, it has been ensnared in racial, regional and partisan acrimony. Georgia’s state legislators have never been shy to criticize or to micromanage the agency, which they have denounced as inefficient and unreliable. Originally envisioned as a five-county system, MARTA has never been able to expand beyond its initial two counties in the center of the Atlanta metropolis.

Much of MARTA’s problem has always been its unorthodox funding mechanism. Most of the nation’s public transit agencies get about a quarter of their income from state funds, but MARTA doesn’t get any operating money at all from the state of Georgia. Its budget is heavily dependent on local sales taxes, leaving the system especially vulnerable to economic downturns. During the Great Recession, MARTA took a cleaver to its operating expenses. A third of its bus routes were eliminated. Wait times between trains hit 15 minutes. Bathrooms in most stations were closed. Along with reduced services, passengers saw fares rise more than 40 percent. Customers were incensed. Ridership dropped by a sixth in the four years before Parker arrived.

Read the rest here. 

Video of Dunwoody City Council Meeting and Legislative Town Hall of March 10, 2014

City Council Video of March 10

Video

March 10, 2014 Representative Mike Jacobs and Senator Fran Millar Town Hall

Video of Dunwoody State Representative Forum held on Jan 12, 2014 at DUMC

Playlist of four videos - one hour.

Interesting forum, introductions at the beginning gives a nice overview of our legislators priorities then questions from public touched on various issues including possible City Charter changes, Independent School Systems, Juvenile Justice, New Cities in DeKalb, Public Transportation System Mergers, and a few other items.  The forum closes with 2 min closing statements of each panel member.

Video 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw65JUA2y2U

Video 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFBi87W5Z7Q

Video 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4A5CQN2G0U

Video 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6-lRYlCido

Dunwoody Charter Commission - Final Report

The final Charter Commission report is 70 pages long but the substantive proposed changes to SB82 are listed above.

The report is available on the city website.   Remember that the City Council was purposely left out of this process as this is a list of recommendations from the citizens to the State Legislature on possible governance changes.  In the end, our State Reps could present and pass what was presented, present nothing if in disagreement, pass nothing presented or present completely different changes and pass what they like.

Appendix B of the report (starts on page 57) lists ideas presented for change but were never voted upon for for formal submission.  Possible additional changes that I have heard in the last couple months since the close of the commission was a cap on debt allowed and moving the Mayoral election to be held during the district cycle vs the at large election cycle.  The ideas listed in the appendix or ideas that are yet to be floated, are all fair game as the ball is in Fran, Tom & Mike's court to do with it as they and the Legislature see fit.

MARTA's 2013 Annual Report to the State Legislature - MARTOC Committee

Annual Report to Georgia Legislature - dated Aug 31, 2013

I was sent the following document by someone at MARTA, so someone wants it spread far and wide and I am happy to oblige.    The annual financial report of MARTA is required to be sent to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee of the State Legislature, chaired by Rep Mike Jacobs.

MARTA’s GM/CEO, Mr. Keith Parker is receiving high marks from both the media and I believe the State Legislature for recent changes and as a daily rider for over 15 years on the MARTA the system, I readily admit that it serves me quite well.    I like the latest Ride with Respect push but remember that respect is a two way street and that it needs to be earned by the system everyday with quality consistent service and that would include new amenities that may expected by business travelers.

Mr. Keith Parker, for system safety & security as well as to draw business travelers back into the transit fold; I recommend that you work to obtain phone & internet services underground and in the tunnels.  Washington D.C. has had this availability for years and Chicago has just gone out to bid; so please keep MARTA moving forward.

Thanks & please keep up the good work Mr. Parker.

Dunwoody Chamblee Parents' Council Meeting Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at Chesnut Charter Elem

Time:                              Meeting @ 9:15-10:30 AM (Refreshments @ 8:45 AM)
Meeting Location:        Chesnut Charter Elementary School;
                                          4576 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338
Topic:                            “Legislative Updates”
Speakers:                       State Senator Fran Millar, State Representative Tom Taylor,
                                        State Representative Scott Holcomb, & State Representative Mike                                         Jacobs

DCPC meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month (unless noted otherwise), starting with refreshments at 8:45 am. The meeting starts at 9:15 am. and ends by 10:30 A.M. Meetings are held at various public venues within the Dunwoody Chamblee area. Meetings are open, and topics are geared toward the interests of parents and guardians with children in Dunwoody and Chamblee schools in the DeKalb County School District. There is no charge for attendance. All Parents are encouraged to attend.

For more information, go to http://www.dcpc-dekalb.org.
 

Note:  There is little to no parking available at Chesnut Charter ES.  The suggestion is to park next door at Peachtree Charter Middle School and walk over to Chesnut.

Brookhaven Bill signed by Gov Deal

Citizens to vote July 31 on whether they are to become a city.

Senate passes charter school amendment. Now, voters will decide the question in November.

What exactly does this mean for Dunwoody?

The state Senate passed the controversial charter school amendment this afternoon, enabling a constitutional amendment on the question in November. The amendment passed 40-16, which represents the two-thirds majority required. The amendment already had passed the House.

One of the reasons for passage is the assurance from its author, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, that the state would cover the costs of a state-approved charter school if its original charter application was not approved by a local school districts.

However, skeptics argue that the language is fuzzy enough that the state will still be able to divert money from local school districts to pay for state-approved charter schools.

The bill has become one of the most promoted pieces of legislation in the General Assembly this year, in part because of the assistance of the influential for-profit charter school industry, including online providers , which is looking to expand its foothold and profits in Georgia.

With final legislative passage of the charter school amendment today, Gov. Nathan Deal encouraged Georgians to vote for it this in November.

“The General Assembly has acted wisely and courageously to give Georgians the choice to implement true local control: parental choice. We must encourage innovation and the pursuit of excellence in our schools. Starting a state-chartered school is not done easily or without lots of hard work, but we need a system that allows for this option. State-chartered schools help students trapped in under performing schools and aid communities that want to invest in new and imaginative ways of learning for their children. Approving this amendment will simply restore the process for creating state-charted schools that existed before the state Supreme Court struck down the state’s system for granting charters, and I hope Georgians will cast their vote for protecting and promoting schools that have a strong record of student achievement.”

Links:

Maureen Downey AJC Get Schooled

Georgia Pundit - Todd Rehm

Peach Pundit - Jason Pye

South Cobb Patch with a video of press conference

Fox TV - Setting a National Precedent? video

DeKalb School Board Map Update

In semi related news, I had the pleasure of attending another DeKalb Delegation Meeting at the GA Capital on Monday and it appears that with only 5 legislative days left in the session the Senate and House will be looking to find a certifiable DeKalb County School Board map that can be approved by the end of the session.  The DeKalb Delegation will be meeting with hopes to hammer this out on Tuesday but the time and room has not been published for this meeting yet.  I am aware of several versions of the proposed school board maps, including one from the DeKalb School Board which supposedly meets the requirements but there is no telling how this may play out in the end.  If any reporters or interested parents have time, this would be a good meeting to attend as there is definitely a story there.

Proud Dad Moment

Monday I also had the pleasure of watching my 12 yr old son Riley serving on the floor of the GA House of Representatives as a Page. He really enjoyed himself, learned some history and felt really involved in the political process. I highly recommend the page program and a special thank you goes out to Representative Tom Taylor for helping to make this happen.

DeKalb Delegation of GA General Assembly met today to discuss the DeKalb County School Board Reapportionment maps

Video

Video

Yesterday I raised the important issue of the possible reduction of the DeKalb County School Board down to just five members in the reapportionment process that takes place every 10 years.  Because I saw this as an important news story, I jumped into a cab at noon and headed over to the Georgia State Capital to witness the DeKalb Delegation committee meeting firsthand.

As a political junkie, I enjoy watching laws being made (much like sausage making?) but today's meeting was a legislative train wreck ending in no decision being made.  It looks like this decision will be brought back up on Wednesday the 15th which I am told is the very last day to meet the deadline.

I have posted video of all but the last closing statements of the meeting as I just couldn't justify video recording the carnage any longer, even I had to look away.  The decision of how the DeKalb County School Board will be structured for the next ten years will be decided behind closed doors by the people you see on the video between now and Wednesday, without any further public hearings.  Scary!

Links to other related news stories.  AJC, DeKalb School Watch Blog two - read the comments, Nancy Jester Twitter live feed of meeting, Officials ‘dropped the ball’ on redistricting - Reporter news 

City of Ashford Georgia moves from committee to possibly become Dunwoody's newest neighbor.

Video

The proposed City of Brookhaven passed through committee today in the house but in a surprising move the proposed city was renamed to Ashford, GA in order to preserve the Historic Brookhaven name that is closely associated with a specific neighborhood.  As a sign of goodwill towards our neighboring community, I attempted to purchase the internet domain name of AshfordGeorgia.com which was available when I checked late this afternoon but by the time I whipped out the credit card for the $30.00 dollar purchase it was already taken. 

AshfordPolice.com has been secured and I will happily donate it to the new city if so needed but guessing that a .gov domain will be used for the official server designation.  I am sure that within the next 24 hours names like AshfordTavern, AshfordChamber, AshfordAuto, AshfordCleaners, AsfordRealtor, ect, ect will be gobbled up just in case the name sticks.

The city name could still be reverted back to Brookhaven before the final approval but until then Ashford - Dunwoody Road will make sense as it will be connecting the two cities. 

2012 legislative forum and town hall meeting - Sun Jan 8th at 9 & again at 10 am and Dunwoody United Methodist Church

Sunday morning session with your State Lawmakers.

From the Dunwoody Neighbor

The community is invited to a 2012 legislative forum town hall meeting Jan. 8 at Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 1548 Mount Vernon Road in Dunwoody.


Dwight Hawksworth, one of the organizers, said several legislative officials will be discussing issues they anticipate will be important in the upcoming session. They will also be answering questions from the audience.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for the legislators to be seen and to be heard,” he said.


Some lawmakers who will be in attendance are District 56 State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell; District 80 State Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-Atlanta; District 40 State Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody; District 81 State Rep. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta; District 79 State Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody; and District 49 State Rep. Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs.


“It’s so important that we understand if we are going to be successful as a country we have to get the right people [in government] and show interest in the process,” Hawksworth said.


There will be two meetings Jan. 8. The first will be 9 to 10 a.m. and the second will be 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Hawksworth said the meetings should have a lot of information of interest to the community.


“One of the things we’ve found is that time flies in these forums,” he said. “It’s amazing how quickly these sessions go.”


Free parking will be available at the Dunwoody Library at 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road with shuttle transportation to the church.

DeKalb County governance changes vs. Chamblee and Brookhaven home rule.

 Video

DeKalb County legislators will be busy when they return to the Gold Dome on Jan. 9 for the start of the General Assembly. Big statewide issues, like the budget, transportation and jobs, will take up much of lawmakers’ time. 

But legislators plan to discuss several things that could affect DeKalb County residents more directly. Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-DeKalb, introduced legislation during the 2011 session to create a city of Brookhaven. This year, legislators are expected to vote on the bill. “I think the city of Brookhaven proposal stands a high chance of passage,” Jacobs said. Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, said he too feels the Brookhaven cityhood bill will be approved. “The only question is where will the borders be, but I think that will happen,” Millar said.

 Link

Millar said the DeKalb County delegation may take up the way the county is governed. DeKalb County is run by an elected Chief Executive Officer. Millar said some legislators would prefer to see the county operated by a professional county manager appointed by the County Commission.

“Obviously what we have in DeKalb County is not working very well between CEO [Burrell Ellis] and the commissioners,” Millar said. “I do think in DeKalb we have a crisis brewing. I think our CEO in DeKalb County has disregarded the will of the commission and continues to spend. Perhaps he’s visited Washington too many times and it’s affected him.”

Rep Mike Jacobs schedules several meetings on Brookhaven and announces DeKalb Legislative Public Hearing at Chamblee Middle School

Rep. Mike Jacobs & Proposed New City Lines

Representative Mike Jacobs publishes a newsletter from time to time and there are a few nuggets of information listed.

Rep. Mike Jacobs has scheduled a pair of town hall meetings to discuss the results of the soon-to-be released feasibility study for a City of Brookhaven.

There is likely to be a high level of interest in these meetings. The presentation at the beginning of each of these meetings will be the same. Two meetings have been scheduled so that, if one of them presents a schedule conflict, hopefully you can attend the other one.

Here are the two meetings:

Tuesday, November 15 7:00 p.m.
Cross Keys High School
1626 North Druid Hills Road

Thursday, November 17 7:00 p.m.
Montgomery Elementary School
3995 Ashford Dunwoody Road

To view the Brookhaven cityhood study area, click here.


The state legislators from DeKalb County will hold a public hearing on Thursday, November 10, at 6:00 p.m. at Chamblee Middle School, 3601 Sexton Woods Drive. This is an opportunity to make your voice heard on the state and local issues that matter to you.

Sunday Sales, But Not in DeKalb
Conspicuously absent from the countywide ballot in DeKalb County is a referendum to allow Sunday sales of alcohol. I supported Senate Bill 10, the legislation that enables local communities to decide this issue via public referendum. Our neighboring cities of Chamblee, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and Atlanta will be voting on this question next Tuesday. If you are in unincorporated DeKalb, however, the county has yet to do anything regarding Sunday sales.

City of Brookhaven is being explored by citizens of the area.

Video

Rep. Mike Jacobs discusses HB 428 which paves a path to Annexation and possible Brookhaven Cityhood

As your State Representative, I am committed to increasing your voice in local government and to helping provide the highest quality governance at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer. That is why I have introduced a piece of legislation, House Bill 428, that will create a path for the unincorporated neighborhoods around Murphey Candler Park, West Nancy Creek Drive, and Silver Lake to join one of our adjacent municipalities, either Chamblee or Dunwoody. 

Presently, these neighborhoods exist as an “unincorporated peninsula” of land sandwiched between the City of Dunwoody to the north, the City of Chamblee to the east, and the City of Sandy Springs to the west. There is only one major arterial road into this area from the rest of unincorporated DeKalb: Ashford Dunwoody Road.

The purpose of HB 428 is to kick off a community conversation about possible avenues to the incorporation of our neighborhoods. Click here to read the version of HB 428 that will be presented on Tuesday to a subcommittee of the House Governmental Affairs Committee.

The version of the bill that was originally introduced only applied to Dunwoody, but that was based upon my own incorrect perception that Chamblee – having recently completed an annexation of Huntley Hills and other neighborhoods east of Chamblee Dunwoody Road – would not be interested in undertaking any further annexations any time soon. I had a productive conversation with Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson in which he made clear that it’s possible Chamblee could consider further annexation. So, the bill has been changed accordingly.

HB 428 will allow for adjacent municipalities to annex neighborhoods in an “unincorporated peninsula” (an unincorporated area that is 75% or more surrounded by cities) after the adoption of a city council resolution and the passage of a referendum by the citizens in the unincorporated area. In other words, there is absolutely no scenario in which your neighborhood would be annexed into a neighboring city before you receive all of the facts about the annexation and are given the opportunity to cast your vote at the ballot box.

The key annexation procedure that HB 428 does change is DeKalb County’s unilateral veto power over the ability of our neighborhoods to be annexed into Chamblee or Dunwoody via this simple “resolution and referendum” method.

As the Dunwoody Crier has noted, my interest in annexation is driven by “increasing discontent with DeKalb County Government: rising tax bills, fewer services, inefficient government, and a lack of confidence that things are going to get better at the county.”

Police response times in Chamblee and Dunwoody are far below those in unincorporated DeKalb. Dunwoody is planning major improvements to their local parks. Chamblee and Dunwoody are both conservatively managed and are experiencing budget surpluses. And in stark contrast to CEO Burrell Ellis’ constant drumbeat for higher property taxes, Chamblee is considering cutting its millage rate this year.

It simply is not true that incorporation into a city necessarily means that your property taxes will go up. Many cities are actually able to deliver better services and a lower tax burden than can be found in nearby unincorporated areas.

Another option that might be worth exploring is the incorporation of a new municipality altogether, perhaps a City of Brookhaven that could reach as far south as Buford Highway or even I-85. Of course, such an option would require interest from neighborhoods south of Windsor Parkway such as Historic Brookhaven, Ashford Park, Brookhaven Heights, Brookhaven Fields, and Drew Valley.

If citizens are interested, I’m willing to explore a broader City of Brookhaven. It would require a separate piece of legislation that cannot be passed until 2014 at the earliest, which would give us plenty of time to thoroughly explore this option.

HB 428 is not an actual annexation plan of any sort. No annexation of any neighborhoods by either Chamblee or Dunwoody is imminent.

The latest version of HB 428 will make it clear that any annexation cannot involve the “cherry picking” of large-scale commercial property such as the Perimeter Summit development on the south side of I-285, adjacent to Dunwoody. This is because another provision of law that is applicable to HB 428 requires any such annexation to include territory that “is subdivided into lots and tracts such that at least 60 percent of the total acreage consists of lots and tracts five acres or less in size and such that at least 60 percent of the total number of lots and tracts are one acre or less in size.”

HB 428 is a means of opening up our community’s options. Having options is never a bad thing.

Please forward this e-mail to your neighbors, particularly if you live in the neighborhoods around Murphey Candler Park, West Nancy Creek Drive, and Silver Lake. If citizens would like to stay informed about the prospect of annexation or a new city in North DeKalb and are not on my e-mail list, they should e-mail me at repjacobs@comcast.net and I will add them to my e-mail list. E-mail me, too, with your thoughts on this issue. I look forward to hearing from you.

I will announce a community meeting about cityhood and annexation in the near future.

Annexation Proposal Could Expand Dunwoody Southward or start the City of Brookhaven

An expanded Dunwoody?

At Tuesday night's Transportation meeting, Peter Cox of the Dunwoody Patch pulled me aside informing me that Rep. Mike Jacobs was dropping a bill to propose annexation of the City of Dunwoody south of I285.   With the City of Chamblee annexing everything east of Chamblee Dunwoody Road to form a tight Chamblee / Doraville / Dunwoody line; I was aware that this was a possibility but was unsure if, or when it would be proposed.   A quick search of the Ga Legislature website shows that HB428 was dropped on March 1st by both Representatives Mike Jacobs and Tom Taylor and it appears to just be a place holder for next year in case the research shows that this move makes sense.  As I am quoted in the full article below, lots and lots research and financial analysis needs to be conducted before this is seriously considered by anybody.

Annexation Proposal Could Expand Dunwoody Southward

Rep. Mike Jacobs says he'd like to start a conversation about possibly annexing neighborhoods just south of 285 into Dunwoody, or allowing Brookhaven to become a city.

If the idea gets support, Dunwoody’s border could head southward.

Rep. Mike Jacobs said he may introduce a bill that could pave the way for Dunwoody to annex an area known as North Brookhaven, just south of 285.   Jacobs, who lives in that area, says he has been getting a stronger and stronger message from residents that they want more local control of their community.

“I think it is fair to say that there is a growing interest in some type of incorporation into a city in the neighborhoods south of 285, around Murphey Candler Park and even around Silver Lake,” he said. “Whether Dunwoody is a willing dance partner for annexation is an open question right now.”

If annexation is on the table, it would have to get backing from Dunwoody city officials and residents, as well as residents south of 285, he said.   “The reality is the area that would be annexed includes some important assets,” he said, listing Candler and its ballfields, the section of Perimeter Center south of 285 and Blackburn Park. “It’s an attractive area.”

Jacobs has discussed the possibility with Dunwoody city officials.  “There have been very preliminary discussions, with no specific plans on the table,” he said.

Though the idea has been brought up before, Dunwoody Councilmen Robert Wittenstein and John Heneghan said it was the first time they’d heard anything concrete about a possible annexation bid.  “I think that most of us would be very supportive of at least looking at the idea,” said Wittenstein said.  He said he’s not surprised that some residents of that area have been talking about annexation, as he thinks Dunwoody has done a good job of providing services at a low tax rate.  But, he said that taking on such facilities at Murphey Candler Park would bring on some financial questions for the city of Dunwoody, and such issues would have to be weighed in any decision.

Heneghan agreed.  “It’s something that needs to be studied and needs to be looked at,” he said.  He said that Murphey Candler is used by many Dunwoody residents already, and there are similarities between the communities.  He said there would be plenty of discussion ahead if the idea gets traction.  “That’s not a decision that’s going to happen overnight,” Heneghan said. “Do we the city want them to be part of Dunwoody and do they want to be part of us? It can’t be a one-sided decision. It’s got to be a win-win for everybody or it doesn’t work.”

The neighborhoods in question are the Murphey Candler Park and Silver Lake neighborhoods of unincorporated DeKalb County.  Annexing those neighborhoods into Dunwoody or allowing them to join other Brookhaven communities in an incorporation effort are two options Jacobs wants to put on the table.

“In terms of a new city altogether, the question there is whether there is interest as you get south of these neighborhoods,” he said.  The issue has been discussed before, but he said it seems to have picked up traction, especially with residents in the North Brookhaven area.  “Almost everyone is sounding favorable to it now,” he said. “It’s a remarkable change from just a couple of years ago.”

He’s hoping to start a public conversation about the area’s options within the next few months.  “I am committed to looking at the issue, particularly in light of how badly things are going in DeKalb County right now,” he said. “The county government is bloated in areas that are far flung from its core mission.”   He said that key services are being cut, while there are still many non-essential positions in the county government.  “That, in turn, changes basic things like response times, ability to maintain assets like Murphey Candler and Blackburn Park,” he said, “which is very likely to drive citizens into the arms of a city.”

Jacobs wouldn’t go into too much detail about the possible annexation legislation, but said it would create an avenue for annexation of that part of unincorporated DeKalb County into Dunwoody. He did say that because of Chamblee’s recent annexation, he doubts that city would be looking to make any new annexations in the next two to three years.  Jacobs said he is considering a broadly worded bill that would “take into account any kind of scenario that might come up.”  He said it would allow for citizens to easily move forward with annexation, if that is an option they support.

“There’s no scenario where an annexation would move forward without buy-in from the city that would be doing annexation and the citizens of the area that would be annexed,” he said.

Legislative Forum and Dunwoody Homeowners Association annual meeting are both scheduled for Sunday, January 9, 2011 at Dunwoody United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall

Dunwoody United Methodist Church will host two separate annual events on Sunday. First is the 10th Annual legislative forum with our local state representatives. The invited guests include: State Senators Fran Millar and John Albers; and State House Representatives: Wendell Willard; Mike Jacobs; Tom Taylor; and Elena Parent.  There are two, one hour forums scheduled, the first begins at 9:00 am and the second starts at 10:30 am.  More information can be found by calling 770-394-0675 or at http://www.dunwoodyumc.org/.  An article can also be found on DeKalb Neighbors website.

The second community event at Dunwoody United Methodist Church is the Annual Meeting of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association which starts at 2:00 pm.  I haven't seen the agenda but I plan on being in attendance as the Annual meeting is usually quite informative.

Dunwoody United Methodist Church

Fellowship Hall is on the 2nd floor

1548 Mt. Vernon Road

Dunwoody, GA 30338

Job Fair on Friday and other things that have crossed my inbox.

 Dunwoody Job Fair with 30 companies on site, Friday Nov 5th at Crowne Plaza Hotel At Ravinia

Congratulations to our local State Gov reps Fran Millar, Tom Taylor, Mike Jacobs and our newest representative Ms. Elena Parent who now represents part of my Dunwoody North neighborhood.  Runoffs for School Board (Redovian & Jester) and judges (Nahmias and Adkins) and (Rothenberg & Johnson) are scheduled for November 30th.

The residents of unincorporated DeKalb in the Huntley Hills area inside 285 voted to become part of the City of Chamblee which will now mirror the City of Dunwoody boundaries at our South East corner of the city.

Do you have papers (credit card and bank statements) to shred or electronics to recycle? Congregation Beth Shalom can hook you up on December 5th.

Local arts and crafts show comprised of only Dunwoody area Artisans at the Dunwoody North Swim and Tennis Club, Sat. November 6th from 10am til 4 pm. While there buy a hat or tote from Susan and the girls, as I know she does great work.

Dunwoody Library Appreciation Day, Sat. November 6th from 10 am until 4 pm

Who wants to manage the Brook Run Skate Park?

Did you know that monthly financial statements for the City are available on the web? The first official audit is also coming soon.

I just received my renewal notice for the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and will be renewing by weeks end.  Sunday night, Nov 7th is the next monthly meeting where I am guessing Chick-fil-a will be the biggest item on the agenda and then Light Up Dunwoody is Nov 21st.

DeKalb Green products EXPO on Nov 13th will feature local green businesses demonstrating eco-friendly products and services.

Falcons players pay it forward to military families at Brook Run Park

Taxpayers Shouldn’t Become Developer’s ATM by Representative Mike Jacobs

Shopping centers empty like ghost towns in the Wild West

By Rep Mike Jacobs

Drive north on Peachtree Road and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard through Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville and into Dunwoody and the view is startling. Shopping centers are empty like the ghost towns of the Wild West.

Town Brookhaven is finally sprouting major anchor stores, but is having trouble filling its smaller retail store fronts. Chamblee Plaza? Nearly empty. The new “Super H Mart” center adjacent to the GM site? It’s nearly empty, too.

The CoStar Group, a national real estate analysis firm, says the vacancy rates of retail, shopping centers and offices in North DeKalb are at catastrophic levels when you compare them to the national average. With so many empty store fronts, why would county officials push so hard to use our tax dollars for a supersized mixed-use project at the site of the former GM plant in Doraville?

Consider this:

- In the North DeKalb zip codes 30319, 30338, 30340, 30341, 30346 and 30360, the vacancy rate for shopping centers is 23 percent compared to 14 percent in DeKalb County as a whole and 10 percent in the City of Atlanta.

- The vacancy rate for North DeKalb office buildings is 24 percent compared to 18 percent in the county overall and 20 percent in the City of Atlanta.

- Retail vacancy rates are 17 percent in those zip codes, 11 percent in DeKalb overall, and 9 percent in Atlanta, according to CoStar.

The county’s elected officials are considering using a special allocation of $36 million in federal stimulus bonds on the 165-acre GM site with visions of creating another Atlantic Station. These bonds come with a high price tag to the taxpayers. DeKalb officials would use the stimulus bonds as a $36 million “gift” to an out-of-state developer, New Broad Street of Florida.

Worse yet, county taxpayers would have to pay the principal and a majority of the interest on these bonds. It’s very likely that means higher property taxes for you and me because the county doesn’t otherwise have the money to make the payments.

In ordinary times, the developer wouldn’t have to rely on county taxpayers. There would be more private investment to help finance the project. But these are no ordinary times. We’re in the midst of the worst commercial real estate market in memory. Private investors don’t want to provide the financing for an overly ambitious mixed-use project consisting of shopping, apartments and offices. The county wants the taxpayers to step in and do what private investors won’t do: bear the risks of this project.

If a new restaurant, retail shop or gas station, for example, wants to open for business, investors take the risk whether it prospers or fails. The same should be true for this project. DeKalb taxpayers are not a bank. They are not in the business of providing corporate welfare to jump start a project the private sector would never finance.

This is the most ambitious project we’ve ever seen county officials attempt to tackle, and it comes during a deep recession. It is not the taxpayers’ job to finance the next Atlantic Station and add to the already glutted market a new supply of retail and commercial space.

The definition of insanity, according to Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We should heed the lessons of the “real estate bubble” and steer clear of risking taxpayer funds for further overdevelopment. After the bubble has burst, don’t use our tax dollars to create another bubble!

There are two final things to consider:

1. The GM site ultimately will be redeveloped if the county does not intervene. It’s arguably the most valuable parcel of available commercial property in the county. It’s on a major highway (I-285), a major north-south artery (Peachtree Industrial), and a MARTA station. In better economic times, something that private investors and market forces will support will be built there. I’m confident of that.

2. These particular stimulus bonds are supposed to be used for public infrastructure projects, not for private development. When used properly, they are a cheaper way of financing these projects. The county already has a list of infrastructure needs a mile long, not the least of which is the water and sewer system upgrades that they plan to fund with massive increases in our water bills. The bonds could be used to defray those costs. They also could be used for projects such as street repairs, new sidewalks, intersection upgrades, and parks.

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will vote on this matter tomorrow, Tuesday, August 24.
 
Commissioner Elaine Boyer has pledged to vote against it. I encourage you to contact the other six county commissioners (Rader, Johnson, Barnes-Sutton, May, Gannon, and Stokes) and urge them to vote “no” as well. In particular, Commissioner Jeff Rader appears not to have taken a position as of yet. You can find the commissioners’ telephone numbers and e-mail addresses by clicking here.

A Parks Bill for Everyone by Rep. Mike Jacobs

 Rep. Mike Jacobs

By: Representative Mike Jacobs

You may have seen recently in the news that the City of Dunwoody obtained the parks within its boundaries from DeKalb County at minimal cost pursuant to state legislation.

The legislation that enabled this to happen was amended into a bill that I sponsored, House Bill 203 (click for more information), but not before I changed the language in ways that benefit all of us, whether or not we live in the City of Dunwoody.

The parks language in the bill does not just apply to Dunwoody. It applies to every city in DeKalb County. So, for example, if the City of Chamblee or City of Dunwoody were to annex the areas containing Murphey Candler Park or Blackburn Park, or both, that city would be able to obtain those parks from DeKalb County for the same low cost. Also, if citizens in Brookhaven ever decide that they want to form a new city, that city would get the same deal in obtaining Brookhaven Park on Peachtree Road and Ashford Park on Caldwell Drive.

This is not to say that any such incorporation or annexation is imminent. That’s a decision that will remain primarily in the hands of our neighborhoods, and also in the hands of any city governments which might become annexation partners. The bottom line is that proper maintenance of local parks is one of the reasons that local citizens choose to become part of a city.

Some critics have suggested that this is stealing parks from DeKalb County and giving them to cities. I reject that notion. They’re not DeKalb County’s parks. They’re not any city’s parks. They’re public parks. One of the provisions that I insisted on including in HB 203 is a provision that says citizens who live inside a city and those who live outside a city have to be charged the same fees, to the extent there are fees, for the use of any park that is acquired by a city pursuant to the legislation. Thus, a city can’t charge residents of unincorporated areas more for using “city” parks and recreation facilities.

Evan and I take our kids to the playground at Brook Run from time to time. We don’t live in the City of Dunwoody. After the incorporation of Dunwoody, I’ve seen firsthand how DeKalb County has allowed the park to deteriorate. It affects all of us. I am confident that the City of Dunwoody will be a much better steward of the park.

HB 203 also deals with parks bond funds. There are approximately $7.5 million dollars in general obligation bond funds (not tax funds from the county treasury) that the City of Dunwoody says were promised for improvements to Brook Run prior to the 2006 DeKalb County parks bond referendum, but DeKalb County is now holding back these funds and won’t use them for Brook Run.

HB 203 provides that, if a city can prove to the satisfaction of a Superior Court judge that county documents and the statements of county officials in the run-up to a bond referendum guaranteed X amount of bond funds for particular projects at a particular park, and the county is holding back the funds, the city gets X dollars of the bond proceeds to use for those particular projects at that particular park.

The point is that county officials should be held to the promises they make to voters and taxpayers when seeking to win their votes in a bond referendum. This provision, too, is written to benefit other areas that may join DeKalb cities in the future.