2025 Dunwoody City Council Retreat Agenda, live streamed on Zoom. On going financial stability is the huge topic to be discussed.

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

Former Dunwoody City Councilman Robert Wittenstein raises concern over City operational funding, suggests raising the tax millage rate for Public Safety.

https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2024/02/07/the-city-of-dunwoody-is-headed-for-a-slow-motion-train-wreck/

Friend and former Dunwoody City Councilman Robert Wittenstein has penned an op-ed piece in Rough Draft Atlanta (Dunwoody Reporter) discussing city finances but I doubt he was involved in titling the piece "a slow motion train wreck". I could be wrong, but that's not his style.

That being said, I don't disagree with the information shared as I too have been saying that our revenue is not keeping up with our operational expenses and we can only burn through reserves and Federal funds for so long. Something will need to be adjusted. Going to the voters to raise the millage cap for specific city departments and operational programs is one suggestion that has been floated but more budget review and community discussions will need to be done before I go along with that idea.

The article was posted in a few Facebook groups so I tried to clarify that all city revenue is not the same and that some revenue can not be used for operational expenses. For transparency sake, I'm posting my reply to those Facebook inquiries immediately below.

Thank you for posting as this is no surprise to me as I have raised these issues numerous times in the recent past. The city basically gets three streams of funding, SPLOST that can be used for various types of capital (or stuff) but not operating expenses, general revenue that can be used for anything including operational and COVID related Federal Funds that could be used for specific items but also includes some operating. Our operational costs are going up, we are at the max tax rate and are starting to use limited Federal funds to fund expansion of services like ambulance and police (both of which are needed and the police item is actually coming up Monday for discussion). The issue is that this Federal funding is over by 2026 therefore if we want to keep ambulance and police staffing we will need to find more funds to operate or cut other operational services. Costs are going up and our increases in the tax digest may not be able to match expenses therefore it is being watched carefully. There may be tidbits to pull out of the links below, please review.

https://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/2023/10/dunwoody-councilman-john-heneghan.html

https://dunwoodynorth.blogspot.com/2023/10/dunwoody-city-council-meeting-video.html

John Heneghan sworn in for fifth term, Rachel Waldron fills Park Director role, Chief Billy Grogan announces his retirement and the Dunwoody City Council to meet at the high School on the 22nd.

Look at the smile on that ladies face above, it brings me great joy whenever I see this photo.   Good thing too as I'm still very happily married to that young lady.

Monday I had the honor of being sworn in for my fifth term on the Dunwoody City Council, having served since original incorporation.  Looking back to 2008, I am very proud of all this city has accomplished, but as a newly sworn City Councilman I need to rededicate myself to continue looking forward, always trying to do the next right thing for my community.

That being said, there are new residents who are unaware of our history so here is a link from 2018 highlighting my Ten Year recap of cityhood where the post has links and stories going much further back in time.   Maybe I'll do another recap at my 19th year mark, at the conclusion of this term?   God willing.

Serving in this capacity is a responsibility I do not take lightly as the challenges the City is facing now, may be different than in our start up years but it is no less daunting.  I have full faith in the City Manager, Staff, the Mayor and the Council to continue moving this City forward by providing quality service to its citizens, pushing though capital projects that foster the greatest good while still encouraging the business community to keep investing into our community.

Changes are happening within City Hall as we recently lost our Parks Director Mr. Brent Walker to the City of Sandy Springs but after an extensive interview of possible outside candidates, our Deputy Parks Director Rachel Waldron has already been named as his permanent replacement.   Rachel has been with us for many years and will continue to do a great job for us.   

In other news, Chief Billy Grogan also announced his pending retirement on June 1st after 40 years of policing.  Kudos to Chief Grogan for all that he has done for our community and I wish him well in is pending retirement.  We have known this retirement announcement was coming as some point and City Council pushed for an external review of the police department to have an action plan that has already been started and I would expect the next chief, to quickly implement the many suggestions in the Berry Dunn report.  It is my intention for Council to hopefully find the funds to make the requested staffing improvements that we need to make as well.  As we now have a few months to start a search for replacement for Chief Grogan, I am unsure what our City Manager and Mayor will do as I also have great respect for Deputy Chief Mike Carlson and believe he is ready to step up into the main role.

Monday is the Martin Luther King Holiday and a day of service is planned within the community with tree planting, daffodill planting as well as general clean up of the Book Run Playground, details are here.   There is also a food collection happening and if you would like donate there are details in the link above - please do if your are able.

In a couple of weeks, it appears that the Dunwoody City Council meeting of January 22 will be taking place at Dunwoody High School at our usual 6 pm start time to join the Dunwoody Youth City Council to foster some interesting discussion and public comment.  The last time we did something similar at the high school, I gave out 100's of hugs.  I will probably do the same this year just not sure of the format as it is also a formal meeting?   Guessing more details will be coming soon.

Talking to your middle school son about suicide is not easy, explaining that everyone is special therefore deserving of respect and love was much easier. #hugs

As usual this time of year, I review and rededicate myself to the City of Dunwoody Mission, Vision and Values and usually publish them.  The Mission and Vision statements were updated a few years ago and as much as I respect the changes, the original statements still mean something to me too, so I published them both.

Finally, I came across this photo of the core group of the Citizens for Dunwoody who worked on incorporation planning for years before finally becoming a city.   Damn we all looked so good.

Videos from the Dunwoody Homeowners Assoc Meeting, Congressman Tom Price, GA Senator Fran Millar, awards & overview.

Great annual recap by DHA President Robert Wittenstein

Washington D.C. Update by Congressman Price

Georgia Legislative Update from GA Senator Fran Millar

Award presentations to UPS, Bloom Orthodontics, Dennis Crean and the naming of the Parade Grand Marshal.

I have learned that the Periscope videos once uploaded are only available for a limited time, therefore if interested please watch sooner rather than later.

Dunwoody Founders Park Bench, Brook Run walking trail thru the deep woods to Nancy Creek and Treetop Quest zip lines are under construction.

Children's Playground Entrance - Founders of Dunwoody Bench

In Dunwoody if elected officials want their name on something they do it the "old fashioned way" they pay for it themselves out of their own pockets.  (I wouldn't want it any other way!)

A few weeks ago I lead a group of long time Dunwoody citizens to the most remote, deepest jungles of Dunwoody, along a relatively easy walking trail to view the serine waters of Nancy Creek rolling by.   Now that the Dunwoody Trailway loop is complete and shown on Google Maps, please allow me to share with you a quiet place to experience nature.  At the very back of the park there is a bridge on the trailway crossing a small creek and you will notice a small walking trail at the North West corner of the bridge heading into the woods.  Nature lovers - I suggest you follow it, you can thank me later.

 https://www.treetopquest.com/dunwoody/

Finally, during my walk through Brook Run Park, I discovered a team of men who were about to start putting these Lincoln Log looking items to good use a 100 feet in the air as the Brook Run Tree Top Quest Zip Line Course started construction today.   They should be finished by mid-March and if you want a sneak peek of what will be installed, check out this drawing and map that the construction crew was using.   Prices are still steep. 

It's not easy "Bein' Green" but City of Dunwoody reaches Gold Certification by ARC for environmental friendly policies.

Dunwoody leading the Way to Sustainability

In 2013, the City of Dunwoody achieved Gold level certification under the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Green Communities Program, a level higher than its Silver certification in 2011. The following measures have been implemented by the City of Dunwoody to reduce its environmental impact and promote sustainability. These measures received points for certification.

»» Requires new city-owned buildings greater than 5,000 square feet or with total project costs greater than $1 million to achieve LEED certification, with a goal of achieving silver certification.

»» Requires new city-owned buildings less than 5,000 square feet or less than $1 million in total project costs to attempt LEED certification, but at a minimum achieve either EnergyStar or Earth Craft Light Commercial certification.

»» Requires renovations to achieve LEED for Existing Buildings certification whenever possible, but at a minimum achieve Energy Star or EarthCraft Light Commercial certification.

»» Encourages residential and commercial buildings to be built green by offering expedited permitting reviews for projects that achieve LEED, EnergyStar or EarthCraft certification.

»» Completed energy audits on 20 percent of the city’s buildings with the remaining buildings to be
completed within four years.

»» Energy Star purchasing policy to purchase energy-efficient equipment and appliances.

»» Installed LED bulbs in more than 60 percent of existing traffic signals and will replace the remaining lights with LED bulbs over the next two years.

»» Adopted a lights out/power down policy for all city employees and facilities to ensure all nonemergency building lighting and electronic equipment are turned off when not in use and at the end of the work day.

»» Replaced all light bulbs in desk lamps used in the Community Development department with LED bulbs. Additionally, exit light signs are being converted to LED as buildings undergo energy audits.

»» Active inspection program for residential and commercial compliance with the Georgia energy codes.

»» Night sky ordinance to limit the use of excess lighting that unnecessarily wastes energy and degrades the nighttime visual environment.

»» Encourages the installation of solar projects by offering expedited plan reviews for builders that
incorporate solar energy elements, including photovoltaic or solar water heaters, into their projects.

»» Requires all new city-owned buildings to install high-efficiency plumbing fixtures such as WaterSense® certified toilets, urinals and faucets.

»» Completed audit with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and is in compliance with the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District’s Water Supply and Water Conservation
Management Plan, Wastewater Management Plan and Watershed Management Plan.

»» Offers expedited plan reviews for projects that achieve WaterSense® for new homes certification.

»» No net loss of trees policy for all city owned property.

»» Adopted the Parks and Open Space Master Plan in March 2011.

»» Adopted landscaping maintenance specifications for integrated pest management and the use of drought-tolerant and native landscape plantings.

»» Designated as a Tree City USA Community since 2012. To maintain this designation, the City of Dunwoody has a Tree Commission, a community tree ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and an annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

»» Encourages 50 percent shade coverage of parking lots through landscape development standards that require a minimum of one canopy tree for every eight parking spaces and a minimum of 200 square feet of contiguous soil space per overstory tree.

»» Completed a Tree Inventory and Assessment as part of its 2009 Comprehensive Land Use Planning process, which will allow the city to ensure the proper management and long-term survivability of its tree canopy.

»» Donated space at Brook Run Park for the Dunwoody Community Garden. Residents can lease one of 60 plots for $50 a year. Volunteers maintain 20 percent of the beds and donate the cultivated produce to charity.

»» Provides the publicity assistance for the Dunwoody Green Market that is held Wednesday mornings 8 am – noon from May through November.

»» Green fleet policy that gives a preference for purchasing alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles for nonemergency fleet vehicles and lower emission emergency fleet vehicles.

»» Adopted a no idling policy for city vehicles to prevent non-emergency city vehicles from idling longer than 30 seconds. Diesel vehicles must limit their warm-up period to three to five minutes.

»» Adopted a complete streets policy to ensure that streets will be safe for all users of the public right-ofway, including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, freight providers, people with disabilities, emergency responders and adjacent land users.

»» Worked with the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts to fund and implement the Perimeter Traffic Operations Program (PTOP), which includes the optimization and maintenance of 99 traffic signals throughout the PCIDs. Average vehicular delay has been reduced on the corridors by 29 percent. Motorists using the corridors during the three peak periods save 233,680 hours of travel time and 160,290 gallons of gasoline each year. The total annual savings to motorists due to improved signal timing plans is $3,926,070 or, expressed in another way, the new timing plans pay for themselves approximately every 3.9 workdays.

»» All five elementary schools in the city actively participate in the city’s Safe Routes to School program. The city conducted walking audits at half of the schools, identified long-term and short-term infrastructure needs based on these audits and completed several of these projects to improve the walking and biking environment around the schools.

»» Adopted a Master Transportation Plan that includes bicycle and pedestrian friendly policies.

»» Shared parking is encouraged in the Dunwoody Village Overlay District to meet parking requirements.

»» Adopted an environmentally preferable purchasing policy to purchase environmentally friendly goods.  Additionally, the city plans to evaluate the environmental performance of vendors in providing goods and services by assessing vendor’s raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, disposal of products or service delivery. The city replaces disposable products with products that are re-usable, recyclable or compostable, wherever practicable.

»» Offers recycling of paper, cardboard, plastics, metal and glass for city staff and visitors. Desk side bins are provided for employees, and centralized drop offs are located in break rooms, the mail room and the City Council Chambers. Continued education through signs and emails keeps staff informed of proper disposal and accepted materials.

»» Copier toner, ink cartridges and rechargeable batteries are collected at City Hall for recycling through a private vendor.

»» Purchases paper with at least 30 percent recycled content for copy, computer and fax paper.

»» Single stream curbside recycling is available to all city residents and includes the recycling of paper, cardboard, metal containers, polystyrene cups, all plastics and all glass.

»» Recycling is available to commercial facilities with five day a week pick up and includes recycling of paper, cardboard, metal containers, plastics and glass.

»» Offers drop-off events for residents to recycle electronics, cell phones and batteries.

»» Hosts an annual Household Hazardous Waste collection event for citizens, accepting a comprehensive list of household hazardous waste, including adhesives, lawn care products, automotive products, paints and cleaners.

»» Residential curbside collection of yard debris is available for all residents. The yard debris is processed at the DeKalb County Yard Waste Composting Facility into high-grade mulch, compost and soil products and is then made available to DeKalb County residents free of charge.

»» Acquired the long-vacant Brook Run Hospital facilities and renovated the greyfield property into Brook Run Park. The hospital’s greenhouse and maintenance barn were rehabilitated by the city and are now used for educational programing and community gardening.

»» Provides a variety of Smart Growth Incentives, such as the Planned Development District, Pedestrian Community District, and three Livable Community Initiatives (Dunwoody Village LCI, Georgetown- North Shallowford LCI, and Perimeter Center LCI.)

»» Educates city staff on environmental sustainability efforts through bi-monthly staff meetings, the city intranet, e-mail blasts, lunch-n-learns and a variety of educational posters, fliers and announcements.

»» The City of Dunwoody Sustainability Commission has developed a public awareness and education campaign on the city’s sustainability efforts. The Commission developed a logo and uses it in outreach efforts for informing citizens such as brochures, business cards, stickers, t-shirts and a social networking website. More information on the Commission is available at http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/Departments/community_development/Sustainability-Commission.aspx.

»» The city’s “Punch Up the Green” promotion encouraged citizens to engage in sustainable actions by offering discounts at local businesses for residents who completed six “Green Actions.” The “Green Actions” included walking instead of driving, changing an incandescent light bulb to a CFL, riding a bicycle instead of driving, recycling, turning off the car instead of idling and choosing a sustainable action of their own.

»» Through its Green Building Policy, the city encourages the use of pervious paving materials by offering expedited plan review. Pervious paving materials, including gravel, crushed stone, open paving blocks, porous asphalt or concrete pavement or pervious paving blocks are encouraged for use in driveways, parking areas, walkways and patios to minimize runoff from these areas and increase water infiltration.

»» Requires all applicants for special event permits to submit a recycling plan as part of the permit
application. The plan must demonstrate where recycling receptacles will be located and the vendors who will collect recyclables. An estimated 450 gallons of recyclables were diverted from the landfill at the 2011 Dunwoody Music Festival as a result of this permit requirement.

Importance of Dunwoody Homeowners Association stressed at Annual Meeting.

Video Playlist ( 45 min)

Great introduction speech by Dunwoody Homeowners Association President Stacey Harris on the importance of the DHA and all of the great things they do for the community.  If you are not a paying member, please register.

Huge kudos to the DHA Citizen of the Year: Jay Kapp, for his support of community events.

DHA Community Service Awards to Bill Grossman, former president of the association, and former Dunwoody City Council member Adrian Bonser.

Dunwoody Nature Center presents the Dave Adams Award to Rotary Club officials Harvey Rosenzweig and Rick Woods

Speeches by Dunwoody Mayor Mike Davis on City topics and Robert Wittenstein on an independent school system.

Announcement that Gov. Nathan Deal will serve as grand marshal of Dunwoody's Fourth of July parade


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

Video 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWS0FHm04tQ

Video 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcDVW9WYd7k

Detailed invoices document the Dunwoody Ethics investigation as well as $50,000.00 in expenses.

27 pages documenting $50,000.00

After numerous news stories regarding the investigation into the breach of executive session, a resident asked me if the details of the billing would ever become public therefore I took the liberty of filing an open records request on the residents behalf.  This afternoon the City Clerk fulfilled the request within the allotted time and sent three documents both to me and the resident via email.  I have taken the liberty of combining all three documents into the one linked above.

The invoices provide names and dates which gives insight into the investigation and the preparation of what is now the final ethics report written by Wilson, Morton & Downs. 

The Ethics Board has been given the complaint which references the Wilson report and soon Councilwoman Adrian Bonser will be able to officially give her rebuttal to the Wilson accusations.

Sunday is the Dunwoody Homeowners Association Annual Membership Meeting

Sunday, January 15, 2012 @ 2 PM

Dunwoody United Methodist Church
1548 Mount Vernon Rd Dunwoody, GA 30338
Fellowship Hall - 2nd Floor

Agenda

• Welcome members, Board members & Guests
• Recognition of attending elected officials
• DHA Presidents Update
• Presentation of Business of the Year award to Chamber of Commerce
• Dunwoody Nature Center plans for 2012 and presentation of the Dave Adams award to Brent Walker, Parks Director : Alan Mothner
• PCID, the next ten years: Donna Mahaffey
• Presentation of the Citizen of the year award to Pam Tallmadge
• Dunwoody Police Dept. Community involvement: Chief Billy Grogan
• Presentation of Community Service awards to Ken Wright, Robert Wittenstein and Danny Ross
• Remarks by Founding Mayor Ken Wright
• Remarks by New Mayor Mike Davis
• By laws update vote and Executive Committee election: Bill Robinson

---

In checking the DHA website I noticed the monthly minutes for 2011 and thought I would share.

• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011 [Annual Meeting]

Video of the Dec 12, 2011 Dunwoody City Council Meeting.

Video

Video

The Dunwoody City Council said goodbye to our first Mayor and two of our Councilmembers (Ross & Wittenstein) by honoring all three (and thanking their families).  We passed the agenda as published and the new Mayor and Councilmembers will be sworn in on January 3rd.

I was a little under the weather but attended the meeting none the less as I wanted to honor my fellow councilmembers who have put in numerous hours of dedication and service to the community. 

Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure as well as my distinct honor in serving along side you.  Thank you and Godspeed in all of your future adventures in life.

Mayor-Elect of Dunwoody, Mr. Mike Davis - election night speech.

Video of Speech

Congratulations to Mike Davis and Terry Nall for winning this evenings runoff election.

2011 Runoff Election Results

Mayor
Bob Dallas - 2267
Mike Davis - 3432

Council Post 4
Terry Nall - 3699
Robert Wittenstein - 1980

Links to other news sources.

• Crier - Runoff Election Results
• Patch - Live Blog: Runoff Election In Dunwoody
• Dunwoody Talk - Election Results by Precinct
• Dunwoody USA - 2011 Runoff Election Results

City of Dunwoody Update by Councilman Robert Wittenstein

I talk a lot about creating "transparent government" and I want to share an important success with you. I have worked over the last year to get the city to put its checkbook register online.   As far as I know, we are the first city in Georgia to do this. While doing research on a different topic, I stumbled upon a city in Florida that posted its check register on its web site and I thought this was a great idea.

The check register has always been public information but historically it required an open records request to find out exactly what the city was buying, who it was buying from, and how much it was paying. Now Dunwoody residents can go online and see the details here: Explore Check Register.

This is dry reading and there is nothing earth shattering in the details but I think it is important to all of us to be able to see exactly how our tax dollars are being spent. I appreciate the other council members and the staff supporting me in this initiative. In the future, I hope we can enhance it so that it is searchable and sortable but this is a great start. This is what it means to create transparent government and I challenge other cities and DeKalb County to do the same.

 Video

In other news...we heard loud and clear that many Dunwoody residents were "for parks" but wanted to know exactly how funds would be spent before voting for the parks land acquisition referendum on November 8th.   To help voters understand the intended use of funds we have now signed a letter of intent with the owner of two old, run-down, apartment complexes next to the Water Works that front Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard. If the parks acquisition bond referendum passes, the city will purchase one apartment complex for a park and the current owner will demolish and redevelop the other apartment complex into owner-occupied housing.

Below is one possible layout for the facility (click to enlarge):

I have no idea whether Dunwoody voters will approve the parks land acquisition bond and I will not encourage you to vote either Yes or No on the issue. This is not up to the City Council-like you, I get one vote.   About 40 percent of the cost will be paid by the commercial property owners. The remainder would come from higher homeowner property taxes. The average Dunwoody household would see their property taxes go up by $108 per year if the parks land acquisition bond passes. It will be up to the voters to decide if this is a wise use of our money.

City elections are Tuesday, November 8th. Please take the time to vote. The mayor, three council positions, two park referendums, Sunday liquor sales,redevelopment powers and Education SPLOST sales tax are all on the ballot. It is hard to imagine a more important election.

Finally, would you like to "recycle" your pumpkin after Halloween? You can take it by Garden Isaiah at Temple Emanu-El at 1580 Spalding Drive, leave it outside the garden fence and it will be added to the compost there. All the food grown at this garden is donated to Community Action Center.

Regards,

Robert

Dunwoody's vote on park expansion makes a little news.

Video

 

 Video

Dunwoody City Council nixes request for more police officers - Dunwoody Reporter (May be added back into the budget on Monday)

 Dunwoody City Council

  Courtesy of Melissa Weinman of the Dunwoody Reporter

A divided Dunwoody City Council decided to remove a new police unit from the city’s proposed 2012 budget.

The council debated the merits of adding four new officers during a discussion about Dunwoody’s budget at a meeting Oct. 10. The council will vote on the final 2012 budget Oct. 24.

Police Chief Billy Grogan asked the council for funding to create a new crime response unit that would be concentrated in problem areas to address high rates of crime and traffic. The annual cost of the unit was estimated to be about $270,000.

Grogan said the unit would use data to work proactively to devise plans to reduce incidents around the city.
“They would not be tied to answering calls for service,” Grogan said.

Grogan said the four officers would work together as a unit and their shift would rotate depending on needs in the city.

Council members had different views on adding additional officers. Some, like Denis Shortal, said they felt comfortable with the city’s current number of police officers.

“As of this time, I’m satisfied with what we’re doing,” Shortal said. “Prudent fiscal responsibility says we’ve spent (additional funds) for enhanced 911 service. I think that’s an adequate increase in police services for the year 2012.”

The city council voted last year to use a private 911 operating center. On Oct. 3, the 911 authority known as ChatComm took over answering emergency calls for the city of Dunwoody. ChatComm, which also serves Sandy Springs and Johns Creek, will cost a little more than $1 million per year.

Others, like John Heneghan, feel the additional officers are needed to keep the city safe.

Heneghan asked Grogan if Dunwoody qualifies as the “bank robbery capital of Georgia” following the six bank robberies that have occurred in the city this year.

“I’m not satisfied,” Heneghan said. “You’re asking for these additional resources and I believe you need them. I’m looking for a group of officers that … can be proactive, look at statistics, look at the needs of the city of Dunwoody and meet those needs. I think that’s a reasonable request.”

Councilman Robert Wittenstein, who served on the city’s budget committee, said this was a contentious issue during the budgeting process.

“The budget committee met for many hours and there were very few things we couldn’t reach a consensus on and this was one of them,” Wittenstein said.

Renegotiated Dunwoody contracts puts unanticipated money into 2011 and 2012 budget projections.

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After renegotiating contracts for city services, the City of Dunwoody is in a strong financial position therefore look for ongoing capital improvements, capital sinking funds for anticipated future expenses and improvements in public safety.

The 2012 Draft Budget Proposal has been released and I am also expecting a large 2011 budget amendment to come before Council in October in order to determine what to do with the unanticipated 2011 budget surplus.

Meet the Candidates: Robert Wittenstein, Post 1, District 4 Incumbent by Dunwoody Patch

Dunwoody Patch published a Meet the Candidates profile on Robert Wittenstein, the Incumbent in the District One, City Council election.  Since I did this previously for another race, I have again copied the text verbatim below.  I take it for granted that the other two candidates for District 1 will be following soon. Reminder - everyone in the City will have the opportunity to vote in this election.

Robert Wittenstein
Age: 53
Neighborhood: Verdon Forest
Position Sought: District 1, Post 4, City Council

Current Job/Company: Senior Vice President, Alere Health and Councilmember, City of Dunwoody

Education: BA, Political Science with a concentration in Urban Planning and Public Policy Administration

How long have you lived in Dunwoody: 22 Years

Community organizations: Temple Emanu-El, Citizens for Dunwoody, American Red Cross, Dunwoody Nature Center, Friends of the Dunwoody Library, Spruill Center for the Arts, Dunwoody Chamblee Parent’s Council, Dunwoody Homeowners Association, Anti Defamation League, Community Action Center, Dunwoody Seniors Baseball.

Your platform: It has been a great three years for Dunwoody and I am deeply moved to have been a part of it. I am proud of our accomplishments.  As a fiscal conservative and a strong advocate of small and transparent government, my common theme over the last three years has been: Provide city services such as police, road maintenance and parks as efficiently as possible and take a “less-is-more”, conservative approach to government. I will continue to champion a policy of living within our means and avoiding tax increases.

Other than the people, what is the best part of Dunwoody:  The best part of Dunwoody is our volunteers and organizations. Our churches, synagogues and community organizations are what provide the enrichment and the sense of place that make Dunwoody “Home” and impact our lives in so many ways. This is where the real work of cityhood is done, not in the offices of City Hall. Sure, we need to provide for public safety, parks and roads but I realize that the government is not what makes Dunwoody special. What makes Dunwoody an extraordinary place to live is our community organizations.

What are the two biggest issues facing Dunwoody:  Zoning and economic development. We have been using DeKalb’s zoning map and zoning classifications since incorporation. It is time for Dunwoody to decide how it wants to manage development to support the Comprehensive Plan and the Master Plans for Dunwoody Village and Georgetown. As the economy improves we will need to work to attract high-end businesses to help revitalize the PCID and other commercial areas.

What is something people may not know about you?   I’m a bicyclist and a gardener. On Saturday mornings when the weather is nice I can often be seen riding around Dunwoody. On most Sundays you will find me at Garden Isaiah growing food for the Community Action Center.

City of Dunwoody Update by Councilman Robert Wittenstein

Dear Dunwoody Friends and Neighbors,

We have just re-negotiated contracts for city services with local venders and have achieved significant cost savings with higher levels of service.

When the city started two and half years ago we signed contracts with three firms to provide most city services. With those contracts expiring in December, it was time to take the contracts back out to bid.

I was one of three council members on the evaluation committee. We drafted the Request for Proposals, developed the scoring system, reviewed dozens of proposals (thousands of pages) and conducted 21 face-to-face interviews with potential venders.

We had a very competitive process that led to our recommendation of four firms. Two of the firms are currently providing services to Dunwoody and the other two firms have asked to talk with our current contract staff to see if there is a good fit, so we expect very little staff turnover as a result of the process.

We are getting significantly higher levels of services in IT and Marketing / Communications and comparable levels of service in all other areas. The process has provided strong and compelling evidence that our contracting model works and will provide excellent service at locked-in savings for the contract period.

These contracts will save us over $3 million over the next four years. The $780,000 per year in savings will be available for additional road or parks improvements, or to cover the added cost of the ChatComm 911 service. I would like us to earmark some of the funds to start a vehicle replacement fund so that when we need start replacing our existing fleet of police cars in a few years we have the money in reserve rather than having to borrow from the bank and pay interest.

It didn't get a lot of play in the local press, but we dodged a tax bullet this month. There was a lot of publicity around DeKalb County's 4.3 mill tax increase. What didn't get as much notice is that most of that doesn't apply to Dunwoody city residents. Our taxes are "only" going up 1.59 mills. That is still a jump, and it will mean about $150 more per year for the average Dunwoody homeowner, but it is a far cry from the major tax increase other DeKalb residents will endure. Dunwoody's total property tax millage rate is now ten percent lower than anywhere else in DeKalb County.

On a related note, this week the Dunwoody City Council voted unanimously to place two parks bond referendum on the November ballot. The first would fund the purchase of additional park land; the second would fund facility improvements to existing and newly acquired parks. If approved, each would add $104 in property tax per year to the average Dunwoody home. It will be up to the voters to decide whether we want to fund additional parks infrastructure investment or maintain the status quo.

Next month I'll travel to Eatonton, Georgia (in Putnam County) to represent Dunwoody at the joint Georgia Municipal Association/ACCG Revenue and Finance policy committee meeting. The primary goal of this meeting is to develop the tax, revenue and finance priorities for cities and counties in the next Georgia General Assembly session. Tax reform is sure to be high on the list of priorities. I am sure it will be a lively session!

It's hard to believe but DeKalb County schools start again soon on August 8. Remember to drive carefully in school zones and obey the reduced speed limits. Watch out for walkers and bikers. Good luck to everyone as we begin a new school year.

Regards,

Robert

2011 Dunwoody 4th of July Parade with interviews of Mayoral Candidates

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I had a great day at the Dunwoody 4th of July, Independence Day Parade where I interviewed a few candidates, waved to thousands of people from the back of a golf cart, watched bands march by and served a little time in the dunk booth to raise money for a good cause.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege to serve on the Dunwoody City Council, it has truly been my pleasure.

John

City of Dunwoody Update by Councilman Robert Wittenstein

Dear Dunwoody Friends and Neighbors,

First, let me welcome quite a few new recipients to my monthly e-mail update and remind everyone that if you would rather not receive them, just e-mail me at robertlw@mindspring.com. Also let me know if you want to be added to the list or if your e-mail address has changed.

Happy 4th of July! I look forward to seeing many of you at the Dunwoody 4th of July parade.

A number of years ago, when my boys were young, I was trying to convey the importance and meaning of the Declaration of Independence to them and Thomas Jefferson's beautiful 18th century language was getting in the way-so I wrote a more kid-friendly version. Each year we read it as a standard part of our family 4th of July observance and I offer it here for any of you who would like to use it. It is an easy read and helps convey the profound meaning behind the celebration.

Most of you should have gotten your DeKalb County property tax assessments. If you are like me, your assessment went down a very small amount. Since we voted this month to keep our millage rate the same, most Dunwoody homeowners will see their Dunwoody city taxes go down. Since we have been very conservative with our spending, we still expect to end the year with a modest surplus despite the slight overall decrease in property taxes.

This month we finally adopted a long-range parks master plan. Like the transportation plan we adopted last month, it is the result of a lot of community input and it lays out a long range vision for parks and greenspace in Dunwoody. It got somewhat contentious towards the end. The big issue was whether or not to plan baseball fields for Brook Run Park. We had sizable groups petitioning us both ways. In the end we decided to look for another location in Dunwoody for new baseball fields which preserves the back of Brook Run as a more natural area.

The political campaign season for city elections is starting to heat up and I must say I'm surprised and a little disappointed. I'm concerned about two trends I am starting to see. One is an attempt to turn our non-partisan city elections into a Republican vs Democratic election. The other is an attempt by some candidates to turn the proposed parks bond referendum into some sort of City Council Gone Wild issue. It is absolutely appropriate for us to ask residents if they want to fund additional parks infrastructure improvements with additional property taxes-or not. This isn't the City Council deciding to raise your taxes. It is us asking voters what they want. Candidates who are trying to turn this into a battle against Big Government Spending are distorting the issue for personal political gain and I hate to see that happen here in Dunwoody.

Several of us on the City Council attended the annual Georgia Municipal Association conference this past weekend. I completed my seventh UGA class designed for elected officials, this one on Municipal Law. I was impressed by how much we are doing right but I did pick up several interesting nuggets to bring back and follow-up on. I was also struck by the general sense I got from most of the people at the conference that the economy finally seems to be turning around and that most places in Georgia are seeing increased hiring and economic activity.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

Regards,

Robert Wittenstein

City of Dunwoody Update by Councilman Robert Wittenstein

Dear Dunwoody Friends and Neighbors,

Last week Mayor Ken Wright announced that he would not seek a second term as mayor. Ken has been the perfect first mayor for Dunwoody. Ken has been a voice of reason and a force for consensus. We will all miss his calm and understated leadership.

Over the last week a number of people have asked me if I plan to run for mayor. I do not. I will, however, go ahead and announce that I plan to run for reelection for my current city council post in November. It has been a privilege to represent the residents of Dunwoody and I would be honored to be able to continue to do so. It is too early to start the campaign season but I thought I would go ahead and put the speculation to rest.

We are engaged in three major activities at the moment.

The first is repaving. We have approved the repaving plan for 2011 and are in the bidding process. We have budgeted $2 million for repaving this year and plan to address the following city streets in 2011:

Meadow Lane Road from Ashbury Square N to Wal-Mart

North Shallowford Road from Cotillion Drive to Peeler Road

North Peachtree Road from Brookhurst Drive to Barclay Road

Peeler Road from North Shallowford Road to Dunbar Road

Perimeter Center North from Meadow Lane Road to Ashford-Dunwoody Rd

Roberts Drive from Chamblee Dunwoody Road to city limits (near Spalding)

Tilly Mill Road from Stonington Road to Peeler Road

Fleur de Lis Court from Fontainebleau Drive to the end

Hensley Drive from Vanderlyn Drive to Trumbull Drive

Holliston Court from Holliston Road to the end

Manhasset Farm Court from east end to west end

Trowbridge Drive from Ball Mill Drive to Vernon Lake Drive

Ralston Court from Whitmere Way to the end

Strasburg Court from Luray Drive to the end

Chateau Court from Chateau Drive to the end

Here is a map that shows the streets to be paved this year and the ones paved last year.

Second, when the city started up two and a half years ago we entered into a series of three-year contracts with private companies to provide city services. We are now in a selection process for a new series of contracts. The deadline for submissions was Monday and we got a strong response with multiple bidders for each of the seven service areas. That response promises a competitive process. All three of our current contractors have submitted proposals. We will be scoring all the proposals and meeting with the finalists over the summer.

Finally, we continue to work on a long range Parks Master Plan. This has been tough. We have had a very open process with a lot of community input. The hard part is that while everyone loves parks, there are a lot of different views on how the parks we have should be developed. We have been seeking common ground but we may have trouble finding it. The main sticking points revolve around the Dunwoody Nature Center/Ball Fields at Dunwoody Park on Roberts Drive and Brook Run. Everyone will find things to love in the plan and I’m sure everyone will be disappointed in some other elements as well. We will wrap-up work on the Parks Master Plan in June.

In June I will attend the annual Georgia Municipal Association conference in Savannah and take a one-day course in Municipal Law taught by UGA. With this course I will complete 42 hours of training and qualify for a Certificate of Recognition from the Georgia Municipal Association.

Regards,

Robert