Incorporate South DeKalb, Pt. 2

I have written in the past about areas of South DeKalb being incorporated into a city or city lite (providing zoning, planning, code enforcement). Well it looks like South DeKalb is on it’s  way to being the only unincorpoarated area in the county. Doing my daily jaunt around the local blogs, I found this post at the DeKalb School Watch blog. The post talks about incorporation and annexation of neighborhoods around Chamblee and Dunwoody, especially those sandwiched between the two cities. Mike Jacobs, who represents the area in the Statehouse, wants to make it easier for his constituents to basically secede from DeKalb County and take more control of their own destiny from DeKalb County government,  Here is part of the actual posting from Mr. Jacobs site:

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 lower than 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.

It is sad to say, but I doubt we could get a representative from South DeKalb to even explore the feasibility of such an idea