DeKalb County City Proposals…

1. DeKalb County City Proposals… …and the possible effects on the Parkwood neighborhood Oct, 2013

2. Outline • City proposals • Briarcliff • Lakeside • Tucker • Stonecrest • City of DeKalb • Process, timeline, reasons for city proposals • How they will effect the Parkwood neighborhood • Other options/What Parkwood residents can do to influence decisions • Lisa Gordon – Druid Hills Charter Cluster Oct, 2013

3. Important Notes This is an informational meeting for residents to decide what, if any, action should be taken for the best outcome of their property and residence. Several options are available. The presenters and organizers of this meeting are members of the community who are trying to get the word out. Oct, 2013

4. City Proposals Oct, 2013

5. Maps Oct, 2013

6. Maps (cont’d) Oct, 2013

7. Legislative Proposals All 5 proposals currently have bills submitted to the State General Assembly: • City of Lakeside • City of Briarcliff • City of Tucker • City of Stonecrest • City of DeKalb Oct, 2013

8. Proposal Details • Briarcliff, Lakeside and Tucker have overlapping areas • Stonecrest does not effect the Parkwood neighborhood as it is currently proposed • All city proposals except for DeKalb have raised enough money to begin their feasibility studies • Briarcliff would have 92,000 residents • Lakeside would have 63,000 residents • Tucker would have 55,000 residents • Stonecrest would have 77,000 residents • DeKalb would cover all current unincorporated area, or 700,000 residents • (For reference: Decatur has 19,500 residents and Brookhaven has 45,000 residents) Oct, 2013

9. Process, Timeline, Reasons Briarcliff and Lakeside only Oct, 2013

10. Process To form a city, these are the general steps: • Define the community and proposed boundaries. • Request that our elected officials introduce legislation to the General Assembly during legislative year one. • Commission a feasibility study of the defined area ($30,000). • If it is economically feasible and the community desires to move forward, during legislative year two, legislators will discuss the bill and vote on it. If the legislation passes and is signed into law, hold a vote in our community on whether the new city should be formed. • If voters approve the ballot, hold elections to seat government officials, and a transition committee would be appointed by the Governor to help the local government get up and running. • The initial and ongoing operation of the local government on the date set out in the bill creating the new city. Oct, 2013

11. Assembly Options • Briarcliff and Lakeside have feasibility studies underway, so if they come back as desirable options, then the state General Assembly will have a vote on them in the March timeframe of 2014 • The General Assembly cannot approve both as-is, so the options would be to: • Vote no for one and yes for another • Propose new boundaries for the two cities (the Assembly has not historically proposed boundaries) • Vote no for both Oct, 2013

12. Services A city proposal needs to include at least 3 of the following 11 services: Oct, 2013

13. Timeline Shortest potential timeline would be: • City proposal is voted on by the Assembly in March or April of 2014 -- If voted yes -- • A referendum vote would take place for the community in June, 2014 -- If voted yes -- • Cityhood would take effect in January, 2015 Oct, 2013

14. Reasons for Proposals • Community members believe that they can secure better resources at a local level, instead of relying on the county • Recent cities in the greater Atlanta area have set a precedent • Sandy Springs • Dunwoody • Brookhaven • Crime, zoning, county politics have all played a part • Clifton Ridge development • Petty crimes, burglaries, police response times • County politics have made the news too frequently in recent years Oct, 2013

15. Effects On Our Neighborhood Briarcliff and Lakeside only Oct, 2013

16. Parkwood Map Oct, 2013

17. Boundaries of Concern Considering the traditional Parkwood Neighborhood plus some properties east of the railroad tracks that are not part of Atlanta: • Some properties are split between DeKalb and Decatur • Park property • Roads that are commonly shared with DeKalb and Decatur police and fire • Majority homeowner-occupied with a few rental properties Oct, 2013

18. Schools • At present, our State Constitution provides that no new school system could be established in a newly created city • Decatur, Atlanta and Marietta have their own city school systems which were formed before this constitutional change and are now grandfathered in • If city of Briarcliff or Lakeside were to form, there would be no immediate change to the existing school zones • Attendance districts would be changed only if Dekalb County School System redistricts • If this neighborhood were annexed into Decatur or Atlanta, there would be a changeto the existing school zones Oct, 2013

19. Taxes • New cities would have a millage rate calculated within the first year, and would see any changes to property tax rates by the second full year • Refer to Brookhaven or Dunwoody for examples • City proposals include tax rate assumptions – refer to websites for more information • Decatur has a higher tax rate than Brookhaven or Dunwoody, which is primarily driven by the city school system Oct, 2013

20. Tax Examples Taxes vary based on tax revenues from business, city services provided and school zoning: *Includes standard home exemption Source: Dekalbcounty prop tax calculator http://www.homeatlanta.com/property_tax/dekalb_county_unincorporated.htm Oct, 2013

21. What We Can Do Oct, 2013

22. Our Options • Options include, but are not limited to: • Taking no actionat this time (which could result in our neighborhood becoming part of a city anyways) • Approaching the Briarcliff members to support or exclude our neighborhood • Seeking annexation into Decatur • Seeking annexation into Atlanta Oct, 2013

23. Conversations That Have Started • The Druid Hills Civic Committee has begun research regarding annexation into Atlanta (might not include the Parkwoods) • The city of Decatur has an active and ongoing annexation plan that would be at odds with certain parts of Briarcliff and Lakeside • The city of Atlanta has not proposed any firm annexation plans for Druid Hills, but they have expressed an interest in adding this entire area • DeKalb county officials are meeting with communities and speaking out about their efforts to improve services and dissuade residents from forming new cities Oct, 2013

24. Next Steps • Residents of the neighborhood should research the proposals and put together their questions and concerns • We will meet again in a few weeks to review the options and hear feedback on what residents would like to do • representatives from Briarcliff, Decatur, Atlanta or Druid Hills Civic Association are available for future discussions if we want to get more information directly • Next meeting – October 28th, 7:00PM at Epiphany • Keep in mind: if a proposal passes the legislature, it would then be voted on by the general population and require 50% +1 vote in order to pass. Once a city is formed, it is almost impossible for a neighborhood to leave. Oct, 2013

25. Final Points • Our neighborhood is in high demand, staying a part of unincorporated DeKalb is very uncertain • For any city that the Parkwood neighborhood joins, keep in mind the effects of the following: • Schools • Zoning • Taxes • Property Value • Safety/Police Response Oct, 2013

26. Thank You Contact us at: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/parkwood-cityhood Oct, 2013

27. Lisa Gordon Druid Hills Charter Cluster Oct, 2013