UPDATE

Board of Commissioners to Set Millage Rate:

Currently the Board of Commissioners is undergoing mid-year budget meetings.  These meetings are to establish the millage rate. The millage rate is used to determine the amount you will pay for your property taxes.  There will be public hearings on this proposed tax increase to be held on the following dates:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maloof Administration Building
Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, Georgia; and
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 6:00 P.M. at the Maloof Administration Building Auditorium,
1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, Georgia; and
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maloof Administration Building
Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, Georgia.

The Board of Commissioners plans to vote for the 2009 millage rate by June 23, 2009.  My June quarterly update for the website will provide a more in depth explanation of the outside impacts on the County and the impact on your property taxes.
To view more information about the millage rate please click the below link then click on Millage Rate 101. http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/boc/hot_topics.html

MARTA:

Due to MARTA’s cost containment efforts they are forced to consider proposed changes in MARTA service, fares and parking. 
MARTA is proposing to change service routes in DeKalb County in August. Rail Service changes include frequency modifications and the hours of service operation.
MARTA is proposing to change fare and parking rates by October 1, 2009.  Single fare rates will increase by twenty-five cents ($0.25), from $1.75 to $2.00

MARTA will be holding Public Hearings to discuss the proposed changes. The Public Hearing for DeKalb will be held at 7:00 pm at the following location:

Wednesday June 17, 2009
Maloof Auditorium                   
1300 Commerce Drive
Decatur, GA 30030           

Information on all the changes with detailed list of route changes and fare increase is available at this website. http://www.itsmarta.com/about/MARTA_materials_list.htm

Public comment received during the public hearings will be considered by members of MARTA’s Board of Directors before any final recommendations are considered. 
Copies of the proposed budget and bus service modification are available at MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA  30324 during regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Patrons may request information in accessible format by calling MARTA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at 404.848.5240.  For patrons requiring further accommodations, information can be obtained by calling the Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 404.848.5665.

A sign language interpreter will be available at all hearings.  People unable to attend the hearings can provide comments by:  1) leaving a message at 404.848.5299; 2) write to MARTA’s External Affairs at 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30324; 3) complete an online Comment Card at http://www.itsmarta.com/; or 4) fax your comments to 404.848.4179 no later than June 18, 2009. 

Town Brookhaven Tax Abatement:

Being a representative of the area in which Town Brookhaven is located I join Commissioners Jeff Rader and Elaine Boyer in support for a Resolution opposing the proposed tax abatement requested by Sembler.  The Development Authority of DeKalb County is currently considering incentives for the Town Brookhaven project, that if implemented would reduce property tax collection by $52 million over a 20 year period.  The state created Development Authorities to be independent entities and the Board of Commissioners does not have any say in decisions made be the Development Authority. The non-binding Resolution was meant to express our opinion. The Resolution was deferred to the June 23, 2009 Board of Commissioners meeting by a vote of 4 to 3. The next Development Authority meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 18, 2009 at 8:00 AM. You may learn more about the Development Authority on the DeKalb County website at http://www.yourdekalb.com/ under Departments then Economic Development. 

Wii Tournament:

DeKalb County Senior citizens and I found a new way to exercise, have fun and celebrate May as National Senior Citizens Month. Active baby boomers to older seniors with limited mobility took part in a month long Wii Fit bowling tournament sponsored by Super District 6.  The bowling tournament was created as a fun opportunity to use the popularity of the Nintendo sports video game to encourage seniors to remain active. Four of the County’s neighborhood based Senior Centers, managed by Senior Connections fielded teams who competed in a play-off on May 20 at the South DeKalb Senior Center on Candler Road. The tournament trophy went to the North DeKalb Senior Center team, Patricia Lawrence and Jose Caramanzana.  

Patricia Lawrence, Belinda Goodman (North DeKalb Center Director), Commissioner Kathie Gannon, Jose Caramanzana

New Rule for Water Use:

DeKalb will adopt the non-drought schedule for outdoor water use declared by the Georgia Environmental protection Division on June 10, 2009.  Under the non-drought schedule, outdoor water use is allowed three days a week on assigned days using odd and even numbered addresses. Odd-number addresses can water on Tuesday, Thursdays, and Sundays.  Even-numbered and unnumbered addresses can water on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.  There is no watering on Fridays.  Even though water use may occur at any time of the day on your assigned days, to be water efficient landscape watering should not occur between 10am and 4pm. We have all been doing our part to conserve water, 5.7 billion gallons since January 2008, please continue to practice conservation.