Not annexing could be costly for Decatur

Not annexing could be costly for Decatur

By APRIL HUNT

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, November 17, 2008

Decatur residents could see their city and school taxes go up in the coming years if the city doesn’t add new property to its four-square-mile borders, according to reports released during a joint session of the city commission and school board Monday.

Despite the dire projections — showing that without new revenue the city could be up to $1 million the hole and the schools could be up to $2.2 million in the red — the reports stopped short of recommending annexation.
That, officials said, has yet to be decided.

“We are anxiously considering the options and whether we want to do this,” said Mayor Bill Floyd. “For us not to consider [annexation] would almost be irresponsible. But we are not yet for or against it, just looking at options.”

The city has weighed annexation for several years but keeps bumping against a major issue: how to find space for an influx of students into the school district.

One option to avoid that worry would be to annex only commercial areas to the north of the city. A second option calls for adding those areas, as well as two large residential neighborhoods, Forrest Hills and Midway Woods.

School superintendent Phyllis Edwards said that the district is already facing $2 million in cuts at a time when enrollment projections show a need for up to 10 additional classrooms in the coming year — even without annexation.

Adding an expected 450 new students through annexation to a district of 2,684 students would require a reconfiguration of school maps and the re-opening of another school. Opening an additional school would absorb annexation growth, as well as other yearly increases, but would require about 18 months of planning to be done right, she said.

None of the four dozen people in the audience was invited to speak on the reports. City residents have objected in the past to annexation, over concerns for the school district.

The 7,000 DeKalb residents who would join the city appear to be mixed on the move, since it would mean higher taxes. Homeowner association surveys show Midway Woods about evenly split on the issue, with 78 percent of Forrest Hill residents in favor of annexation.

The city commission will hold a public hearing on the issue on Dec. 1. The school board plans a public hearing sometime in early December as well.

The city commission is slated to vote on whether to seek state approval for annexation on Dec. 15.
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