Monday, October 24, 2011
A preview of Monday's Dunwoody city council meeting
Councilman Danny Ross is bringing a possible change to the parks bonds referendum that could settle some issues that have been raised about how the bonds would be used. Monday night, the city council will discuss an ordinance that would limit the $33 million parks system improvements bond to just park improvements. As written, the parks improvements bond allows for the money to be used either for improvement existing parks or for purchasing new park land. The city also has a $33 bond on the ballot for just park land acquisition. Starbucks and chimneys Monday night the Dunwoody City Council will be holding a public hearing and second read on an ordinance to amend the city’s zoning map at 9 Ravinia Drive, in order to allow a new Starbucks …
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The first two public sessions on the parks bonds will be held Sunday afternoon and evening
The efforts of Citizens for Dunwoody, a local group of citizens that area putting on sessions on the city's two $33 million parks bonds for acquisition and improving the city's existing parks, will begin today. The two bonds are set to appear seperately on the Nov. 8 ballot. There will be a public session Sunday afternoon a 4 p.m. at the Mill Glenn Clubhouse. Another chance to hear more about the bonds comes up Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Dunwoody Homeowners Association meeting which is held at the Spruill Center for the Arts.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Group will hold 14 meetings between now and Nov. 8
- GOVERNMENT
- Peter Cox
-
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Citizens for Dunwoody, a local group of citizens, will be holding 14 public information sessions on Dunwoody's two parks bond referendums set for the Nov. 8 ballot. The two bonds, both for $33 million, would be used individually for acquiring park property and improving the city's current parks. Each bond is worth about .75 mills, which adds about $30 in property tax for each $100,000 in home value. One or more representatives from the City will be present to help answer questions at three of the meetings as indicated.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Preview for Meeting on Monday, Sept. 26
- GOVERNMENT
- Peter Cox
-
Monday, September 26, 2011
After raising complaints about the bidding process for the city’s next Parks and Recreation and Public Works Contract, Lowe Engineers seems set to get the contract in the second round if bidding. The council will discuss the matter Monday night at its regular meeting. In July, the city awarded new contracts to private companies to run city services. In that round of bidding, Clark Patterson Lee was in line to earn the city’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation contract. The contractor was not the highest ranked bidder on the city’s scoring chart, but the company gave the city a larger discount for awarding it several contracts. However, Lowe, which currently holds two city contracts, balked at the process. The company pointed out in the …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Documents would be used for any purchases made with city park acquisition funds
- GOVERNMENT
- Peter Cox
-
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
If Dunwoody’s parks acquisition bond referendum passes, the city council has a guiding document that would help ensure land purchasing with bond money is done in an open and transparent way. Monday night, the council took a look at a first draft of the document. The document says, “the city will utilize the following process to make “smart” and transparent purchases of land to meet the city’s needs.” If voters approve a $33 million park land acquisition bond referendum, the documents (here and here) would outline the step-by-step process by which the city and council must follow in purchasing parkland with bond funds, including appraisal and what kind of land would be targeted. “This sets up some general criteria and general guidelines for…
Monday, September 12, 2011
City council agenda for Monday Sept. 12
- GOVERNMENT
- Peter Cox
-
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Dunwoody City Council has plenty the agenda Monday night. 911 Chatcomm, 911 and DeKalb County Dispatch will be talked about again, including discussions on 911 cutover put on the agenda by Councilman Danny Ross, entering into an agreement with DeKalb County to use the county wide 800 MHz radio system, and entering into an agreement with the county for fire and emergency medical services. There will also be an item regarding 911 fee remittances. Fees are collected on all landline, wireless and voice over IP phone lines, and those fees go to help pay for costs of 911 services. Parks bond process There will also be a discussion about the process by which the city would buy parkland, if the parks land acquisition bond is passed. The …
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
City residents in November will decide on whether to raise taxes for a multi-million dollar bond package for the city's parks
Voters in Dunwoody will decide in November whether to approve two $33 million bonds to enhance the city’s parks system. The Dunwoody City Council on Monday night approved the multi-million-dollar financing package for the ballot. The proposal, if passed, would raise the city’s tax rate by 1.5 mills, an estimated $60 per year for each $100,000 in assessed home value. “It’s time for an investment. Dunwoody is at a crossroads. The time is now,” Councilman John Heneghan said. The council delayed a decision on the two, 30-year financing packages at a prior meeting this month to scrutinize pending tax hikes in DeKalb County. The proposal by the county would raise county taxes for Dunwoody residents by 14 percent. On Monday, council members …
Monday, July 25, 2011
Supporters may have an uphill battle this fall
Supporters of two referendums designed to raise money city parks may have an uphill battle when it comes to convincing voters to support them. This fall, voters will likely head into the voting booth to find two $33 bond referendums to be used for parks in Dunwoody. But when asked, “Will you support the parks bond referendums?” on an unofficial and informal Dunwoody Patch poll, 59 percent of those responding said they would not support either bond. A total of 20 percent said they would support both the parks acquisition and improvement bonds, while 12 percent would only support the parks acquisition bond. Only 5 percent would support the parks improvement bond, while 5 percent responded “I don’t know.” The council will be making a decision…
Council meets at 7 p.m. Monday night
The Dunwoody City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on a proposal that would put a $66 million bond package on the November ballot to acquire and improve parks across the city. The resolution splits the financing package into halves: $33 million would improve parks that already exist and $33 million would be raised to acquire and remediate additional parkland. The bonds would be assessed for 30 years and cost homeowners an estimated $60 per year for every $100,000 in value. Tonight’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Dunwoody City Hall, 41 Perimeter Center East. The Council has considered the bonds since early spring. A financing package for transportation improvements had also been discussed around that time. However, the Council put …
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
City is likely to bring two $33 million parks referendums to voters in November
This fall, voters will likely head into the voting booth to find two $33 bond referendums to be used for parks in Dunwoody. The council will be making a decision Monday about whether to put the referendums on the ballot. There has been support shown on the council for sending the issue to voters. One bond would be used for acquisition of park land for the city and another for improving the city's existing parks (the city recently passed a parks improvement plan). If passed, voters will be able to vote for each one separately. Acquisition would likely include the city purchasing land to add baseball and other athletic fields. The two bonds would be about 0.75 mills each. Based on home values, this is what it would likely cost in property …
Bob Lundsten
8:41 am on Wednesday, September 28, 2011
I have read this book before. The Citizens for Dunwoody is suppose to be a informational organization. The 'parks' group has long since crossed the line between information and advocasy. Based on earlier public comments and emails, I continue to question the purpose of all of these meetings I will be interested to see if 1 single piece of information is released regarding the pitfalls of going 66… more ›