DeKalb vs Brookhaven vs PCID vs Dunwoody

A recent article in the Dunwoody Crier discussed the issue of the expansion of Dunwoody.  In question is some land InsideThePerimeter (ITP).  Imagine driving past the Perimeter Mall (where valet parking for any spot within 100 yards of an entrance is the norm) and continuing south, over '285' toward Marist and Murphy Candler Park.  Once you cross 285 you are no longer in Dunwoody city limits, but still in DeKalb County. Once across 285 on your right is Perimeter Summit, part of an area some people want Dunwoody to claim as its own.

This area is what is now referred to as unincorporated DeKalb, aka Brookhaven, to some.

Like their neighbors to the north, many in this area want a city of their own - a city to be called Brookhaven.  Like Dunwoody and other cities, Brookhaven needs a decent commercial tax base to exist.  A study has been conducted for Brookhaven, and it indicates it's possible for Brookhaven to exist as a city, without a huge tax increase for its homeowners (city studies rarely mention the financial impact of businesses because businesses don't vote with the traditional ballot in a voting booth).

The northern border for the proposed City of Brookhaven would mate with Dunwoody's southern border ('285').  Back to the article in the Dunwoody Crier - the article says a Dunwoody resident was attempting to convince city leaders that Dunwoody should expand south, picking up parts of the potential new Brookhaven.  Although no official lines or plans were floated about, the main area for acquisition would be Lake Hearn / Perimeter Summit area. If Dunwoody were to annex the business district just inside 285, it would change the financial viability of a City of Brookhaven.

The way something like this (annexation) should take place is the owner(s) of Lake Hearn / Perimeter Summit should approach the City of Dunwoody.  No surrogate should be used.  If you own property bordering Dunwoody and you are in unincorporated DeKalb, step forward and meet with our council, mayor, and city staff.  But on your way to city hall, speak to your State reps (Taylor and Jacobs and Millar).

An important part of the Brookhaven / Dunwoody discussion is our PCID  (Perimeter Community Improvement District).  the PCID is a very successful business district.  It currently resides partly in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and unincorporated DeKalb County.  If things play out as some expect, the PCID will be partly in the City of Brookhaven in a year or two (still part of DeKalb County, but following the rules of Brookhaven). The PCID spokesperson makes it very clear in The Crier article that they are neutral on the Brookhaven issue. The PCID was also allegedly neutral when Dunwoody was created.  But this is not the first time we've heard discussions on the non-Dunwoody part of the PCID being discussed as an annexation target for Dunwoody.  Did any council managers or city staff have discussions with the PCID prior to our recent elections?  I think there may have been some off-the-record discussions on this issue, but I doubt you'll find anyone willing to admit it now.

Why would Lake Hearn / Perimeter Summit owners want to be part of Dunwoody instead of Brookhaven or unincorporated DeKalb?  Dunwoody is an established, proven government body, one that has its own police department, and has not increased taxes (like DeKalb has done). Being part of Dunwoody makes joint ventures with other PCID companies easier as the PCID would be coordinating efforts with two governments (Dunwoody and Sandy Springs only). 

Is being part of Dunwoody more prestigious than being part of a future City of Brookhaven?  I don't think so (we're not talking about an issue like the Smyrna/Vinings/Atlanta address issue). The only thing that separates Dunwoody from Brookhaven is ten lanes of asphalt, nothing more, nothing less.

So I don't think property owners have a big issue with being in Brookhaven or Dunwoody, as long as Brookhaven would keep taxes at a current or lower rate than today's rates.

So who wants Dunwoody to annex the businesses inside 285 (the PCID area)?  DeKalb County is your answer.  What, DeKalb?  But DeKalb fought tooth and nail to stop a City of Dunwoody.  Why would they want Dunwoody to expand?  It's because DeKalb lost that Dunwoody fight; now they want to win the Brookhaven fight.  By convincing Dunwoody to annex some high-end commercial properties, it makes the City of Brookhaven less viable financially.  DeKalb County does not want a City of Brookhaven and would rather see its northern most City of Dunwoody expand than allow residents of 'Brookhaven' become a city.

How does Dunwoody benefit from annexing?  Well, that depends on how big of a bite you take.  If you simply cherry-pick the businesses just inside 285 and ignore the residential, it would be a financial boost to the city.  We could bring in close to $1 million in taxes yet provide far less than $1 million in services.  As long as the city stayed clear of the Nancy Creek infrastructure (our storm-water infrastructure in Dunwoody is a huge, hidden expense waiting to suck tax payer funds into the water basin, something we should have let DeKalb maintain, but that's another story) an annexation of select areas could be a wise financial move.  But politically, it would be an unwise decision.

There is a strong movement underway for a City of Brookhaven and Dunwoody should stay out of the way.  Let the process run its course. If voters reject the idea soundly, with no chance of a second effort, then maybe Dunwoody does an analysis (if that is the desire of the property owners in the PCID not currently in Dunwoody).

What about Dunwoody expanding all the way to Murphy Candler Park, picking up all the neighborhoods all the way to Chamblee?  What about Dunwoody going all the way to Blackburn Park?  I don't see this in Dunwoody' future.  The storm-water liability and the additional expense of servicing that entire area would most likely be revenue neutral (after adding their tax dollars).  Looking at annexation from the business viewpoint, it does not make sense to annex (bring on additional "customers") unless it is profitable.

So how will this all play out?  I expect the Brookhaven movement to be successful.  I think a homeowner in Brookhaven will pay more in taxes (percentage) than a Dunwoody homeowner, but homeowners will look deeper than the costs.  If the Brookhaven movement does fail, then having Dunwoody annex the unincorporated part of the PCID (without residential tagging along) may make sense for Dunwoody.  I don't see voters in Dunwoody wanting to add more residents to our city.

Merry Christmas

Dunwoody Mayor and City Council Changes

Many thanks to outgoing Mayor Ken Wright, Councilman Danny Ross, and Councilman Robert Wittenstein.  These three gentlemen have put in a lot of time and effort into our city the past three years.  If you see one of them out and about be sure to give them your thanks.

How will those who have regularly followed local politics remember these three?

Danny Ross:  I'll always remember Danny for his creative videos.  He had one final video at his last meeting.  Danny will also be remembered for his fight to stay with DeKalb 911 and for his efforts to bring the GA Music Hall of Fame to Dunwoody. I recall Danny first discussing the need for an economic development position in the city, something we now have thanks to his efforts. Danny is very dedicated to preserving the history of Dunwoody.  Perhaps he'll be named as an honorary historian of Dunwoody.

Robert Wittenstein:  Of all the council members I'd say Robert, in most cases, did the most thorough job of researching an issue.  He'd look at something from all angles and out loud, talk things through to make sure his fellow council members and the residents understood something.

Ken Wright:  Ken always attempted to get a consensus on council, bringing together east and west, and north and south.  He was always fair and up-front on every issue.  No sneaky agendas, no groups he was trying to please.  He was a great first mayor of Dunwoody.  With two young children and a business to manage, Ken wore three or four hats the past several years.  He remained dedicated to the city until the very end and deserves the appreciation of Dunwoody residents.

Three new faces take positions in January and I expect little change in day to day city operations at first.  As the new members get comfortable in their new roles and acclimate themselves to being a public figure I think we'll see some good things being done in Dunwoody.  I hope the three new members do a great job on council - they have some tough acts to follow.

Dunwoody CVB Budget 2012

The council will vote tonight on the new CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) budget.  In summary, our city chose to have a CVB, so we have a CVB.  A hotel tax  is in place for every hotel room booked in Dunwoody (five hotels).  That tax money is split between the city's bank account (approx $1 million a year) and the Dunwoody Convention and Visitors Bureau.  A goal of the tax (and of the CVB) is to promote Dunwoody attractions so more people visit Dunwoody. 

Advertising is one known way to promote a product.  most companies advertise their products (Coca Cola, UPS, Mellow Mushroom, Chia pet, etc.)  Cities also promote themselves.  New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Smyrna, all of them.  Most cities have a CVB.  In summary, a CVB is an extension of a local government, trying to attract more tax dollars so it can remain in existence, and even grow its footprint.  Tax dollars and politicians created the CVB, and it needs both to continue.

Prior to a City of Dunwoody CVB, who did the promotion (and who received the tax dollars) for Dunwoody?  It was the DeKalb County DCVB. Our hotels no longer pay the room tax to the DeKalb DCVB, thus when you look at that site's suggestions for hotels in north DeKalb and Perimeter Mall area, they neglect to mention Dunwoody's five hotels.  Perhaps our CVB should replace the rotating image of Stone Mountain with a photo of something here in Dunwoody.

Private business are ultimately responsible for promoting themselves - it's not the role of government to promote privately owned hotels and restaurants.   The State of Georgia has specific language on how a CVB has to operate.  I think many are of the opinion that we have a CVB because we can. If do not have a CVB, then the hotel tax goes to DeKalb instead of Dunwoody. 

Major changes for the CVB include a move to a new location at the fancy address of Two Ravinia Drive.  Rent increases from $1,629 a month to $3,258 a month.  Should the CVB be down in the business district or in da' Vill or Georgetown?

The largest monthly expenses for the CVB include $15,000 a month for advertising, $40,000 a year in graphic design, and $5,000 a month for their web site.  I think the goal of the web site is to promote local shopping, hotels, and events.

Using Mozilla Firefox browser and Google search engine, a Dunwoody Talk intern did a Smart search on some local things.  Each search was prefaced with "Dunwoody GA" or "Dunwoody"
Items marked with * indicate is was first listing on page 1 of search.  The number in each column indicates how many first page hits were displayed. I'm sure results vary daily.  Different browsers, different search engines, etc.

The newspapers are listed for reference only.  The papers lead when searching local news for Dunwoody.  I suggest the CVB get a Blogger account and have a blog -  a blog that is updated at least three times a week.  Blogs create a lot more front page hits than does Facebook.

Our CVB is here to stay.  I hope they do an excellent job in promoting Dunwoody and its businesses.  I'd rather have a Dunwoody CVB than a much a larger DeKalb CVB promoting our locale.

Dunwoody Election Results 2011

Mike Davis New Mayor of Dunwoody

Mike Davis has defeated Bob Dallas and will be Dunwoody's next mayor.  Congratulations to Mike and Terry Nall.

Terry Nall newest Dunwoody Council Member

New Track for Peachtree, Water Pump Station for Dunwoody

Hey kids and parents, no need to text Clorox for a new track.  This summer a new track will be built at Peachtree Charter Middle School, thanks to our local school board representative Nancy Jester and the school board. Many people have been working to get this done for years, and it looks like it's a done deal.  The first time I met our new superintendent, at one of her fire-side chats at Dunwoody High School, I asked her when PCMS would get a new track.  I also asked that question of Barbara Coleman (former DeKalb Schools construction chief who left suddenly) last month at last month's DHA meeting.  And many others have been pushing for this to take place. I suggest you send a note of thanks to our new superintendent and school board members.

In other local news related to DeKalb schools, the school system sold a chunk of their property on Chamblee Dunwoody Road.  The .33 acre chunk will be home to a soccer field owner-occupied condo single family home DeKalb County water pump station.  This property is zoned for residential (not multi family) so I am not sure what this does to the value of the property.  I doubt it increases the value, but any home built there should have excellent water pressure.

Vanderlyn Art Club at Village Burger

The Vanderlyn art teacher, quite a talent, brought the school's art club to Village Burger on Saturday to do some window painting.  Stop by for a burger (or salad) and view the paintings.

Vote Tuesday

New Year's Eve 2011 2012

Ring in the New Year with the Bad Neighbors band at the Dunwoody Tavern

Light Up Dunwoody 2011

Casio AP 45 Digital Piano

Have a child who loved to play an instrument, so you went out and bought that instrument, new in box? Then, a year or so later said child has no interest in the instrument? Just asking. if you have a child interested in piano, I suggest a pre-owned unit.


Up for sale is a Casio AP 45 in excellent condition. HERE is the manufacturer's web site.

Unit works like new.  Can fit in the back of your minivan (with seats folded flat or removed) or remove the pedestal to take home in the rear seat of your sedan.

Price is $500.  Sorry, no lay away plans.

email me if interested.

AfterBurner

AirTran Go Magazine

The Friday before the election I caught a red-eye flight from Phoenix, AZ to Atlanta, GA.  Prior to nodding off for a couple of hours I flipped through the inflight magazine. You can see an online version HERE and there is a place to download the issue.

Dunwoody CVB advertisement

This month's issue has a special advertising section on Atlanta.  Our own CVB has a 1/4 page ad and the PCID has a full page ad plus two pages of text.  Pick up the free electronic issue and check it out. If you want my hard copy let me know before the men in the yellow and white truck show up to take away the contents of my blue tub.

There is an informative piece on page 30 by a guy named Frank Ski.  He informs readers of the ATL's "hottest hip-hop haunts to show you where to ball with the best of them".  Spoiler Alert:  The Dunwoody Tavern did not make the list.