Decatur-DeKalb

Welcome to "Metro Decatur" in the heart of DeKalb County

This is a (mostly) news blog (with comments) posting (on an irregular basis, as time allows) items of interest to those who live in (and within 6 miles of) Decatur, GA; which has been the county seat of DeKalb County (established  12/9/1822) since 12/10/1823, when Decatur was incorporated. Having turned down the opportunity to be the SE rail hub before there was an Atlanta, this area has now been absorbed by metro Atlanta. and is now considered "in-town" because it is ITP (inside the perimeter) as they say.

The emphasis will be on matters of interest to those who live in the "target area" highlighted above, which goes out about six miles from downtown Decatur, Georgia.

The focus area could be called "East In-Town" as it's mostly inside I-285, north of I-20, south of I-85, and east of the I-75/85 connector.

This area could also be called "metro Decatur" (a metro area inside a larger metro area), since people living in this area are in easy driving range of Decatur, the  county seat of DeKalb County and the largest town east of Atlanta (within 20 miles, at least). Some no doubt feel a stronger affinity to the City of Atlanta.

For matters relating only to the incorporated City of Decatur [4.2 square miles], see inDecatur. See links to websites for specific Decatur neighborhoods there. For news about the rest of DeKalb County and the 28-county Metro Atlanta area, see the AJC and the county newspapers linked in the sidebar.

Two incumbents win as other races go to run-offs

An incumbent judge and a county commissioner were leading in their re-election campaigns Tuesday, but several other DeKalb County races appeared headed to a runoff election Dec. 2.

After an unusually contentious judicial campaign, 17-year incumbent Superior Court Judge Linda Hunter held a 2-to-1 advantage over Decatur attorney Tom Stubbs with about half the precincts counted.

With half the precincts counted in north DeKalb’s county commission District 1, Republican incumbent Elaine Boyer was nearly doubling the votes for Democrat Larry Danese.

All four contested races for the county school board were up for grabs in early returns, with no candidates holding the 50 percent needed to avoid runoffs. The early leaders to make the runoffs were Ella Smith and Don McChesney in District 2; Paul Womack and Shayna Steinfeld in District 4; Pam Speaks and Michael Culver in District 8; and Ernest Brown and Eugene Walker in District 9.

A Superior Court race also appeared headed to a runoff. Ex-prosecutor Tangela Barrie was leading the three-way race, followed by administrative law judge Johnny Mason. DeKalb voters were voting 2-to-1 in favor of removing the power of the county’s chief executive officer to preside and set the agendas for county commission meetings.

The issue has been the source of conflict between successive CEOs and the commission.

DeKalb teacher salaries under the knife

DeKalb County school officials have been warning for months that the system faces tough times financially, but discussions this week about layoffs and other budget-cutting measures indicate just how bad officials think things will get over the next few years.

Although system officials have backed off slightly on the number of workers expected to be laid off, other proposed cuts now on the table include some things previously thought safe — such as pay raises already approved for this school year.

KT | AJC | 10/30/2008

HUD wants people in its houses

HUD also hosted a forum for real estate professionals on selling HUD foreclosures and participated in the 7th Annual Affordable Housing Conference in downtown Atlanta, put on by three nonprofit groups. Much of the discussion there focused on the federal government’s new $3.92 billion Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which gave money to states and communities so they can buy and refurbish or demolish foreclosed homes. The program is part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

HUD’s inventory of homes in Georgia climbed 39 percent from September 2007 to September 2008 because of soaring foreclosures, and they now total more than 3,200. Sixty percent of those homes are in six metro Atlanta counties.

HUD ends up with the properties when homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages stop making payments.

KD  | AJC | 10/28/2008

DeKalb judicial races

In an unusually contentious judicial race in DeKalb County, it is not surprising the candidates disagree about the significance of challenger Tom Stubbs’ 2-to-1 fund-raising lead over incumbent Superior Court Judge Linda Hunter.

Hunter pointed to her 21 years of service as a judge.

“I do not have to buy name recognition, a reputation or endorsements,” Hunter said. “All this shows is that Stubbs’ family has money and that he is connected to wealth and power.”

Stubbs said he comes from modest means and his Decatur law practice represents “familes and neighbors,” not rich clients. “The overwhelming support I am honored to have received is simply due to how folks feel about me and how they feel about her,” Stubbs said.

The other contested judicial race for DeKalb Superior Court features fewer attacks but more fund-raising. The candidates are former assistant District Attorney Tangela Barrie; worker’s compensation administrative law judge Johnny Mason; and Recorders Court Judge R. Joy Walker.

DS | AJC | 10/28/2008

Courtroom attack

Live video of the punching attack by a cousin of the victim before the hammer murderer was sentenced to be executed in the DeKalb Courthouse.

Violence erupted in a DeKalb County court room Wednesday when a convicted killer was attacked by a relative of one of his victims.

A DeKalb County jury sentenced 31-year old CLAYTON ELLINGTON to death Tuesday. The attack happened just before DeKalb Superior Court Judge Ann Workman formally imposed the Jury’s sentence.

Ellington was convicted of the May 2006 brutal murders of his wife BERNA ELLINGTON and his two-year old twin sons, Cameron and Christian. Apparently the sentence wasn’t enough for one relative of the victims. EARL BRADFORD of Lithonia, a cousin of Berna Ellington, jumped over a rail that separated the defendant from spectators in the court room. Before DeKalb County Sheriff deputies could subdue him, he landed three punches to Clayton Ellington’s head.

Ellington had no visible injuries from the assault, but two deputies were injured trying to control the scuffle.

First death sentence in 19 years in DeKalb

A jury Tuesday delivered DeKalb County’s first death sentence in 19 years to a man convicted of bludgeoning to death his wife and their twin 2-year-old sons with a hammer.

Clayton Jerrod Ellington, standing between his attorneys to receive the verdict, slumped slightly and then closed his eyes when the jury foreperson read the word “death” from a written form. He shook his head at times during the five minutes it took to complete the reading of the three death sentences -- one each for Berna, Christian and Cameron Ellington.

DS | AJC | 10/21/2008

DeKalb jury deliberates in hammer trial

A DeKalb County jury will continue deliberations Saturday in the death penalty trial of Clayton Jerrod Ellington, accused of killing his wife and twin 2-year-old sons with a hammer.

The jurors deliberated about four hours Friday afternoon after hearing closing arguments earlier in the day. The trial began before Superior Court Judge Anne Workman on Monday, and jurors have been sequestered in a hotel since Sunday evening.

DS | AJC | 10/17/2008

This was probably the jury I saw at the small Kroger in Decatur one night this week. They drove up in white vans and DeKalb cobs stood on each side of them as they selected items.

Signs of DeKalb housing market warming up

The suburban-Atalanta region covered by DeKalb Association of Realtors, is experiencing a resurgence in pending sales -- up 21 percent from July 2007 to July 2008. In August, pending sales have surged 43 percent over the same time as last year.

Pending home sales measure the number of homes under contract but not yet sold. While all other benchmark figures for the metro Atlanta county area, such as inventory and prices, were down from last year, the pending sales numbers demonstrate that buyers are getting back into the game.

Reality Times

DeKalb Commissioners support amendments on ballot

At their Oct. 14 meeting, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners passed two resolutions supporting two proposed Constitutional Amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot regarding tax incentives for preservation of forestland and use of school taxes for Tax Allocation Districts (TADs). However, they deferred for two weeks a third resolution in support of another amendment that would authorize counties and cities to create Infrastructure Development Districts (IDDs), in which a developer would build infrastructure and charge assessments to future property owners in the district to recover the costs.

Mary Swint | GoDeKalb | 10/15/2008

DeKalb schools seek feedback on cost reduction options

Details of a budget reduction plan that may cost more than 200 DeKalb County schools employees their jobs have been posted online, with officials accepting public comment.

Superintendent Crawford Lewis announced the plan Friday as a way for the budget-strapped system to save money.

Find the plan on DeKalb County schools’ Web site. Comments can be sent to crp@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

KT | AJC | 10/14/2008

Grady asks DeKalb to extend bonds

Grady Health System has asked Fulton and DeKalb Counties to approve a restructuring of its bonded indebtedness by November. Under the proposal the maturity of the 2003 bonds would be extended at least 15 years and Grady Health System would issue new bonds to raise at least $100 million for capital projects.

Chief Financial Officer Michael Ayres presented two proposed scenarios to the DeKalb Board of Commissioners Budget Review Committee on Oct. 7. Under one, a new bond would be issued to raise $100 million and the 2003 bonds would be extended 15 years to 2035. Under the second one, a new bond would raise $150 million and the 2003 bonds would be extended 27 years to 2047, the year before the 40-year lease between the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority and Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation ends.

Under both proposals, the counties would only pay interest on the debt service in 2009 and 2010.. So in the first two years. The counties together would pay $16.5 million under scenario one and $19.9 million under the second scenario.

Mary Swint | GoDeKalb | 10/12/2008

New zoning classification recommended

At a special called meeting with county planning officials on Oct. 10, the Planning and Land Use Committee voted to recommend approval of a proposed ordinance that would create a new zoning classification, the Residential Neighborhood Conservation District. The ordinance, with some revisions, comes to the full Board of Commissioners on Oct. 14 for a vote.

In the new R-NCD district, at least 30 percent of the property, excluding minimum yard setbacks, would have to be designated as greenspace. At least 50 percent of the greenspace would have to be contiguous and at least 50 feet wide.

Two revisions to be made to the Oct. 8 draft, which were discussed at the meeting, will reduce the minimum size of property from 10 acres to seven and will remove a requirement that the greenspace comprise a minimum of three acres. Another change would reduce the number of off-street parking spaces from four per unit to three.

Mary Swint | GoDeKalb | 10/12/2008

Planning and Development Director Patrick Ejike also agreed to remove a provision that would have allowed zero lot line, single family detached dwellings. These single-family dwellings would have been built on a side property line on small lots.

Another housing innovation remaining in the Residential Neighborhood Conservation District (R-NCD) ordinance involves single family detached houses owned as condominiums with no individual lots and common areas held by a condominium association. Ejike said senior citizens are buying detached condominiums. In these condominium developments, the ordinance requires a minimum setback of 20 feet from all peripheral property lines, at least 15 feet between all structures, and a minimum 20-foot setback from all internal streets. Ejike said the common areas would not count as part of the 30 percent greenspace.

Some types of personal care homes and traditional single family detached dwellings would also be authorized in R-NCD districts. Multi-family dwellings are not allowed. Other facilities, such as day care, schools and places of worship, could be built with special land use permits.

DeKalb schools to slash budget

DeKalb County schools Superintendent Crawford Lewis today will announce budget-slashing plans expected to include a number of staff cuts for non-teaching jobs.

What’s being billed as a “comprehensive restructuring plan” will be presented to school board members at a 1:30 p.m. non-voting meeting. It is one of several downsizing proposals the system faces this year in the wake of a sour economy and state budget cuts.

KT | AJC | 10/10/2008

DeKalb gets $18.5M from HUD to buy blighted properties

Based on HUD’s recently issued regulations, DeKalb County, Georgia will be entitled to $18,545,013.00 in direct grants to purchase blighted homes, as long as the funds are expended by DeKalb County according to section 102 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302).

Given that these foreclosed homes may be purchased substantially below their original sale value, DeKalb may be poised to purchase and rehabilitate somewhere between 100 to 200 hundred blighted properties.

Hugh Wood

8 hour lines for registration/voting in DeKalb Monday

"socratic" at DailyKos reports in from DeKalb County, Georgia:

“I grabbed my Absentee/Early Voting form and a clipboard and started marching back through the line. At the end of the hall, the line doglegged to the right…

… and there was another hall, three times the length of the first or more. Filled with people, with voters, patiently waiting in line. I walked down this hall, took another dog-leg…

… and there was another hall, about the same length as the last, filled with people, filled with voters, patiently waiting in line. I walked down this hall and turned left…

… into a large room still under construction, with a line of people about as long as the last two halls. I took up my place at the end of the line, and started the long walk back to the voting room.”

Ruth Group