School Board Votes "No" on Annexation
December 10, 2008 | 9:45 amAs reported by the AJC, the detailed by Judd Owen in a recent comment, last night the Decatur school board voted with the Superintendent in opposing annexation.
Actually its a little more nuanced than that according to Judd…
“The board voted tonight on the three options presented by the City’s report, which were 1) no annexation, 2) annex the three areas north of the tracks only, 3) annex all six areas. They voted a firm no on option 3, but were split on 1 and 2. The split seemed to be in large part because the data on how many students would come in from those areas was so murky and contradictory. Even among board members relatively open to annexation, there was a strong sense that we do not have a clear view of exactly what we’d be getting into with annexation.”
About what I expected. Regardless of any personal concerns about gain or loss, we can’t go around making unalterable decisions without valid backup data. Because of the discrepancies recently brought to light by Judd and Pat, this issue now seems to be going before the commission half-baked. If they voted in favor, the commission would be supporting an annexation plan that included disputed data.
If I was a commissioner, I’d be very wary of voting on anything before all that student enrollment data was recalculated to match the current version of the map.
But apparently, we’re going forward anyway. That, in itself, hints at the outcome.
According to Decatur E Life, the Commission has resolved not to go forward if the school board is not in support of annexation. Unianimously, the board was not in support of annexing parcels 1-6 (residential plus commercial). They are tied on whether they support annexing only commercial or nothing at all.
I have also heard Mayor Floyd say at more than one meeting that the Commission will not go forward with the annexation if CSD does not support it. I believe that Commissioner Baskett has said the same thing. I’d have to review video/tapes to find any of his comments though.
I think it is a stretch to say that CSD supports even commercial (the vote was tied with commentary from the abstaining member indicating that she would vote against it) – so the Commission does not have support for even annexing areas 1through 3 – they only have a tie vote on that. However, if the Commission moves forward with anything more than parcels 1-3, their word on this issue – or at least Mayor Floyd’s word.. is not to be relied upon.
It will be interesting to see if they are true to their promises. I would encourage everyone with an interest in this issue to come as a witness on December 15.
Two points to add.
1. John Ahmann and Marc Wisniewski had a useful exchange in which they determined that, when looking at annexing only the northern areas (erroneously called “commercial only”), if the number of incoming students is or becomes between 200-250, annexing those areas is a net loss financially.
As an estimate, if those areas had or came to have an equal percentage of students as the current city, those areas would bring in 530 students at 15%. The tipping point is roughly 6-7.2%. In other words, if the percentage of students per capita in those areas is even half of the rest of city, annexation is a net loss financially.
It is worth noting that Bernadette Seals suggested that the multi-family units in those areas will attract some new number of children. If so, such a transition in rental units can happen far more quickly than in owned properties. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the pattern of new development along DeKalb Industrial in recent years continued and we saw more multi-family unit complexes built there.
2. The superintendent and the school board did an admirable job last night. The discussion was serious and thoughtful. A major hats off to them. (And their staff too!)
I had a conversation today with a collegue who used to live at Jackson Square (I think it’s called that .. the top one). She said that there are a ton of kids there b/c they get a bunch of Emory professors, CDC scientists and temporary corporate relocations who are just there for a year. She was always very surprised by how many kids were milling around there. She thinks that CDC and Emory actually refer temporary hires to that complex.
Tips for Fighting Involuntary Annexation
1. Protest loudly and involve local media.
2. Involve your local county and state officials. Lobby your representative and senator to support annexation laws that require a vote of the people being annexed and people living in the city annexing. This will also benefit city residents and hold the city accountable for good management. Use the Members’ Area to email legislators across the State and tell your neighbors to do the same.
3. Partner with your local emergency services people to become familiar with response times and compare to city’s ability to respond comparably.
4. Consult an attorney to follow the process.
5. Develop a quick communication system via e-mail, etc. to notify people at a moment’s notice.
6. Argue with facts and figures, not hostile emotions.
7. Involve the residents of the city in lobbying the council to stop this course of action.
8. Meet with different council members in small groups to share your concerns.
9. Stay in touch with other residents across the state through this website, it’s Forum and it’s Members’ Area so we can lobby as a statewide citizens group in legislature, demanding protection from unfair annexation laws.
10. Do not stop fighting! Stay in the fight until the end.