Free-For-All Friday 2/13/15

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.

155 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 2/13/15”


  4. Happy Friday the 13th to all. Has anyone had a really “great” experience on this day? I know my students always act a bit different…kinda like a full moon behavior.

  6. That was quite a debate yesterday about the schools, taxes and population of the city. very polarized with strong beliefs on all sides. I have a child in the school systems at the 4/5 and am fearful of the changes that are coming to the community. I am typically in favor of development (smart development) but also understand that there are only so many things that be done in a time frame presented. Taxes aside my chief frustration is this pending doom had to be known by the administration. If not that is a sad state of over site. Why were we not building new schools 3 years ago, why did the bill not pass when it should have and why have we backed ourselves into such a corner. I know all points were discussed yesterday in some level of detail but much of it was shadowed by frustration or ideas that I believe not to be realistic.

    The post outlining the scenario to keep our standard school year, add trailers and likely see new construction start as soon as possible seemed to be the most reasonable option. If we want to live her and want our kids to enjoy the benefit of this great town we all better be ready to pony up some additional taxes (where by additional assessment or general raises). I believe that is going to be a standard that we all need to embrace. Will this put out some people yes, will is reduce the diversity in the community, sadly yes. That said I do not see many other options that can realistically be employed. We cannot raise taxes for new residents or those with children, it just does not work that way and besides is against the law. That would be no different than discrimination by race, color or gender. It is going to come down to the all mighty dollar.

    I do not see home prices slowing or reducing, the suburban flight and flight from other school systems is here for the foreseeable future I believe. There is north of $60 million in development coming into downtown and dozens and dozens of new homes coming on line. Decatur has been forever changed and will continue to do so. Those moving in now I believe are here for many reasons not just the schools anymore. They like the access to the city but also to its geographic location. We are a community close to downtown, Midtown, Stone Mountain, the Farmers Market and many other great things that this city has to offer. The schools are a draw and we need to do what is necessary to support them but we need to understand that Decatur is an ever changing landscape and need to push our administrators to make good decisions in advance of challenges!

    1. “If we want to live her and want our kids to enjoy the benefit of this great town we all better be ready to pony up some additional taxes (where by additional assessment or general raises). I believe that is going to be a standard that we all need to embrace. Will this put out some people yes, will is reduce the diversity in the community, sadly yes.”

      Ok, I understand you are saying my childless family must accept tax increases to help keep our City alive.

      What are families with children willing to accept? Larger class sizes? The possibility of going to a school rented from DeKalb? The possibility of degradation of the education your children will receive (meaning we may get closer to what other school systems offer in terms of education)?

      I ask because the posts seem to often turn to discussing what it will take for families like mine to give up or pitch in (i.e. more taxes) to keep CSD alive. There seems to be trailer acceptance now, but what else would be agreeable to parents?

      1. While we are discussing taxes/schools, I think one important item that needs to be addressed, that the city leaders have chosen to ignore is tax equity.

        There has been a huge increase in teardowns in recent years. And the value of these new construction homes is often not accurately reflected on the tax roles. If a builder buys a house, tears it down and then sells, the property valuation is updated rather quickly by DeKalb county based on the sales price. However, if an individual buys a property, tears down the house and hires a builder to build a new house, somehow the county is not aware that what used to be a $300,000 home is now a $800,000+ home.

        As a result, you have elderly (often minority) residents living in old 3BR/1BA ranches valued at $300k and paying taxes accordingly. While right next door you have a brand new 5BR/5BA house worth $800k+, but still valued on the tax roles at pre-tear down values. Both families paying roughly the same amount in property taxes. On our block there is a 5,000 sq foot house built about 5 years ago that is valued at roughly the same as the 1950s ranches next door and across the street. The homeowners of the 5,000 sq ft house bought/tore down and hired a builder. So for the last 5 years they have been paying about $10,000 less in property taxes that they should, based on the true value of their home.

        If you take $10,000 per year x the number of undervalued teardowns, that is a lot of money that could go towards building new classrooms. And it would restore some economic justice.

        But our city leaders have actively chosen to abdicate responsibility for this, stating that “we rely on DeKalb County to set values”

        The City relies on DeKalb County values. You cannot tell me that with all the stringent building codes, permits etc in CoD that the city is not aware of the value increase from these teardowns.

        1. I don’t thing this issue has been ignored here. Several people (including me) have suggested that Decatur reclaim responsibility for its own assessments.

          1. I agree, not ignored here. Ignored by the city. Disgraceful that a 90 year old widow in a run down house is paying the same amount of property tax as a family of “yuppies” for lack of a better term who are living in a $1M McMansion.

            1. Ouch “yuppies” and “Mc Mansion” in the same sentence. Which of the pejorative trifecta is still missing?

              2. +1. The McMansion slight is especially over-used and, in my view, largely inaccurate. On the main, the expensive new homes in Decatur and Avondale are fairly customized, high-end jobs, not the sort of three-side brick, cookie-cutter homes you see elsewhere. “McMansion” is more often an expression of jealousy than an attempt to actually describe a home.

                1. To me, “McMansion” is meant as an insult to those who buy and live in them. Some consider them a blight and are not jealous in the least.

                  1. Cool. But why beat around the bush? Just insult them directly. When said McMansion owners move in, rather than take them some brownies, you can stop by and say something like “only a jerk would live in a house like this.”

                  3. If your replace McMansion with government housing and yuppie with any minority group, would you feel comfortable with such a post? It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

                    1. I try to avoid using ” McMansion” as a descriptor (and almost everybody who has moved to Decatur in the past 15 years could be described as a yuppie), but a wealthy person’s housing choice is not at all analogous to being a member of a minority group or requiring public housing. People who live in large houses in Decatur have other options, and I think it’s fair to criticize their choices when they have an effect on the neighborhood’s character. It’s fair to ask why someone needs three times as much space for the same number of people as lived in a house previously–and this is a U.S.-wide problem, not just in Decatur–but in a pre-WW2 neighborhood like Oakhurst it’s particularly disconcerting to see these bohemoth houses towering over their smaller neighbors.

                    2. Parker, so it is OK to insult someone so long as they are wealthier but you, but someone poorer is off limits? Thanks for clarifying.

                    3. I don’t advocate insulting anyone. Re-read my first sentence. I was pointing out that the housing choices of the affluent are fair game for criticism–polite criticism, but criticism nonetheless. Choosing to build a huge house is a choice. Being a member of a minority group is not a choice. Living in public housing isn’t usually a choice.

                      I do think we should criticize choices, not people.

                    4. It wasn’t all that long ago that people got on without air conditioning. Having an air conditioner is a choice. Same for electricity.

                    5. You made a choice to build and reside in a McMansion. Public housing residents do not have a particular choice in their housing situation – that is literally the _point_ of public housing.

                      There is a limited amount of space in Decatur. Yes, I can question how you choose to use your allotted parcel, as you can question how I use mine. It’s not a terribly productive use of time, but you *can*.

                      If you’re really so thin-skinned that someone calling your McMansion a McMansion somehow hurts your feelings, though…

                    6. Um, I’m hurt that no one calls our home a McMansion or McAnything….McMess maybe.

                2. They’re still huge towering monstrosities that loom over the remaining original housing stock.

                  I reserve the right to pass judgment on their architectural merits, which are… lacking.

                  1. the thin-skinned comment seems like a personal insult. I though the DM community frowns on that.

              3. I have to think that in a community as educated as Decatur that we’re clever enough to come up with a way to express our care and concern for one segment of the community without simultaneously demonstrating our disdain for another. Sorry to sound like an old hippie but we’re all in this together. Everyone who lives here reflects the reality of Decatur, and must be acknowledged, whether you share their circumstances and outlook or not.

                  1. Speaking of jogging strollers, I was at Piedmont last weekend and nearly got ran over by one of those. The woman loudly said EXCUSE ME when I didn’t move out of the way, but I had nowhere to go because of brush beside the path. Reminded me of why I prefer walking in the Decatur Cemetery to most parks.

          2. I don’t think it is a matter of “reclaiming” that responsibiity. The state code provides for establishing county boards of assessors and further requires cities to use county valuations: “municipalities shall use the fair market value finally determined for the property for county ad valorem property taxation purposes.” OCGA 48-5-352

                2. Dekalb county has an Assessor’s department. They set values for all of the county and municipalities within the county. The values increased last year on a bunch of parcels and the value on s home depends on how it was as of January 1 of that tax year. If a builder buys a home in say April and tears down the improvement and builds another home and sells it in January of the following year, then the chances are toe old value will remain in place for 2 years. However after it sells, the county will pick up the sale and typically be at 95% to 105% of the sale price. They have to by law. Also the department of revenue examines sales randomly in each if the 159 counties in Ga and if the sales to assessment ratio is not up to par. The county gets fined. I don’t think Dekalb has been fined in a long time. Now Fulton County, that’s a different animal and they are fined all of the time.

          3. Owning up and paying the taxes that you owe is also an ethical issue. Come on people, if you know your property should be reassessed let the tax assessment office know.

            1. I’m pretty ethical but I don’t think that’s realistic. Especially since dealing with much of the county bureaucracy is so frustrating, non-transparent, inefficient, and error-prone. In trying to be a good citizen, you might be punished by some mistake by the county that then took years to fix. The City, on the other hand, I find to be a much more effective government organization. I would have a lot more trust if they were doing assessments.

            2. It goes against human nature to pay more than you’re told you owe, unless you benefit by paying more. That goes for all walks of life, on any scale of expenditure. Finger-wagging never works — improving the rule is the only way.

          4. According to Steve (post below) a municipality cannot do its own assessments.

            The disconnect, to me, seems to be systemic. In the case of a private owner doing a teardown/rebuild, there is no “sale” the county can go off of to re-appraise.

            The city issues building permits.
            The county does the appraisals. And (I’m guessing) has no clue to whom Decatur has issued permits.

            So if the city cannot do its own assessments, can the city send a list of permitted projects (or even an annual list of certificates of occupancy for big renovations, or some other final inspection measure) to the county and say “hey — these were renovations we permitted. Go check them out and do a re-appraisal” ???

        2. But when the new home is built, they still have to file all the permits. Doesn’t that trigger a revised valuation? I thought that was a big reason why people sometimes do non-visible, interior jobs without permitting.

          1. It must not, go to the CoD website and pull tax bills for teardowns in your neighborhood. Or message me privately and I will send you some examples.

          2. Permits and COs trigger a re-assessment. Whether DeKalb actually reassesses the property, well that is another story. Or maybe people are intentionally not seeking a CO.

            And although not official, I have often heard there was a small grace period before reassessments (maybe a year or so) as the county didn’t want increased taxes to be a disincentive. Perhaps this has gotten a little out of hand.

        3. Want to get in on this in two areas:

          1. Tax assessments: This is a total joke. We should not be relying on DeKalb county for this. They get a small percentage of the taxes and are not good at what they do. The city should look at bringing this in house and updating all the assessments. They should start with all properties that have raised significant building permits in the last 3 years. I know of several homes that have been significantly renovated, in many cases doubling in size without their tax assessment being impacted. As a result, I KNOW I pay more taxes than residents who have homes worth as much as $200k more than mine. This is a completely ridiculous situation that needs to be addressed. I’d like the perspective of a city council member on this. Linking our assessors with our permitting office would net immediate gains in the top line through updated assessments

          2. Annexation and new schools: I personally believe we need to slow the annexation talk. Just because everyone else is doing it does not make it a good idea. Further, the residential parcels we annexed over the last couple of years were completely ill advised. We should deliberately try and do a small annexation that would incorporate mostly or all commercial and net us the property where Lou Sobh and the car dealerships have been in order to gain space where a school or schools could easily be built and accommodated.

          Thanks!

          1. Yes. I posted several examples it the post about the schools. I am tired of hearing the city is short of money until it is actually collecting what it is entitled to. Raising taxes is unfair to those that are already paying taxes based on an up to date appraisal/assessment of their home when money could be collected simply by a comprehensive update of the tax digest. My examples yesterday included three homes, all purchased within 3 months, all within about $25k in price. Tax assessments in 2014 were approximately 9k (correctly assessed, maybe even a little under); $725 (no kidding), and $4k. As I said yesterday, that’s 15k right there with updated assessments.

            As others have mentioned, this should be an easy process. Renovations require permits (although I know not everyone does this), and the permits should trigger an updated assessment. Done.

        4. Here again is what City Manager Peggy Merriss told me regarding the County and not the City handling property tax assessments from back in 2011. In short, it may not even be legal for Decatur to do its own assessments.

          “In terms of the tax assessment issue, there were actually several things going on at the time the decision was made to use DeKalb County. One, the City was performing what is considered a county function in Georgia (tax assessment) under special local legislation that as I understand it, only applied to the City of Decatur and it was set to expire. Second, the cost of keeping the tax assessment function was increasing and we were going to have to invest money into systems, people and training in order to keep up to date. Third, there was a vocal group of commercial property owners who felt that their properties were overvalued and wanted the City out of the business. Lastly, it is also my understanding that a number of City Commissioners at the time did not feel comfortable serving as the Board of Assessment Appeals. However, I was not the City Manager at the time so I may not know everything that was happening.

          So having not done extensive research into reestablishing the tax assessment function, here’s how I see what would need to happen. We would need to determine whether or not a city can actually perform the service, and if not, is it possible to formulate the appropriate legislation and get it adopted by the Georgia General Assembly.

          If it is possible, we would need to determine costs including staff, space, equipment, software, etc. and then determine whether the benefit exceeded the cost which I think could be marginal given all of the things that are currently required for the assessment process. We would also have to appoint a Board of Assessors to hear appeals. But, if all that worked out, we would then have to amend the Service Delivery Strategy between the City and DeKalb County and that’s another bureaucratic process that would be challenging.

          All in all it would be a rather daunting and complicated process that would take a lot of political will and cooperation as well as a use of resources but ultimately, it’s up the City Commission to decide if they want to explore that path.”

          1. I don’t even think it is about the city taking it over. I know the county government is an unmitigated disaster, but you would think they would want more money like everyone else. Updating the tax digest benefits the county and the city.

            1. Yes, it benefits the county. But, it doesn’t benefit the county employees who have to (a) do the work and (b) deal with all of the irate taxpayers.

          2. I understand that it may not be legal, but that’s a big MAY. Why don’t we just pay a legal consultant about a hundred grand or so to study the issue and make a recommendation? I think the city knows how to contact me…

      2. I was under the impression that City (not school) building was responsible for a great deal of the current debt that has almost met the limit: the school building needed is just what will take the city over the limit. So any tax increase would be because of both City and CSD building debt.

      3. I totally agree that some changes, sacrifices, etc. will need to be made. I however do not know what those might be or what the masses would be willing to accept. Regarding the debate of people who have kids and do not, I am sorry to say that is what you have in all cities and towns in the US. That is like the annoying friend who goes to dinner and when the check comes they say well I only had one beer or yours was $2 more than mine. Frustrating but true in many cases but this is part of being in a collective community.

        1. ” I however do not know what those might be or what the masses would be willing to accept. ” — What changes or sacrifices would you, as a parent, be willing to make or accept?

          1. Parents will pay more taxes, too…is that not a sacrifice? Not always the case, but typically families with children have larger/more expensive homes that pay more property taxes/more sacrifice. I look at my own history in Decatur (having moved in and out a couple times)…..I lived here as a single (renter), married no kids and my current troublemaker status (married with kids & home adder-oner)….my property taxes went up with each of those steps…

            1. “Not always the case, but typically families with children have larger/more expensive homes that pay more property taxes/more sacrifice.”

              Not sure how true this actually is. As a sample of homes in my neighborhood that are all 3, 4, or 5 bedrooms, 13 out of the 20 homes I counted on the block DO NOT have kids in the school system. They either moved in right before retirement, or like me never planned on having kids. While you may be correct in saying everyone would pay more in taxes, I am not sure it would be slanted towards home with children in CSD.

              Our community needs to keep an eye on balancing this problem and solution. If you tax those of us in that 13 home sample too much, we begin to really make a run for it. Which brings me back to the original questions:

              What are families with children willing to accept? Larger class sizes? The possibility of going to a school rented from DeKalb? The possibility of degradation of the education your children will receive (meaning we may get closer to what other school systems offer in terms of education)?

              Hypothetically, what if a 5% tax increase gives a financial boost to CSD, but it also means classroom sizes will double? What do parents think is the best thing to offer up in the name of a solution that will be agreeable to all?

              1. You also have to consider the utility of educational cuts. In other words, doubling class sizes (which I realize was probably a rhetorical exaggeration and would never happen) would so degrade the instruction in CSD that you might as well be paying no school taxes at all. Wise, wise decisions have to be made when it comes to educational sacrifices and that’s why a School Superintendent and School Board should be consulting experts, looking carefully at school systems that have faced similar issues, talking to the currents teachers who truly know today’s classrooms and students (vs. worked or sat in one years ago), parents, and students.

                I like the idea of a poll that someone mentioned on another post. Did it ever happen? Not that I think polls should dictate decisions but they let folks know what options are and what others think and feel. For example, I always thought that year round school would be a great choice–less long breaks in instruction, off-season vacations, no long summers for working parents to try to cover, maybe more scheduling flexibility for an overcrowded system. But the complete lack of support for that view that I’ve encountered has made me realize that it may not be a viable option.

        2. I find it wrong to compare revenue positive households like mine asking for financial restraint from the school board and serious sacrifices from families with kids to someone whining about an extra $2 on the dinner bill. A fairer comparison is going out to dinner every night of the year and splitting the bill evenly when one party always orders 4 or 5 entrees and the other only 2 .

          I don’t think tiered property taxes would be fair or even legal. I do think trailers, larger class sizes, split schedules and perhaps even cuts to courtesy tuition and the early childhood programs should be on the table for consideration.

          A collective community balances the needs and opinions of all members, not just the masses with the loudest voices.

        3. I looked at the AJC article with the projected tax increases for the school bonds and I think they are fair given what we all get because the schools are good. We attribute the incredible increase in the value of our house, the speed at which we could sell it, the thriving diverse independent shops and restaurants we can walk to, and the quality of our local government all to the fact that the schools are good and therefore many smart and interesting people want to live here. People with multiple kids in the school system are likely paying much more than we are in property taxes because they are likely to have purchased a much larger home than we did in order to accommodate said kids.

          1. “We attribute the incredible increase in the value of our house, the speed at which we could sell it, the thriving diverse independent shops and restaurants we can walk to, and the quality of our local government all to the fact that the schools are good and therefore many smart and interesting people want to live here.”

            This comment typifies the reason I wrote the long-winded treatise elsewhere on this thread. Decatur schools have a 100 year history of ups and downs. They are certainly up right now, and yes, most of us benefit from that. However, the things that have been in place in Decatur even when they weren’t so up: independent commercial operations, quality local government, a built environment that encourages walking, an over-abundance of smart and interesting people. That is, most of the list that you attribute to the schools – they’ve been attributes of Decatur for many generations.

            Look, did the quality schools factor into my decision to move here over a decade ago? Yes. Did all these good things happen only because I moved here and have ridden the wave of a much improved school district? No.

            Again, I hope that all of us keep in mind all of things that make Decatur great – schools included -but also A LOT of hard work on the part of proud Decaturites going back a long time.

            1. Of course schools aren’t the ONLY reason, but they are certainly the dominant one in my view. I don’t believe Decatur would have become the destination for dining and the house prices would be what they are without the schools. We wouldn’t have moved here without the schools (our commute is a nightmare and MARTA is not an option) and neither would most of the people on my street. My friends from work and church who live in Decatur moved here for the schools. People who don’t have kids in the school system have been wonderful contributors towards the development of the city we all love, but I don’t believe Decatur could have ever become what it is today without the schools and the people who move here for the schools supporting the businesses in town. I mean, look at every real estate listing in COD– they mention the schools! Houses one block outside of COD sell for significantly less because they don’t have access to the schools, even though they can walk to all of our restaurants etc and enjoy other benefits of proximity to COD.

              This is all to say that I support the maintenance of a high quality and well-respected school system even if that means paying more taxes when we don’t have a kid in the system. There are many wonderful things about Decatur but I don’t think they would be as wonderful without the schools and the people the schools attract.

            2. True this. In 20 years, the market value of my house has increased four-fold. The first three occurred prior to CSD being the region’s golden child. The schools are a draw, no doubt, but they’re just one piece of the pie people find so attractive here.

              1. Yes, Decatur was becoming popular with young professionals in the 90s and property values were increasing. Craftsman homes, and older homes in general, were very popular at the time. Many of those people are still here, and lots eventually had kids, though they didn’t originally move here for the schools. When I first moved here I read the DHS graduating class was less than 100 students and I was really happy my future kids would be going to such a small school…. Little did I know!

              2. so Scott, just curious, if the market value of your home has gone up four-fold since you purchased it, has the assessed value kept up?

    2. I am a parent of a kid who will enter kindergarten in August 2016. We just bought a house in Lake Claire (Mary Lin / Inman / Grady, at least for now). We looked in the City of Decatur as well as in the Jackson, Grady, and North Atlanta clusters in APS. We love Decatur and have been living one block beyond the city limit in 30030 for 3 years. But I will say that the school / real estate / tax (& bond capacity) / declining diversity situation in Decatur gave me pause.

      So for all of you who are wondering if there is any hope of deterring parents of young kids, yes there is!

      1. We did the same analysis before moving into Decatur and Decatur won out. I think we would have been happy with both (until high school at Grady). But, Inman Middle is dealing with similar growing pains from what I understand.

    1. Because of the infamous “road diet” that reduced down the lanes of car travel. Just wait until “they” do the “road diet” the whole of DeKalb Ave, taking out the reversible lane.

      1. What is the point – do they seek increased pollution from gridlocked traffic or do they simply want more vehicle miles travelled on residential streets?

      2. Are they plannIng to add left turn lanes when they remove the reversible lane? A lot of the slow down seems to be because of drivers turning left (especially when you are traveling in the single lane direction).

          1. I’m interested to see how they can fit 2 bike lanes, 1 turn lane and 2 traffic lanes into a 3 lane road. Last I checked, that’s trying to put 4 lanes of various types of traffic into 3 lanes of space. One solution, I suppose, would be to eliminate the bike lanes where you need a turn lane…except for the fact you need a more or less continuous turn lane on DeKalb.

            1. I have been wondering this. One thought — I think there is some extra room on the MARTA/track side of Dekalb to widen the road slightly – much of it doesn’t have a sidewalk anyway. I don’t know if there is a clearance rule for those pylons supporting the track, but it looks to me like they could eke out at least enough room for an on-street bike lane.

      1. Different strokes…I avoid this traffic (which is only going to get worse) 4 days a week by taking the train and count myself lucky to be able to do so. I get more done sitting on the train (even if it’s late) than sitting in traffic. Until driverless cars arrive, it’s the way to go for me (and they probably won’t arrive before I retire), and I could care less about road diets, increased traffic from development, etc.

        1. My wife takes MARTA each day to Buckhead. She finally got tired of fighting the N. Druid Hills traffic hell. About every couple of weeks there is some delay on the train; but overall she finds it much, much better than sitting in traffic for an hour each way, five times a week.

          2. Marta has my vote. They recently increased train frequency at Avondale to every 10 minutes instead of 15. I get to read, check emails, listen to music, relax. They’re about to add wifi to all trains too.

        2. All of these positive Marta posts has made me decide to give Marta another shot. Tried fairly hard to like it before but just could not.

      2. Could not disagree with you more on the Marta comment. I work downtown on Marietta Street and alternate between driving down DeKalb Ave and taking Marta (usually Marta 2-4 days/week from East Lake to 5 Pts.). I can tell you from my experience, taking the train is faster and much more consistent in terms of trip time than driving, both going and coming. The trains seem to be running more consistently (in terms of frequency and timeliness) these days than in years past, and although I thought the new rider “code of conduct” they rolled out was all BS, I have seen changes that make it more rider-friendly (serious reduction in people listening to music without headphones, etc.). On the other hand, the changes to DeKalb Ave in the past few years have made it a stop-and-go nightmare from King station to Phillips Arena during rush hour, and if there’s any sort of incident the effects on traffic are dramatic.

        The time difference is pretty shocking – if I make it to 5 Pts when the train is coming, I am back *in my house* in Decatur within 15-20 minutes. Driving, it is always 30 minutes, and often more. And I can use that time to send emails and read, whereas in my car I’m frustrated at the idiots who don’t know how turn lanes work. At this point, I only drive if I need my car for something during the day, or if I’ll be coming home midday (because it’s not a bad drive when it’s not rush hour times).

        1. “And I can use that time to send emails and read, whereas in my car I’m frustrated at the idiots who don’t know how turn lanes work.”

          These are the two key components for me, probably more than any other issues. I’ve lived in metro Atlanta for most of my life, and the traffic has gotten exponentially worse. The incompetence and obliviousness of drivers has also gotten exponentially worse (cell phones? More people who never learned to drive properly?). Yes, there are knuckleheads on MARTA, but as I tell people all the time, I’d much rather be on a train with them than share the road with them.

          1. It also seems like there are far fewer knuckleheads on Marta during rush hour commutes these days – the trains are filled with folks getting to work and getting on with their days. I haven’t seen people being obnoxious on Marta during commute times in a long time – and when they are, the crowd shuts it down pretty well. When I used to take the train at odd hours, I saw more obnoxious behavior – so I’m not sure if the difference is the time I’m on the train now, or the new policies they have put into place (and increased police presence). Either way, I am far less bothered by some idiot singing along with his music under his breath on the other side of the train than I am someone risking my life making a left turn from the right lane on DeKalb.

            1. I have noticed this too. More so on the bus, but also on the train. Passengers are calling out obnoxious passengers. Or pressing the button and calling the operator (and an officer arrives usually at the next stop). Way more than I saw 7-8 years ago when I started riding MARTA somewhat regularly.

            1. Try taking your bike on MARTA during rush hour. The passengers treat me as if I am still a lawless cyclist 🙂

              (prior to moving to Decatur 4 years ago, I had a hybrid bike-MARTA commute. I eventually figured out I should get my bike on the train at the Omni/GWCC station before the crowd surge at 5P).

        2. Totally agree. anyone reading this – If you gave up on Marta a few years ago like I did – because of shorter crowded trains or longer wait times, try again. The trains come every 10 minutes now instead of 15, and they’re less crowded because of this (at least for now.) So now I can usually get a seat when I get on at Avondale. They also seem to go faster and are cleaner than they used to be.

          1. Yeah, even some Republicans are singing Keith Parker’s praises for the job he’s done since taking over MARTA leadership. Meanwhile, his predecessor had to resign this week over her handling of the weather-related disruptions (among other issues) up there at MBTA.

            boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2015/02/11/mbta-general-manager-resigning-after-bad-month/Ck8yMcH2v1lTh1FbHfarbJ/story.html

            1. I heard him speak recently about changes he has already implemented and his vision and plans for the future, and I was impressed. Of course he has to back up his words with actions, but for the first time in a long time, I feel like MARTA may be in the right hands.

              1. Shhhhh! Y’all need to stop outing MARTA. I like being one of the few who actually knows the hip little secret that MARTA’s reality is far better than its reputation. (Trying to follow Keith Parker’s lead by making it sound cool to ride.)

                The best part of riding MARTA is that I come home WAY more relaxed than if I had just spent an hour stuck in traffic and avoiding accidents. The precious quality time I have with the family is much better spent when I don’t have to spend the first 30 minutes unwinding from a stressful day capped by a stressful commute.

                1. Even in the bad old days of the recession, when the train frequency dropped and MARTA had a sad and tired feel to it, I always enjoyed the train, a leftover pleasure from childhood when a train ride meant going somewhere fun. I rarely had to stand on MARTA like you have to on the NYC subway during rush hour so I got in lots of reading and knitting. I think some folks don’t like the passivity of taking public transportation. You have more of a sense of control with your own vehicle (barring traffic jams). Whereas I find public transportation to be a fun challenge. Unfortunately, MARTA buses are too much of a challenge for me, but I enjoy it when I can take the train.

  10. Saw the Green St. sheep the other day, busily chomping away. Question: what keeps them safe from coyotes? Is an adult sheep too much for coyotes to take on?

    2. You will notice that there are a couple of rather large dogs around, although they may not be readily apparent. There are the guard and herding dogs and are part of the herd.

      1. Aha. Did not see the dogs. No way the 2-3′ electric fence would slow down a coyote but it would pass right on by knowing the dogs are on duty.

        1. Some trivia in case anyone else is interested/did not know this: I did some reading on this the last time we had them and found it interesting that there are guard dogs and herding dogs. I had always assumed those terms were interchangeable, but they are not. Herding dogs move the sheep around, but guardian dogs are there solely to protect the sheep from predators. The guardians often get in the middle of the herd to blend in and keep an eye out for predators without being seen. So a coyote might sneak up on the herd but find himself face to face with a dog masquerading as a sheep.

          2. There are further breakdowns within the category of herding dogs: witness a corgi and a border collie herd and you will see that one is a heeler or drover (the corgi) and the other a gatherer or fetcher (the collie).

        2. I saw a presentation on this by a shepherd. The guard dog will let any intruder (coyote, dog, human) know where their perimeter is and make it clear not to intrude. The guard dogs are trained by other guard dogs and are not particularly friendly. The herding dogs also focus on work, but they seemed much sweeter.

      2. When the sheep were in the cemetery, I saw the guard dogs in action.

        They seemed to be just lolling around paying no attention to the sheep or the crowd of human onlookers until a person with a dog on a lease approached the electric fence. The dogs jumped up and charged to the edge of the fence . They ran back and forth along their side of the fence barking until the leashed dog was taken out of sight.

        All the humans were quite startled. The sheep appeared unfazed.

      3. Sorry Steve, no dogs with the Green St. sheep this time. Last time they were down there, there were dogs. But the protector one barked constantly at people on the path — not fun for us folks that live around those woods, especially when it sets all the surrounding doggies into a barking frenzy.

        2. So how are they protected against coyotes? The electric fence doesn’t seem tall enough for that.

  12. Might I suggest that in the future, the building dept. that issues and approves permits for new residences in the city, and the city government and school board communicate a bit better? Seems like all of this mess could have been controlled with phased issuance of building permits and controlled development. Now we are drinking from a full blast hose. On a happier note: Love those sheep!

    1. Legally building on a zoned lot is not conditional. You file your permits, you build what you want within the allowable parameters. It’s not that the city has somehow failed to consider moratoriums or other slowing techniques. It’s that the politics don’t line up in favor of them. There may be more people in Decatur that favor tempered property rights than those who don’t but, up until now, those people have failed to speak up as loud.

  14. Does anyone know of any good “parents (probably mostly mothers) and 6 month old baby” groups that meet up in the later morning or early afternoon? Thanks.

    1. The long-running new parents support group at Dekalb Medical is a good option!

      “This support group for parents and babies covers topics pertinent to the new parent. Held at The Dr. Bobbie Bailey Women’s Center. When: Thursdays, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., parents of newborns and infants up to 6 months old; 11 a.m. – noon, parents with infants ages 6 months to 1 year. Meet in the Women’s Center 4th floor classroom. FEE FREE. No registration required.”

      1. Cool that this group is still in existence. I went to them in tears with my first not-a-sleeper-or-nurser two-week old and came out smiling with new friends.

  16. Also, I can’t be the only one to see the irony of the situation. i.e. The very thing that is making Decatur such an attractive place for families, it’s schools, is driving growth. In turn this explosive growth is threatening the very thing that makes Decatur so attractive to families; it’s schools.

    2. its (not it’s)

      Sorry, I had to jump on this before STG. And I know it’s probably the voice to text technology on your smartphone.

      1. Thanks for the spelling correction. I can’t say with certainty that it was my auto-spell but I hate misspelling. You may have a full time job on your hands if you are going to act as blog spellchecker!

  20. I think it’s worth noting that, while the schools are certainly a key to Decatur’s desirability to families, schools are not the only thing Decatur has going for it. The list of desirable attributes is long and I won’t try to list them all here. However, near the top of that list has to be: the type of community that is fostered by the pattern of development here.

    We are truly the antithesis of post-WWII suburban development. Our neighborhoods are typically characterized by small residential lots, homes with front porches and no garages (or detached garages with dwelling units on top), our streets are typically narrow often in a grid pattern (lots of intersections). This environment tends to facilitate human interactions and provides a place for walking and biking. Decatur has mixed use cores that aren’t afraid of density and promote a variety of building types. With this, we have vibrant and active streets that appeal to a wide range of citizens, which is a good thing. This is the way we built cities for hundreds (really thousands) of years prior to the advent of the auto.

    The point being – this stuff works, people like it and want more of it. Schools are certainly integral to Decatur’s current desirability, but the classic built environment that we have here has been a driver of desirability for longer than the current run of success for CSD. I hope that when the time comes, we are willing to fight to preserve this type of living arrangement that pre-dates any of us, that was on the ropes during the 60s-90s, that many current residents and city officials thankfully fought to keep, and that helps to make Decatur one of the “hottest” places to live in the Southeast.

    None of this needs to be said for many people who have lived here a while. I hope it is just as obvious to newcomers who were attracted by the schools.

    1. I couldn’t agree with you more. My child is about to graduate out of the CSD (been here since 3rd grade), and I have NO desire to leave Decatur in search of lower taxes/home prices. I love this community and everything it offers. Unfortunately, it’s looking like I may get priced out if the trends keep rising.

    2. Thank you Geoff – also a draw, a friendly community with a generous community spirit not a “quick pull up the gate now” attitude. I hope we can survive all this with at least that in tact.

    3. Good to point out in this conversation! Some of us moved here and decided to pay high taxes before kids arrived/were planned….

  24. Question for a rec– actually not spurred by the recent discussion on CoD/CSD fiscal issues! 🙂

    Does anyone have a recommendation for a good, and reasonable, Certified Financial Planner, also a Fiduciary? Preferably in Decatur or other intown neighborhood areas, i.e., close for convenience. Downtown might be o.k. as one of us works there.

    I’m not talking high-end finances, just basic middle income DINKs in Decatur looking for some financial advice.

    Thanks!

    1. You could check the website napfa.org for a list of fee-only firms in Decatur. NAPFA is an umbrella group for fee-only advisors, and all NAPFA advisors are fiduciaries (though not all are CFPs).

      1. Thanks all for the feedback! We had checked into NAPFA and actually come up with Helga as a possibility, but I always appreciate hearing from personal, local experiences. Much appreciated.

  26. Just wanted to interrupt the FFAF schools-schools-schools discussion to give a BIG shout-out to Souper Jenny’s chicken tortilla soup. Man, is it ever delish–I had a very happy lunch today!

    OK, that’s all. As you were.

    1. Speaking of Souper Jenny, one of the great joys of walking thru Decatur in the morning is passing Souper Jenny and getting hit in the face by the smell of soup. It’s always a very welcoming way to begin the day.

    2. I can never hear the word ‘soup’ without thinking of Best In Show. ‘We can talk or not talk for hours. We both like soup.’

      1. So many great lines in that movie.

        Like you I have a food association — whenever I hear ham, I think ‘He went after him like he was made out of ham’… That whole scene is just classic.

  28. Does anyone know what’s going on with the sidewalk on Oakview Road (Coming from S. McD. on the left side of the Rd)? It looks as if it is spilling out onto the street…..

      1. Yep. They’re necking down the road width heading into the village, adding bump outs at driveways and intersections and on-street parking in between.

  30. Thinking of dropping from a two-car family to one. With Zipcars and Uber and walkable commutes, seems like a great way to save some dollars. Anyone else try this recently? Would love to hear how it’s going or not going…

Comments are closed.