Threats of annexation seem to bring people together. Remember how Decatur’s last annexation attempt united the city’s northern neighbors?

The latest College Avenue annexation attempt by Decatur and Avondale has spurred one DeKalb County Commissioner and many of the area’s business owners into action.

According to a recent article in the Champion Newspaper (h/t: Next Stop), Commissioner Kathie Gannon and some area business owners will meet up on this coming Saturday to discuss ways to improve the area’s appearance.

“We’ll be doing any kind of things that we can physically do and make a difference in terms of appearance,” she said. “Every single issue we can address, and there should be no reason for annexation.”

Gargiulo said she and several other business owners have created a list of improvements to businesses along the street that leads into Avondale Estates’ Tudor-themed gateway. That includes picking up trash, tearing away decrepit fencing and repainting some businesses’ exteriors.

It seems a noble goal, and one that would accomplish many of the two cities’ end-games without a controversial annexation.  However, if annexation doesn’t pass the GA legislature, it will be interesting to see how committed folks are to beautification efforts without any looming threat.  I don’t doubt the sincerity of the effort, but when any group is motivated primarily by a threat, it’s often tricky to sustain momentum once that threat disappears.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Stuckey Benfield continues to search for that elusive 10th vote from the DeKalb delegation, in order to bring the annexation bill to the floor of the GA House.

Breaking news from The Champion…

After [Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield] gathered the 10 signatures from DeKalb County House delegation members required to send the issue to a vote in the General Assembly, one member – Rep. Simone Bell – pulled her name off the list, Benfield said.

Bell and fellow local House members “are getting heavy lobbying from the county not to sign. I can respect that,” Benfield said. “That’s understandable pressure.”

…Benfield said her nine other signatures included Reps. Stacey Abrams, Karla Drenner, Fran Millar, Mike Jacobs, Pat Gardner, Mary Margaret Oliver, Jim Chambers and herself. At the Feb. 1 meeting, only Millar and Benfield vocally supported the proposal. Rep. Kevin Levitas asked several probing questions indicating his concern for the rights of the business owners, but Benfield said he has agreed to sign the petition in the future if the businesses don’t clean up their sites in a reasonable amount of time.

Regardless, Benfield said she doesn’t know where that leaves her.

As you can see from the picture above, a couple days ago, someone threw a large rock through the Finders Keepers sign which currently reads “Yes Annexation”. Real classy.

According to a report, the Finders Keepers folks have since ” taped [the sign] back together as a sign of support so the “Yes Annexation” is still proudly showing.”

Finders Keepers is one of two property owners in the annexation area along College Avenue who support the legislative effort.

Updates coming in as we speak!  uh…comment!

The AJC reports that Representative Benfield got the 10 signatures from the DeKalb delegation today to introduce the bill to the General Assembly.  What’s next?

The twin bills — which would allow Decatur to annex 10 properties and Avondale 23, to meet at Sams Crossing- will be read and assigned to the intergovernmental affairs committee on Wednesday.

Once the committee affirms the bills comply with local rules, they could be bundled with several other local bills and voted on, as early as Friday, Benfield said.

Even so, the measure would then go to the Senate, for review by that delegation and vote by the whole body.

According to the AJC, Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield says she has 6 of the 10 signatures from the DeKalb delegation needed to put the Decatur/Avondale College Ave commercial annexation bill to a vote before the General Assembly.

DeKalb County’s legislative delegation conducted a two-hour meeting Monday on annexation in general and in particular on the proposal for the two cities to meet at Sams Crossing.

It was announced at the end of the session that the sponsor of the two bills — one for Avondale Estates, one for Decatur — can begin lobbying fellow lawmakers to sign off on the plan. The delegation’s rules require signatures from at least 10 of its 21 members to move a bill forward for a General Assembly vote. State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield said she already has six signatures for the bills.

Also in the article: Many area business owners are still angry about the possibility.  DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis is against it.  And Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd is tired of delays.

UPDATE: Geoff has a very detailed report of opinions given on annexation from the hearing at the Georgia Capitol.  No big surprises though.  The Decatur and Avondale mayors are for it.  DeKalb commish Kathie Gannon and many of the area’s business owners are against it.  And round-and-round we go.

As first reported here on DM, Decatur and Avondale Estates have revived their attempt to pass state legislation that would annex 32 commercial parcels between their two borders.  This morning, the AJC’s April Hunt reports that this is the week when state legislators will review the plan.

In terms of its chances getting 10 DeKalb delegation signatures to bring it to a House vote, Hunt writes that Rep. Benfield is optimistic.

The owners haven’t changed their stance, but state Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield said she is “encouraged” by talks with DeKalb’s 20 other House members who might support a vote. Ten delegation signatures are required for a House vote.

“We are getting an early start this year,” Benfield said. “I’ve been optimistic that this is the year.”

This squares with a comment Rep. Benfield made to me a couple weeks back, when I first covered this issue, saying “I think I’ve got a good chance of passing it this session.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Helme pasted this article of unknown origin in a comment…

The city’s (Avondale) request of the Georgia Legislature to allow it to annex 23 commercial properties bordering East College Avenue and Maple Street, west of its city line to Sams Crossing, won’t happen this year under the Gold Dome.

State House Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield informed the city on Monday that she was unable to secure the required 10 signatures to move the legislation forward by yesterday’s 4 pm deadline.

“I’ve never gotten the 10 signatures in the past,” Rep. Benfield was quoted in Monday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding the signatures needed from 10 members of the DeKalb County House Delegation. “But it makes sense, and it’s something that is important for that area.”

Also stalled is the City of Decatur’s request to annex 10 commercial properties bordering Sams Crossing, east of its city line to Sams Crossing. The goal of both cities is to extend its borders to meet at Sams Crossing, eliminating the unincorporated island that currently separates the two cities.

The Board of Mayor and Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution at a March 18th Special Called Meeting in support of the proposed annexation. Rep. Benfield represents both cities and said Monday night she will continue to champion the effort during next year’s legislative session.

Question:  Does anyone know when we’ll have some idea of the impact of Dunwoody incorporation on DeKalb’s taxes?

The AJC’s April Hunt reports that Decatur and Avondale’s effort to annex the retail strip along beautiful E. College Ave will go before the county delegation tomorrow.

According to Hunt, Avondale has failed twice in the past to get the necessary 10 signatures, due in large part to opposition by property owners in the area.

Avondale wants to annex 22 parcels, while Decatur wants 10.  Neither small land grab will do much to help contribute to city coffers, but it is certainly in both cities’ interest to clean up this strip.

I have two questions for the AJC’s April Hunt and one for the city of Avondale after reading this latest AJC annexation article…

First to Ms. Hunt -

1.  Does the city of Decatur really care whether residents way up near Doraville accept annexation?   Are we really simplistic enough to think its even remotely an apples-to-apples comparison?

2.  Is it really accurate to assert that it was negative vocal opposition at commission meetings that killed Decatur’s annexation plan?

So, assuming that the city had bullet-proof data to show how a large-scale annexation would reduce property taxes, all it would take to kill such a huge plan would be vocal opposition by nonresidents at a commission meeting?  So riddle me this – assuming that this vocal opposition represents the will of the annexed areas (which is still not really known) and the initiative failed to get the necessary 50% vote, would the city commissioners really be any worse for wear?  Might they actually be better off for having tried to lower residents’ taxes?

As I’ve said before, I believe it had a lot more to do with the irreconcilable student enrollment data than anything else.  But that’s just my not-so-humble opinion.

And finally, to Avondale -

3.  Avondale, I love you, but why so reactionary?  If you want to annex part of College Ave,  just do it!  Why are you letting Decatur’s actions dictate your border?

The back and forth annexation discussion between Decatur and Avondale – which I’ve been terming an “annexation throwdown” for ages in an attempt at self-amusement – continues.

Ever concerned about Decatur’s annexation plans along E College (NOT Ponce de Leon AJC!…oy vey!), Avondale Estates’ mayor tells the AJC that if Decatur annexes along the corridor, Avondale must also.  The gentlemen’s agreement would be to meet at Sam’s Crossing.

Of course, lots of the business owners along that strip don’t want any part of either city, unable to look past the tax increase to other benefits.  But majority commercial annexations don’t need to be voted on by those affected, so all these businesses can do is alert their local legislator of their position.

I have a feeling that this might be the one area that Decatur’s city commission is concerned about annexing now.  If left in the hands o’ the county, it could soon be Avondale all the way up to the current eastern Decatur line.