The Decatur Minute announces the installation of pay-by-cell parking meters on N. McDonough and E. Court House Square and is asking for feedback from those that have used it.

To be honest, the process sounds kind of complicated.  You gotta sign up online and then carry around a user number and password (The Decatur Minute has a step-by-step flyer, which I can’t link to) But I guess if you’ve left all your change in the dryer, or you need to recharge the meter and your miles away, it could come in handy.

There’s also a 25 cent service charge for each transaction,  so those that use change are, in effect, rewarded.  Shouldn’t there be incentive to try the new method as opposed to stick with the old?

UPDATE: Just to prove I’m not a recreational griper, I did a Google search of “Pay-by-Cell” parking meters.  From what I’ve seen, areas of San Fran, Vancouver, Oklahoma City, Houston, Coral Gables and Boston have already adopted or tested the technology.

However, I can’t find much that talks about the success/failures of the system.  Here’s an April ’08 article about San Francisco’s system saying that response has been “tepid” and a conversation on Portland Transport from the same month saying that their version of this system hasn’t caught on. Different articles talk about a city’s ability to now vary the rate for parking depending on the time of day and the obvious benefit of eventually doing away with meter maids if the system were universally accepted or adopted.

Stupid prior commitments prevent me from attending…

Over on Fresh Loaf, Clark (Superman) Wheatley brazingly promotes his co-worker’s performance tonight at Push-Push (10p).  I’ll rip him off word-for-word since I don’t think he’ll complain in this particular instance.

He might be too modest to post it, but by God I’m not.

Tonight, CL senior writer Andisheh Nouraee will join the talented members of the Doug Dank Project at PushPush Theater in Decatur to perform a free-wheelin’, mindblowing, chuckle-inducing improv performance. The fun starts at 10 p.m.

Here’s the gist of how the evening goes: Andisheh will stand before the crowd and begin talking. The members of the troupe will use these delicious thoughts and topics as fodder for improv. Andisheh decides when to cut them off and the process repeats until time runs out or the fire marshall has all parties arrested for safety concerns and/or noise complaints. Hilarity does indeed ensue.

Tickets are $5 at the door. Push Push is located here.

Decatur isn’t the only DeKalb city looking at annexation…

It could be the beginning of an urban triangle in northern DeKalb County if voters in three neighborhoods north of Chamblee Tucker Road agree to become part of Doraville during next week’s election.

The annexed borders of Doraville would bump against the new city of Dunwoody. City leaders in nearby Chamblee hope to get their own annexation plan before the Legislature in the next year, which would stretch their borders north to the new Doraville city line.

And don’t forget that Avondale started looking at annexing part of E. College after Decatur’s annexation plans came to light earlier this year.  That leaves Stone Mountain as the only DeKalb city that currently isn’t considering any substantial annexation.

As someone from a state with no county governments, the idea of county control seems antiquated in a metro area.  I understand the functionality in more rural areas, but in places with dense populations, massive geographic counties can’t hope to effectively listen and address the needs of millions of constituents.