As noted on The Decatur Minute, the city of Decatur recently ranked among the “best places to work” by Georgia Trend.  Here’s the blurb…

City of Decatur
Decatur
Peggy Merriss, City Manager

Tony Parker says his workplace is a nonconformist’s dream. “I have spent 23 years working in an environment that rewards independent thought and crazy progressive ideas and where failure means we get to try again,” says Parker, assistant city manager for emergency services. This DeKalb County city of about 18,000 is east of Atlanta and covers a little more than four square miles.

Managers for the city of Decatur, which has 207 full-time employees, read and discuss a book each year. Past selections include Good To Great, by Jim Collins and A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink. “We are constantly challenged to find opportunities for personal and professional growth,” says Meredith Roark, a management analyst.

On nice days, she sits outside with her laptop and enjoys the citywide wireless network built with funds from a state grant. When Roark showed an interest in emergency preparedness, she had the opportunity to get certification even though it isn’t her primary job focus. “I am proud to be part of a forward-thinking team with its commitment to nurturing and sustaining me and the community,” she says.

As Meredith notes over on the Minute, Function, a Decatur marketing and design firm also made the list.

Thanks to feedback given on this site, the city, as promised, has started posting all relevant documents to city commission meetings on their website.  Previously, prior to the Monday meeting, we would only see a basic agenda posted online.  However, today we have access to a schedule (which shows a ‘dinner session’ and a ‘work session’ to talk about East Decatur mixed use prior to the meeting), an agenda, and 41 pages of supporting “materials”.

The materials section includes the minutes from the last commission meeting, along with documents like liquor license applications, letters regarding construction bids, and memorandum that go into detail on other agenda items.

This is another great step forward in terms of easy access to information.  Many thanks to the city for quickly following through on this promise!

As for actual items of interest on tonight’s agenda:

• Leon’s Full Service and Zucca Pizza (opening in the old Zocalo space which is now painted black) have applied for their liquor licenses. (Decatur trivia – I certainly didn’t know that the Brick Store Boys corporation is officially known as “Giggling Otter Enterprises”.)
• Pilot Commerical Recycling Program – Altmod, I know you expressed concern about this in the past….it looks like the city is getting ready to do something about it!

In a previous post, Rebecca gives us a great option about what to do with all that leftover Halloween Candy…

My daughter’s Decatur cadette girl scout troop is collecting left over candy to take to a chemo centers, as they work on their silver award. Chemo patients like to have small pieces of candy, hard candy or mints to combat the taste left in their mouths by the chemo infusions (I speak from experience!).

You can drop them on the porch at either 301 Driftwood Terrace (off of S. Candler) or at 137 Kirk Crossing (in Winnona Park)

Both the AJC and Creative Loafing are in favor of Georgia Constitutional Amendments 1 (forests – Yes!) and 2 (TADs and school taxes), while opposed to 3 (private cities).

I actually think that #2 might be in some trouble because people are reading it as diverting existing school tax revenue to development projects.  And quote “School money should go to the schools!”.  Uh OK, but if you can’t make the any substantial improvements to your district, there won’t be all this extra “school money” for the kids.  And its not like the Board of Ed still won’t have jurisdiction over whether to use school taxes or not.  Its just another option.

Without it, you might have to say “bye-bye” to the Beltline.

Louise writes in with all the details about an upcoming performance…

Louise Runyon Performance Company will present Language / Listening, an evening of dance, poetry and music, on Friday and Saturday, November 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. at Beacon Hill Arts Center Studio Theatre, 410 W. Trinity Place, Decatur. Tickets are $10 and available at the door. For informat ion and directions: 404-728-8991, www. LouiseRunyonPerformance.com.  Dancers Louise Runyon and Tom Bell will be joined by poet Alice Lovelace (www.alicelovelace.com) and the women’s drumming group ConunDrums (www.conundrums.org), combining the multiple languages of movement, touch, words and drums. Themes include drivenness and connection, mother/daughter relationship, evolution and the natural world, and gardening peace. Read the rest of this entry »