Poor pup.

WSB reports that the Humane Society of the United States has added $2,500 to the reward fund for information that helps indentify two people that dropped off a very malnourished puppy at the Village Vets in Decatur.  The total reward is now $5,000.

According to the article…

Officials said video surveillance from the clinic showed a man and a woman getting out of a black SUV and dropping off the dog at the front lobby. The woman attempted to fill out paperwork but provided false information including the alias Tamika Howard, police said.

The suspects called the puppy “Little Bit.”

A least the little guy is in good hands now. Jump over to see a few pics.

On October 13th, District 2 candidate Patti Garrett asserted that the city needed a more immediate solution to the “crushing burden” that city taxes can place on “some, especially our seniors on fixed incomes.”

Garrett writes that she applauds the city commission’s recent resolution to up the low-income senior homestead exemption from $30,000 to $50,000, but adds “that’s not good enough” and details the legal reasons why the earliest the city could provide any additional tax relief to Decatur residents would be in April 2011.

Garrett’s solution?

I propose something altogether different from the exemption approach. I call it the Assessment Ombudsman.

It works like this: The city would create a volunteer, appointed board, not unlike our other citizen boards, whose job would be to help applicable Decatur residents navigate the sometimes complex bureaucracy of the DeKalb County assessor’s office. These folks would provide expertise, advocacy and support, making it easier for seniors and others to appeal their assessments and, in turn, reduce their tax burden if warranted.

In effect, we’d be leveling the playing field for those unable or ill equipped to do so themselves. And we’d be doing it at no cost to our residents.

On October 12th, District 1 incumbent and city commission candidate Fred Boykin reflected on the original Town Center Plan (and its 1989 update) and wondered out-loud to city residents, “Are we there yet?”.

Addressing “downtowners”, long-time residents and new, Boykin states…

I think it’s time for a community conversation on where Decatur started from and where we’re headed. It’s an opportunity to look at our city development “road map” and see if we’re still heading in the “right” direction. Though it took a long time to happen, the early part of this journey was somewhat easy and straightforward – find someone to build mixed-use residential on vacant lots and bring residents to downtown. The next leg of our trip isn’t so obvious; we’ve done the easier stuff, what do we do next?

Decatur’s Strategic Plan is due for an update. I think that creates a perfect opportunity for a community conversation on these questions; it is a chance to evaluate past efforts and think about the future as we decide where we’re going next. I look forward to getting that conversation started.

While we’ve been spending much of our time in recent days participating in 6-word play, many of the Decatur City Commission candidates have been laying out platforms, asking questions and proposing solutions on their own candidacy blogs. With the election fast approaching, and a much-anticipated online debate just a week away, I think it’s high time we took a closer look at some of the issues being addressed by the candidates, don’t you?  Thus begins the series…

On October 3rd, First District candidate James Radford addressed the recent large-scale annexation attempt by the city on his blog and stated…

There were problems with the way the commission dealt with the annexation issue this past term. Namely, the failure to adequately evaluate the impact that annexation will have on our school system.

Radford goes on to detail the issues discovered within the financial impact calculations of the city’s annexation report and the subsequent report by CSD in response to these exposed issues.  Out of this series of events, he concluded…

It is critical that the school board be deeply involved in any large-scale annexation decision. They must be given a BINDING VOTE on any large-scale annexations. That is the only way to ensure that the impact on the schools is the number one priority. As Commissioner, I will recognize that the City’s business and CSD’s business are, in many regards, one and the same. Especially on the issue of annexation, there must be very close communication, and nothing should be done that will weaken our schools.

The AJC is doing a good job of following up on the recent shooting of Decatur High School student Mikel Pittard.

The latest article includes new comments from Mikel’s mother, Peggy Hunter, along with additional details on the actual shooting itself.  DeKalb police still have no suspects in the case.

Of particular note:

A funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Raleigh Rucker funeral home on Candler Road in Decatur.