Cath and Lar of AsianCajuns fame created this glammed up birdhouse for the Solarium Patio Party this weekend and described the over-the-top inspiration on their website.  Check it – and bid on it! – at the Solarium Patio Party this Sunday.

City Schools of Decatur will hold public hearings on their proposed 1 mill increase to the tax rate on Monday, June 6th at 9a and 6:30p and prior to the School Board’s monthly meeting on June 14th at 5:30p.  (1 mill = roughly $147.50 tax increase on a $295,000 Decatur home, according to CSD)

Along with the public hearing, CSD posted a public notice on its website detailing the rather recent history of Decatur tax and millage rates (3-4% tax digest increases, mostly millage rate deductions – good!) and the very recent history (declines in the tax digest and a 2% increase in tax exemptions – bad!).

Though the city’s tax base is projected to increase 1% in the coming fiscal year and CSD has reduced Central Office and individual school staffs, CSD lists a variety of contributing factors that require the millage rate to be raised.  They include…

• Opening Glenwood Elementary as a K-3 school and Fifth Avenue as the new 4-5 Academy.
• Adding teacher and paraprofessional positions for Exceptional Student Services due to growing enrollment and the new Fifth Avenue 4-5 Academy
• Absorbing positions previously funded by federal stimulus dollars
• Assuming full cost of the nursing program due to discontinuation of partnership with DeKalb Medical
• Implementing a 1.25% cost of living adjustment for employees

Lots more info and docs on this subject on the CSD website.

Don’t forget that a majority of this increase will be wiped out by a decline in your DeKalb taxes due to the city successfully passing state legislation last year that eliminates “double-taxation” on city residents for county services (general police, recreation, etc) they don’t use.

Whether DeKalb raises taxes (by as much as 4 mills by some accounts) remains to be seen.

h/t: Patch

 

 

Decatur Active Living’s Cheryl Burnette writes in to inform us that McKoy Pool is closed again today.

Plumbing problems again today – McKoy Pool is closed, with hopes of opening later today. There is a pipe that needs to be repaired and we are working on it to get repairs done as quickly as possible. Please enjoy Glenlake Pool and Ebster Pool to stay cool.

Stay tuned for updates and we apologize for any inconvenience.

 

Anne writes in…

Would you be willing to post a note about multi-household yard sales this weekend, Saturday, June 4 8-3?

Neighborhoods with participating homes include: Forest Glen Circle, Rockbridge Road, 3rd Ave., Wilfawn in Village of Avondale, Ivy Glen, Avondale Estates, 30002.

Come out and buy some awesome items: kids stuff, furniture, books, home goods, dvds, etc.

 

From Emory via the Clairmont Heights Civic Association blog…

To the Emory Community: The following two non-Emory projects have implications for those driving to and from campus. Please plan your travel accordingly.

1. DeKalb County continues repairing and repaving North Decatur Road between Clifton Road and Emory Village. Lanes will remain open but delays are likely. This project includes milling off the top surface of the road, patching the existing roadway, and repaving this section of North Decatur Road, including the roundabout in Emory Village. It is expected to be complete in approximately two weeks.

2. Next Wednesday through Friday, June 8-10, Lullwater Road will be closed in the evening (6:00 p.m. until approximately 8:00 a.m.) between Ponce de Leon Avenue and North Decatur Road for a movie shoot. DeKalb County will have officers and signage on site during the closure.

Driving Miss Daisy: The Sequel?