The city of Decatur’s Katie Abel sends in this note…

Please join the City of Decatur and the City of Avondale Estates in celebrating the merging of our City boundaries on Saturday, November 10th at 12:00 p.m. at Lanier Park located at Sam’s Crossing. The recent annexation of property along E. College Avenue allowed, for the first time, the boundaries of the City of Avondale Estates and the City of Decatur to meet. The annexation gives both the City of Avondale Estates and the City of Decatur control over the redevelopment of these areas, which are gateways to both cities. The City of Avondale Estates and the City of Decatur are partners in creating successful, sustainable communities.

Refreshments from local Avondale Estates and Decatur merchants will be provided.

All are welcome to attend

No huge headlines out of this week’s Decatur city commission meeting, so here are just a few random tidbits instead!

• Environmental Sustainability Plan up for adoption tonight
• City is planning to write a National Register nomination for the city’s “northeast regional neighborhoods”
• Commission will vote to award Decatur Square “lawn improvements” to Ed Castro Landscape Inc of Roswell, the low bidder
• The city received $16,278 for a claim of stolen copper piping from the Rec Center renovation
• The city commission will be sending the 10 recently annexed parcels along College Ave (see above) to the Planning Commission to establish them as “Heavy Commercial”

Here are the full meeting materials PDF if you’re looking for ‘em.

From David Milliron’s Avondale Estate’s “City Happenings” Facebook page…

Congratulations! The Senate just voted on and passed the Avondale Estates and Decatur annexation bills that will permit the two cities to join borders at Sams Crossing. This legislation brings 23 commercial properties into the City of Avondale Estates and 10 into the City of Decatur. The twin bills now head to the Governor for his signature. The vote tally: Yea (45), Nay (3). THANK YOU!

From a letter to the community from Avondale Mayor Ed Rieker…

We only need one more signature on the Senate side to move the bills forward so that the bills can be passed on the Senate side.

This legislation allows the annexation of 23 commercial properties bordering East College Avenue and Maple Street, west of the City of Avondale Estates’ City line to Sams Crossing. The City of Decatur will also be annexing 10 commercial properties bordering Sams Crossing, east of its City line to Sams Crossing. If successful, both cities will extend their borders to meet at Sams Crossing, eliminating the unincorporated island that currently separates the two cities.

Though no one is making much noise about it this year, two pieces of local legislation, which would annex the unincorporated strip along College Avenue into the cities of Decatur and Avondale, has been passed by Georgia’s House of Representatives and now goes onto the Senate, according to commenter “spreak”.

I believe this is the furthest these bills have ever gotten in the Georgia legislature.

I’m not clear how many more steps there are before these twin bills would finalized, but hopefully someone can clarify for us in the comments!