No real surprise here.  But still it’s a huge hurdle for the Transportation Roundtable, who’s selecting the list of projects that will go before voters next fall. From the AJC…

DeKalb County politicians, activists and residents have united to fight a proposed penny sales tax for regional transportation plans unless the final project list gets trains running in south DeKalb.

So far, the 5.4-mile rail line to link the Indian Creek MARTA station to Wesley Chapel Road, known as the I-20 project, isn’t a transit priority for the roundtable executive committee that is recommending projects.

DeKalb leaders held a news conference before the committee’s meeting Tuesday to urge the I-20 project be added — or else.

Everybody wants a project to call their own, but there’s only $6.1 billion to go around.  Is there a happy medium here or is an all-inclusive list an impossibility?

On the county government side, Burrell Ellis and company are looking for an extra $20 million to cut from DeKalb County’s budget after someone uncovered an un-calculated 6.7% decline in property values.

On the schools side of the equation, things have gotten even uglier.  From the AJC…

Next week, school officials will identify the four elementary schools that will close at the end of the school year in May. They plan to close another eight to 10 schools in May 2011.

The schools will be selected out of the 29 schools with enrollments of less than 300 students. District officials are eyeing schools in south DeKalb now that Dunwoody has become the fastest-growing area of the county, Lewis said.

I understand and respect the arguments of those that want as little to do with county government as possible, but man, sometimes I just feel really bad for South DeKalb.