ATLANTA — State Representatives Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) today released the results of a survey given to DeKalb County residents at a recent town hall meeting. DeKalb residents who attended the May 6th town hall meeting were asked to give feedback regarding the creation of new cities in DeKalb County.
“It is essential we ask our residents what they want to do about new cities in DeKalb,” said Rep. Oliver. “The more people who participate and engage in the discussion, the better the result might be.”
Over 250 people attended the meeting and 107 attendees returned surveys. According to the survey results, one-third of participants have interest in being part of a new city, one-third do not have any interest in being a part of a new city, and another one-third of those surveyed were undecided. When asked what proposed city they would like to be a part of, the city of Briarcliff was the most popular choice, with 57% of respondents stating that they would like to be a part of that city. Participants were also asked why they want to be a part of a new city. The top response to this question was “local control of zoning.” “More taxes” was the top response when participants were asked why they may not want to be a part of a new city.
The May 6th town hall meeting was hosted by members of the DeKalb legislative delegation who had sponsored bills pertaining to new cities. The meeting was chaired by Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, and additional participants included DeKalb County Commissioners, leaders of neighborhood associations, and representatives of community groups involved in cityhood efforts.
During the Georgia General Assembly’s 2014 legislative session, many cityhood or annexations bills may be considered including House Bill 22, House Bill 619, House Bill 665, House Bill 677, House Bill 687, Senate Bill 270, Senate Bill 275, and Senate Bill 278. These bills could lead to new areas being annexed into Chamblee and Decatur, as well as create new DeKalb cities of Druid Hills, LaVista Hills, Lakeside, Stonecrest, City of DeKalb, and Tucker.
For more information about any of these bills, please click here.
Representative Mary Margaret Oliver represents the citizens of District 82, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2002, and she currently serves on the Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, Juvenile Justice, and Science & Technology committees.
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