King Day ceremony for Stone Mountain street renaming

The City of Stone Mountain will celebrate the renaming of a street in the city's Shermantown neighborhood on the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday on Monday.

A commemorative service is planned at the St. Paul AME Church, 821 3rd St., at 10 a.m.

After the service, there will be a march from the church for the unveiling of the street sign for Eva Mamie Lane, replacing the former Venable St. name. After the unveiling, a ceremony will be held to ring the Freedom Bell on the city's Main St.

DeKalb Elections Board is pressed on outside audit

The DeKalb Board of Registration & Elections voted Thursday to cooperate with outside consultants hired by the county's Board of Commissioners to assess the operations of the election board.

After hearing complaints about irregularities during the 2018 general election, county commissioners voted unanimously in March asking the county's "Chief Audit Executive to Add an Operational Review to Include a Fiscal and Performance Audit of the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Department."

Commissioners said the audit should include a review of how voter registration applications are handled and the procedures for handling voter irregularities.

New year starts with a dozen DeKalb County sewer spills

There were 12 sanitary sewer overflows reported in DeKalb County during the first 10 days of 2020, according to a list included in Commissioner Nancy Jester's weekly newsletter.

Two of the spills were described as major spills, both occuring on Friday, Jan. 3. One was at 2171 Carson Valley Dr. in Tucker. The other was at 1707 Childerlee Lane in Atlanta.

In the Tucker incident, 12,300 gallons spilled from an 8-inch sewer main because of an unknown blockage. The other spill was of 74,100 gallons from a manhole getting into North Fork Peachtree Creek because of rainfall. More than an inch of rain was recorded at Peachtree DeKalb Airport on Jan. 3.

Stone Mountain seeks zoning, historic preservation panel members

The City of Stone Mountain is calling for volunteers to serve on the city's Planning & Zoning Committee and its Historic Preservation Commission.

The city has posted notices asking for letters and/or resumes from those interested in serving on either panel. They should be sent by Wednesday, Jan. 15, to Mayor Patricia Wheeler, Stone Mountain City Hall, 875 Main St., Stone Mountain GA 30083.

While Historic Preservation Commission members must have lived in the city for one year before taking office, there is no requirement that Planning & Zoning Committee members be residents of the City of Stone Mountain.

The posted notice says appointments to the Planning & Zoning Committee require a nomination by the mayor. However, the Stone Mountain city code says "all members of boards, commissions, and authorities of the city shall be appointed by the city council." No mention is made of the mayor nominating Planning & Zoning Committee members.

Subdivision plat approved for 80-home Valley Brook Rd. subdivision

The DeKalb County Planning Commission has unanimously approved the subdivision sketch plat for a development of 80 single-family detached homes at Valley Brook Rd. and Ford Place.

Having obtained a rezoning from R75 to RSM (Small Lot Residential), Bryan Flint of Arrowhead Real Estate Partners submitted plans for the 12.4-acre subdivision. Barbara Scott and Ray Glieu spoke in opposition to the plat.

DeKalb County's Planning & Sustainability Department had recommended approval of the site plan, but noted that sewer capacity will have to be approved prior to the issuance of a Land Disturbance Permit.

Lithonia seeks annexation study for completion by summer

The City of Lithonia has issued a Request For Proposals for a study on annexation by the city. The city expects to pay less than $20,000 for the study and have a final report by the middle of June.

The RFP asks for a study of the likely fiscal impacts of a possible annexation of an unincorporated area into the City of Lithonia. The scope of work would not include identifying an area to be annexed. The RFP does not provide any information about the city's annexation plans.

Nine candidates for DeKalb County Sheriff special election in March

Nine candidates have qualified for the special election of a DeKalb County Sheriff on March 24, the date of Georgia's presidential primary. All of the candidates claim a law-enforcement background.

The election will determine who serves the last nine months of the unexpired term of former Sheriff Jeffrey Mann, whose elected term is scheduled to end in December 2020.

Mann won election as sheriff in a July 2014 runoff where he defeated former DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones with more than 76 percent of the vote. Deputy Chief Melody Maddox, who is among those running for the position, became sheriff after Mann announced his retirement in November.

If a runoff is needed, the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections says it would take place on April 21. The last day to register to vote in the special election is February 24.

Here is the list of candidates, along with party affiliations and occupations, as stated on their qualifying forms. Phone numbers and web sites are included if this information was posted by the county election office. Georgia law allows candidates to choose whether their addresses, phone numbers and other personal information are disclosed to the public.

DeKalb County pays $320,000 to settle sewage whistleblower lawsuit

DeKalb County commissioners on Tuesday voted to pay $320,000 to a former compliance inspector in the county's Public Works department to settle a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the county.

The unanimous vote to approve the payment came after a 45-minute executive session of the Board of Commissioners. The $320,000 gross payment is in return for dismissal with prejudice of a U.S. District Court lawsuit.

DeKalb County objects to Brookhaven's Druid Hills annexation plan

DeKalb County is objecting to a proposal by the City of Brookhaven to annex almost seven acres at Briarcliff Rd. and North Druid Hills Rd., including the Briarcliff Station shopping center, to allow for almost 400 apartments and a 7-story hotel at higher density than county regulations would allow.

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning unanimously voted to begin the process of objecting to the annexation petition it received from Brookhaven in late December. The county has 30 days to file an objection.

"There are valid objections that can be filed," Deputy County Attorney Vivian Ernstes told commissioners during a meeting of the commission's Committee of the Whole.

DeKalb County King Day parade to begin in Stonecrest

DeKalb County's 18th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, organized by the county's NAACP branch, will begin at Browns Mill Recreation Center in Stonecrest at noon on Monday, January 20, 2020. The parade will end at Martin Luther King Jr. High School.

The Grand Marshall of the parade will be Barbara Cross, a survivor of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where her father was the church pastor.

The theme of the parade will be "Remembering the Dream, Honoring the Dreamer." Registration to participate will end on January 3.

New cities would cost DeKalb County millions annually, Vinson study says

Incorporation of Greenhaven, Vista Grove or all of unincorporated DeKalb County north of U.S. Highway 78 would require higher county taxes or reduced DeKalb County services, according to an analysis presented to a county panel on Wednesday.

The $84,000 study, prepared by the University of Georgia's Vinson Institute of Government, was funded by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners in February 2018 -- almost two years ago. Its work is guided by a "DeKalb Holistic Review Steering Committee" that includes county officials, state legislators, and officials from Brookhaven, Decatur and Stonecrest.

The presentation made to a county steering committee offered no specific policy recommendations regarding proposed new cities in DeKalb County.

Ex-DeKalb Sheriff loses Georgia law enforcement certification

Former DeKalb County Sheriff Jeff Mann has dropped his appeal over the revocation more than two years ago of his Georgia law enforcement certification, allowing a state board to finalize the action against him.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council suspended Mann's license on Sept. 27, 2017 after he pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction and prohibited conduct that stemmed from his May 6, 2017 arrest for publicly exposing himself to an Atlanta police officer and then leading the officer on a foot chase late at night in Piedmont Park.

TV report nudges City of Stone Mountain on sign replacement

A Stone Mountain resident says he has been waiting for more than two months for replacement of a speed-limit sign in the city that was damaged when a driver lost control, knocking down the sign and the resident's curbside mailbox.

According to the City of Stone Mountain's web site, maintenance of traffic signs is coordinated through the city's Public Works Department. Bern Sawyer told WGCL-TV (CBS46) he was told by city officials that DeKalb County would replace the sign.

CBS46 reporter Melissa Stern says she contacted the city but got no response. A few hours after she interviewed Sawyer, he texted her saying: "The piece of the metal pole is gone. Yay! Half the job is done..."

Sawyer says he is still waiting for the 25mph speed-limit sign on Sheppard Rd. to be replaced. "It's dangerous, kids walk by here on their way to school," Sawyer says.

DeKalb County water main leak floods couple's basement - report

WSB-TV reports today another instance of flooding from a DeKalb County water main break. The station showed video of knee-deep water in a couple's basement, damaging furniture and appliances.

When the woman called DeKalb County's watershed to ask for the water to be shut off, she was told "there was only one crew and they were on a job and wouldn't be able to come at the moment and would get to her when they could," WSB-TV reported.

A contracted cleaning crew was eventually dispatched to the couple's home. County officials said they had difficulties finding the break in the six-inch water pipe.

Despite being under a court-ordered consent agreement since 2010, DeKalb County in 2019 has surpassed its record for the number of sewage spills in one year.

Forgery claim in county small-business contract: report

WSB-TV reports there are questions about a DeKalb County program intended to help hundreds of companies owned by women and minorities.

A small business owner says her signature was forged on a contract where her business's name was used, the TV station says. She's complained to Decatur Police.

"They used us to get the bid and after they awarded the bid they feel like we do not need you anymore," the woman told reporter Richard Belcher.