These people are out of control. Will they vote for it? Probably because they are only after the tax dollars. I cannot imagine the law intended this. No matter how some municipal attorney interprets it.

Have you voted in the Patch poll on annexation?

yes, tax dollars but also maintaining control over the kind of city Decatur is/becomes -- and that doesn't include WalMart, hopefully!

i don't understand why they need this land ..we are taxed at the highest level in the state of georgia.. we have a huge infrastructure problem with storm water and they won't put any money into that effort ..now they want to take on more.. they need to look at there spending habits ..they need to be more fiscally responsible.

I'd like to see an estimate of how much revenue this would take from Dekalb County schools if it would at all. DCSS is struggling as many other school systems are, and taking away this from them just because they can is not great timing. I am also concerned about the businesses at N Decatur and Clairmont as well as Suburban plaza.

The Walmart shopping center at Suburban Plaza is a done deal. I would much rather have the City of Decatur through the business licenses issued influence what will locate there than DeKalb. I am not impressed when you see the lack of influence or input DeKalb has had on nearby businesses in unincorporated DeKalb. They have done little to nothing to enhance the quality of life near the city. I live in the proposed new annexation area and sincerely hopes it passes. I have been a Realtor in DeKalb for over thirty years. The property values and quality of life issues are evident in the city. They receive much more in return for their tax dollars than DeKalb does. It is a classic example of you get what you pay for.

Decatur remains hungry for more taxes and seems willing to go to any lengths to get it. It seems outrageous if the annexed property owners do not have a say in their fate. Why would anyone voluntarily agree to pay more taxes by being annexed into Decatur? Decatur has tricked homeowners into paying 50% of assessed value on property taxes, where everyone else pays 40%. Taxes in Decatur have nowhere to go up up.

What do the business owners get other than higher taxes? Am I supposed to believe that Bicycle South, or the Mediteranean joints sales will automatically triple, suddenly by becoming citizens of Decatur? They are going to have to eat this new money they have to pay one way or another. People won't get raises, or when they let someone go, they won't refill the position. This money grab is not right. If the businesses wanted to be in Decatur, they would have opened shops on the Square. They didn't.

-Increase in Assessment from 40% to 50% 25 years ago.
-Increase in property values leading to higher tax revenues over last 25 years.
-Addition of City and School System Bonds in last 10 years.
-Annexation drives to subject fringe residents and businesses to increased tax revenues.

Anyone see a theme here?

Why these folks still act coyly ignorant on this issue is beyond me; they know full well that a referendum isn’t necessary. Dumb like foxes, they are, but much more hungry.

Every Tax increase hurts EVERYONE but the bureaucrats. These are not elected officials but government workers trying to feather their own nest. Let's give our bureacrats the same benefit package as AT&T. That should save enough money to run Decatur for the next 15 years. We don't work for them they work for us. The city manager, the city attorney won't give you an unbiased opinion! The county delegation would seem to be the salvation here. It is my understanding that all have to vote Yes on local legislation - just get one to say no! How much can a representative cost?

The City of Decatur is well managed and run. As a matter of fact it is not unusual for teams of officials or experts from other cities to visit Decatur with the hopes they can learn from their successes. As for businesses that choose not to locate on the Square. It is not as if they have many choices. It is PRIME real estate and there are VERY few vacancies. This is not true just outside the city limits. There are plenty of vacancies in boarded up shopping centers and commercial space. DeKalb did not help to manage the resources it had well enough to attract visitors and encourage new businesses. Decatur has encouraged an environment that is business friendly and folks want to visit. The proposed annexed shopping centers are positioned as the "welcome matts" to the city. Based on the existing business environment unincorporated DeKalb has in place, it is natural for the city to want to have an influence on those commercial areas. If Walmart at Suburban Plaza begins to fail, I would much prefer the City of Decatur to have a say in what will replace it. DeKalb has not demonstrated an interest in protecting property values. This is evidenced by the lack of code enforcement on the abandoned and boarded up vacant commercial spaces on Scott Blvd or on Church Street near Scott Blvd. Decatur would do a better job had they been in the city limits.

What exactly is wrong with the plaza where Bike South sits? Or Emory Commons for that matter? Is the argument being made that Bike South or the plaza may one day get a vacancy, so Decatur needs to annex it just in case?

Perhaps officials need to start fessing up that they have some numbers we don't about the finances, which is why they are looking for desperate cash grabs.

I believe this City is more interested in controlling the commercial development around it than grabbing tax dollars. A primary reason so many Cities have been created from unincorporated Dekalb & Fulton is land use. Many citizens have been unhappy with the zoning decisions made by both Counties whether a rezoning or variance.

Another reader asked what the owners would get from this and it may be that the owners would have the ability to increase the density of their developments possibly by allowing residential uses over the retail. The CoD has been more open to this than the County.

Is the 50% commercial based on # of parcels or property value?

I think we all know, this is spot zoning to get more revenue into the city. It's not about stopping Walmart or for that matter anything else, they want the taxes. Pure and simple. It's funny though, didn't hear this talk until Walmart was coming. So.......sounds like City of Decatur is very excited Walmart is around the corner.

Many people in the City of Decatur will of course want to proceed with this "Take over" because it will put money into their pockets. In regard to empty businesses, The corner of Clairmont and N Decatur is very well established. The spaces where the businesses have gone under or closed are leased very quickly. If Decatur is suppose to "save" Suburban plaza from mismanagement, why would the city be looking at an area (Clairmont and N Decatur) that is thriving and has not been mismanaged? As far as the auto dealers on Lawreceville highway, these are large parcels of land to be sold, not leased so it takes more time for that process since the economic turn. There is an online petition against the annexation at:http://clairmontheights.org/node/3034

Is "Good Growth Dekalb" following this story abput WalMart being axed in Athens?
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-12-12/developer-nixes-walmart-continues-downtown-athens-project

It'd be interesting for some student to do an econ dev research project (demographic data, taxes, business revenue) on why Athens would respond to public pressure and DeKalb wouldn't--then make an assessment as to whether City of Decatur would be similar to Athens.

Whats with hating on Walmart. I prefer Trader Joes myself but it would bring just as much traffic, if not more. It sure beats the Pep Boys that was there 10 years ago and especially what is there now. I'm not sure but It seems to be a class issue.

Dekalb County announced a possible 7% increase in taxes, but that is still much less than Decatur. With the continued growth of schooL age children, projected to increase 60% by COD school Board, taxes are sure to continue to rise in Decatur.