Legislation Allows Time for County to Partner with Communities

By Tim Cairl

Ever invited friends or family over for dinner and planned out an entire meal? Set off to the grocery store; list in hand, only to discover that several key ingredients were missing? This is the position in which our local communities may find themselves in only a few short years.

The surge in local incorporation efforts has led to a cookie cutter approach to cityhood. This rolling and cutting of the county tax base is dangerous to the security of our school systems and support services such as 911 and police as well as sewer and water services, just to name a few.

Legislation such as HB 22 introduced by State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (DeKalb County) is attempting to force local elected leaders, developers and communities organizations to the discussion table. Incorporation is coming to DeKalb County, and we can learn a few lessons from our sister county to the west by taking our time in deciding how resources should be divided, how communities should not be divided, and how to keep the best interest of all our citizens in mind as our county is divvied up.

For the sake of our local neighborhoods, our children’s education and the safety of our homes, let’s not get to the end of this incorporation exercise and realize we’ve missed an opportunity to do this process in a thoughtful and deliberate way.

Cairl is a DeKalb County resident.