Dunwoody's fledgling government is getting some help from the governor's office. Gov. Sonny Perdue on Thursday appointed five individuals to assist the new city as it prepares to operate independently of DeKalb County.

The group, which includes three local civic activists and two representatives of the business community, has no authority to take any binding action on behalf of the city.

But, according to member Brian Anderson, the group hopes "to lay the groundwork" for the first City Council and mayor, to be elected Sept. 16.

"The idea is to assist the city for a transitional period until the City Council takes over," said Anderson, an attorney and a Dunwoody resident. He said the group's work will be similar to that of the nonprofit Citizens for Dunwoody Inc., of which he has been a member, but "with a little more clout."

Similar governor-appointed groups of representatives did preparation work for the start-up governments of other new metro Atlanta cities, a spokesman for Perdue said.

One of the Dunwoody group's main tasks will be to negotiate intergovernmental agreements for certain services such as fire protection and water supply. More complex issues, such as property transfers, might not be settled before the council takes control and the transitional group is dissolved, Anderson said.

The turnover of power could occur as soon as the Sept. 16 election is certified if four of the six council seats are claimed, providing a quorum.

If three or fewer seats are won outright that day, the interim group would continue until an Oct. 14 runoff election, after which it would turn over its work to the council.

Dunwoody officially begins independent governmental operations Dec. 1.

State Rep. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody), who requested the formation of the transitional body, said, "Any time you have the governor on your side, that's a pretty good thing."

He said the presence of two business leaders in the group is a positive sign. They are David Purcell, a Georgia Power Co. employee, and Yvonne Williams, president of the DeKalb Perimeter Community Improvement Districts.

The other members are Bev Wingate, who was active in Dunwoody Yes, the political action group that supported the successful July incorporation referendum, and Charles Robinson, a longtime Dunwoody resident active in the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, Dunwoody Preservation Trust and other organizations.

Staff reporter James Salzer contributed to this article.