DeKalb Commission delays decision on suing Dunwoody

DeKalb County commissioners Thursday punted — again — on a lawsuit that would challenge the incorporation of Dunwoody, deferring a decision on whether to sue until April 14.

Commissioners, spurred by the loss of as much as $16 million in tax revenue to the new city, hired former Gov. Roy Barnes to draft a legal challenge under federal voting rights laws that protect racial minority voters. After a half-hour closed door meeting with Barnes today, they voted 7-0 to postpone.

The decision marks the sixth deferral for the proposed lawsuit. It has lingered on the county commission’s agenda since July, when Commissioner Lee May of south DeKalb introduced it.

Federal law prohibits race discrimination in elections. May, whose district is predominantly black, has criticized the cityhood vote, since only those living within the proposed city limits, most of whom are white, were given a vote.

May has said legal grounds for a lawsuit could range from lack of racial representation at the polls to the distribution of funds from business and property taxes.