City of Stonecrest launched with promises to improve the area

The new city of Stonecrest got to work Monday with its first City Council meeting.

The long-awaited new city of Stonecrest is now up and running.

The newly elected Stonecrest City Council held its first meeting Monday at the Stonecrest Library, where it took the first steps toward launching the local government in southeast DeKalb County with a population of 50,000 people.

The council adopted a city charter, set a meeting schedule, enacted a temporary moratorium on zoning permits and discussed city hall locations.

“You can expect big things from us,” said Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary. “This is a great place. This is a great day.”

Council members said they're excited to improve local government services and promote business growth in the area, located along I-20 near Lithonia. A crowd of residents in the audience cheered at the end of the council's hourlong meeting.

“I am ready to listen to you, and even more important, I’m ready to implement whatever it will take to get our city off to fresh start,” said Councilwoman Diane Adoma.

Soon, the council will hire a company to manage several government services, including administration, planning, zoning, facilities and business permitting. The city will also take control of code enforcement and park operations from the county.

Besides Stonecrest, the new city of South Fulton also began doing business this month.

The Stonecrest City Council meet for the first time at the Stonecrest Library on Monday, May 8, 2017. From left: George Turner, Diane Adoma, Jazzmin Cobble, Jason Lary, Rob Turner and Jimmy Clanton Jr. MARK NIESSE / MARK.NIESSE@AJC.COM

Credit: Mark Niesse

icon to expand image

Credit: Mark Niesse

MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.

The AJC's Mark Niesse keeps you updated on the latest happenings in DeKalb County government and politics. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

Never miss a minute of what's happening in DeKalb politics. Subscribe to myAJC.com.