Compromise sought in DeKalb YMCA deal
DeKalb County and the YMCA are working on a compromise in the county's proposed $5 million purchase of the 18-acre South DeKalb YMCA.
The proposal, announced by DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson during Tuesday’s commission meeting, would waive enrollment fees and give a 25 percent monthly discount to all DeKalb residents who want to join the South DeKalb YMCA.
The county commission scheduled a Sept. 9 vote on the deal, which would fund improvements to the YMCA including a senior fitness room, locker rooms, a lobby, offices, picnic pavilions, walking trails and a water feature.
Critics of the deal have said the county shouldn’t be spending government money on a members-only organization like the YMCA. In previous votes, the six-member DeKalb commission lacked the four votes needed for approval.
Johnson said the latest proposal would make the YMCA more open to all DeKalb taxpayers.
“We take opposition and turn it into opportunity,” Johnson said. “I think we’re getting closer.”
Without the proposed discounts, a family membership to the YMCA costs $99 for an enrollment fee and $84 per month.
Under the compromise, the YMCA would also give financial assistance based on income, meaning many residents would get more than half off their monthly fee, Johnson said.
Commissioner Kathie Gannon, who has voted against the county’s spending on the YMCA, said the compromise has the potential to break the commission’s impasse on the issue.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
