Nearly two dozen companies put in bids to work for Dunwoody as the young city prepares to reissue contracts for municipal services, and that pleases the mayor and city manager.
They are happy because competition among the potential contractors will allow the city to get the best service for the price, and the process signals Dunwoody’s approach to its third anniversary.
In January, Dunwoody will celebrate its third birthday as an official city, but to many it is not that big a deal.
“Dunwoody was Dunwoody before it was Dunwoody,” Mayor Ken Wright said. “But really, it had defined borders, a post office and an active community.”
Many people didn’t know it wasn’t already a city, he said. So this milestone, while important, is another day in the life of Dunwoody.
The bigger deal is the success in the way Dunwoody officials and city planners chose to run the city, by using multiple contractors. Not only privatizing some government services, but departing from what had been the norm for new cities of allowing one company to run the whole show.
“We were trying to follow the best practice of the three models that went before us,” Wright said, referring to the development of Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton. “But we realized that wouldn’t work for us financially.”
But there is a risk to doing it that way, longtime Dunwoody resident Bob Lundsten said.
“You risk turning over your entire staff every three to four years,” he said. “The belief is you will keep the people who are performing, but it is not a guarantee.”
Lundsten said this first transitional period will be important to watch.
“It is things like this that make the start-up of a new city so difficult,” he said.
So this second round of contracts will be a new test for the city as the potential for new contractors comes into play. The new contracts are expected to be announced July 25 and will last four years.
Dunwoody has set a precedent by trying to split up its service contracts, and people are watching.
Mike Mason, president of United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, has taken notice. A referendum to vote on making Peachtree Corners a city is expected to be on the Gwinnett County ballot in November.
“We like that they didn’t just award a contract to a big company, but that they dug in there and tried to figure out how to best get the job done,” Mason said. “They said ‘Hey we can do this differently,’ and they did. That’s what we plan on doing, too.”
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