Shortly after her reappointment as Decatur mayor last week, Patti Garrett admitted it was unlikely the city will produce any annexation plan this year. She reiterated that “there is a lot of data to collect” before any discussion of potential annexation.
With Decatur schools total enrollment climbing over 5,000 this year, perhaps the most important data is determining the number of K-12 students annexation would produce.
Superintendent David Dude is particularly interested in how many school-age children live in apartments, both inside the city and in potential annexation precincts. Dude has said that he believes far more students live in apartments than builders and city officials have previously thought.
Garrett said the new year’s initial priority is gauging the legislature’s appetite for Greenhaven, a potential new city that would leave all of south DeKalb County incorporated.
Greenhaven wouldn’t directly affect Decatur, but it could set the stage for further incorporation of areas north of Memorial Drive in 2018, including those area’s Decatur’s interested in.
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