The city of Decatur released a statement Wednesday saying it will not pursue “adoption of House Bill 663 by the Georgia Senate during the 2016 session.” This is Decatur’s annexation bill that passed the House last year before dying in the Senate.
That bill included only those areas east of Decatur’s existing city limits such as Patel Plaza, the apartments on DeKalb Industrial Way, DeKalb Medical Center and the United Methodist Children’s Home.
It didn’t it include Suburban Plaza or the four commercial centers at North Decatur Road and Clairemont Avenue, excised from the plan by legislators during the General Assembly’s final days last year.
City Manager Peggy Merriss said it’s likely the commission will revisit annexation later in 2016 to determine what options to pursue.
“We have heard from multiple sources,” Merriss said, “that because this year’s [legislature] is a short, well-defined session, there isn’t a big appetite toward annexation and cityhood in general. We’ve heard they want to be finished by mid-March.
“Our commission,” she added, “prefers that [HB 663] be adopted, but we are cognizant of the realities of the state legislature.”
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