Very little new information came out of a meeting last week hosted by the DeKalb Municipal Association for existing cities to compare early annexation plans. No new or updated maps were unveiled though it was a rare chance for the city managers and/or mayors of nine DeKalb cities to sit at the same table.
Ted Baggett, associate director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, did most of the talking, much of it reviewing the annexation process. The CVI is often hired by proposed new cities or existing cities considering annexation to produce feasibility studies.
Avondale Estates didn’t offer a map though a week earlier its city commission had a adopted an ambitious “first draft” plan that includes the DeKalb Farmer’s Market just north of the city.
Decatur didn’t offer a map either. Any Decatur annexation plan would not only weigh the city’s commercial and residential balance, but also input from its rapidly expanding school system.
“We haven’t established a firm timeline [for presenting a map],” said City Manager Peggy Merriss. “I would think, as we get closer to the [2017] general assembly, that’s when the urgency will kick in.”
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