The Decatur Minute

The community is invited to the Arbor Day 2016 tree planting and tree maintenance on Friday, February 19.  Meet at 9 a.m. at the Decatur Cemetery Office.

Individuals and groups are welcome.  Come help Decatur grow a stronger and healthier tree canopy and celebrate Arbor Day at the same time.

Contact India Woodson, City of Decatur Landscape Infrastructure Coordinator/Arborist with questions at india.woodson@decaturga.com.

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Homeowners are invited to an information session on Homestead Exemptions and how they save you money on your taxes. Russ Madison, Decatur Revenue and Technology Director, will answer questions about the various exemptions and how to apply on Thursday, February 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore St. If you have a neighbor who is a senior citizen and unable to drive to the meeting, please bring them with you.

The deadline to apply for City of Decatur exemptions is April 1 but you are asked to apply by March 15. You will find out about the documentation you will need to provide to obtain these exemptions. You might also be eligible for a Homestead Exemption to reduce your DeKalb County taxes. Please be sure you have applied for those exemptions too.

This information session is presented by Decatur’s Lifelong Community Advisory Board. For more information about the Decatur for a Lifetime initiative or the board, contact leeann.harvey@decaturga.com or 678-553-6548.

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This is a weekly blog post that lists all of the events and sales going on around town. It will be updated daily. If you would like to add an event, email Catherine.lee@decaturga.com.

Sunday, Feb. 14
• Happy Valentine’s Day!

Wednesday, Feb. 17
• Decatur Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 20
• Woodlands Garden: Birdhouse Building Workshop, 8:30-10:30 a.m.

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Oakhurst will soon have a mural filled with people, flowers, and bees painted by local artist Olive47.  The mural is part of a “Feed A Bee” Public Service Announcement.  The project is designed to bring awareness to the decline in bee populations and will feature the artist creating a mural of people, flowers, and bees.  It will also have people planting flowers which along with the mural will be left behind for the community to enjoy.

The mural will be painted on private property on a wall that faces Harmony Park (on the side of the building with One Step At A Time).  They will build a raised bed on the granite slab and plant flowers that draw pollinators such as bees and butterflies.  This mural is not an advertisement and will not have advertising on it.

The public education campaign associated with the painting and filming of the mural is designed to help people understand the importance of helping feed bees.

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We received a notice today from DeKalb County regarding their efforts to move forward with an assessment and rehabilitation program for their sanitary sewer lines.  There is a public meeting scheduled for:

Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting will be at the Community Achievement Center, 4522 Flat Shoals Pkwy., Decatur, GA 30034

MAJOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN YOUR AREA

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management

The Office of Engineering and Construction Management Services will host a community meeting to update residents on

Priority Area Sewer Assessment and Rehabilitation Program (PASARP) activities.

Please join us to get details on the project!

You may also call 1-800-986-1108 with questions or email projectinfo@dekalbcountyga.gov

Please share with your neighbors and your neighborhood social media sites.  We want everyone who is interested in this issue to have the opportunity to express their concerns and support to the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management.

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Here are a few local ways you can celebrate Valentine’s Day:

• Natural Body: Get an additional $30 on a purchase of a $150 gift card or schedule one of the spa’s Valentine services.

• Trinity Mercantile: Stop in Trinity now through Feb. 13, snap a selfie with your perfect gift, share it on Facebook/Instagram and tag your special someone & Trinity with #hinthint. If they take the hint, the shop will give them 25% off your gift!

• Wahoo! Grill: Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two, $49 per person prix fixe menu, add wine pairings for $22, 404-373-3331.

• Jeni’s Ice Cream: Check out the Valentine’s Day Gift Guide and pre order now.

• Doggy Dogg: Scout Mob is offering hand-crafted hot dogs for two for $21. The deal includes two dogs of your choice, two bags of Zapps chips, two craft beers, and an Ashley Sue’s Nutella Brownie to share.

• Parker’s on Ponce: Valentine’s Day Weekend – treat your sweetheart to a candlelight dinner in front of restaurant’s stone fireplace, 404-924-2230.

• CORE: Dance Sampler dance party, Feb. 13, Learn, Move, Eat Chocolate. Click here for more info.

• Greene’s Fine Foods: Place your order for chocolate-covered strawberries, $25/dozen, 404-387-2001.

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The City of Decatur’s primary interest during the 2016 Georgia General Assembly session is to support the passage of homestead exemption legislation amending and creating tax relief for our resident homeowners, particularly for seniors.  Mayor Patti Garrett said, “Property tax relief for long-time residents who have been a part of our community for many years is our top priority, and we are focused on getting homestead exemption legislation passed this session.”

School Board Chair Annie Caiola said, “Over the past decade there have been significant austerity cuts to the State’s education budget, meaning that local residents have had to pay more and more property taxes in order to maintain the strength of our school system.  The increasing property taxes are forcing too many seniors out of our community, and it needs to stop.  The City Schools of Decatur School Board strongly supports legislation that will exempt our seniors from ad valorem school taxes.”

Proposed homestead exemption legislation would authorize referendums in November, 2016 and, if approved by the voters, would be effective in 2017.

In the 2015 General Assembly HB 663 was adopted by the Georgia House of Representatives that authorized a referendum to annex areas to the east of the existing city limits of Decatur.  “We have new City leadership, a new School Superintendent and new Board of Education leadership,” said Mayor Garrett, “and we need to look at a variety of issues, including annexation, so we will not be pursuing adoption of HB 663 by the Georgia Senate during the 2016 session.”

It is anticipated that the City Commission and the Board of Education will revisit annexation later in 2016 to determine what options should be pursued in the future.

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