Early voting for the special election runoff for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District started November 9 and concludes November 25 and available Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. through 5 p.m., with Saturday voting on Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. DeKalb voters residing in the 5th Congressional District can cast their ballots in person, by mail, or by drop boxes in and around the district during the designated early voting period. The list of designated drop boxes for the 5th Congressional District’s special election runoff is located at DeKalbVotes.com The only designated early voting location for the special election is the DeKalb VRE office, located at 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur.
The runoff election is Dec. 1.
Not sure if you are in the 5th Congressional District? You can check by visiting the City’s elected officials map here or the My Voter Page on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.
The holiday season is here so remember to cut out your waste and recycling schedule from the November Focus for this year. You’ll find the November 2020 to September 2021 schedule of changes due to city holidays on page 3 of the Focus or online here.
Please note collection services are not impacted for Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Holiday collection schedules and schedule changes are posted to the City website, the Decatur Focus, and social media.
The Environmental Sustainability Board will host an online talk on climate change and health with Decatur resident and pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Philipsborn, on Wednesday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Dr. Philipsborn is a founder of Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action (GCCA) and serves on its executive committee. GCCA is a coalition of health professionals and health organizations concerned about the impacts of climate change on Georgia residents, especially those in vulnerable populations. For more information and the Zoom link, visit earthdaydecatur.org/schedule.
Don’t miss the first session of the Decatur 202s for a deep dive into Transportation and Mobility this Thursday, November 19 from 4-5:30 p.m. After hearing from subject matter experts, we will join together in virtual discussion groups to help understand tradeoffs and find common ground among differing perspectives. Input from these groups will be used to form recommendations on how the Strategic Plan should address these issues. The 202s will seek to answer the question: “What does success look like in a community of 25K people within a metropolitan region of nearly 6 million people?” Visit decatur2030.com for more information.
Dine and shop outside at FAB Friday! Re-imagine a night OUT in Decatur with streeteries, expanded patios, curbside storefronts, sidewalk pop-ups and an open-air tent market on the plaza. Wear a mask and join us this Friday, November 20 from 4-9 p.m. For more info, head to visitdecaturgeorgia.com.
There is still time to make the holiday season brighter for children and senior citizens in Decatur by participating in A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur. This year, more than ever, your assistance is needed to help provide holiday gifts. For this year only, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will have virtual giving. Donors are asked to provide monetary donations, rather than purchasing gifts.
Traditionally, donors have spent $100 to $150 on gifts for a specific person. Your assistance in any amount will help us to purchase gift cards so parents may purchase winter coats and other necessities. You can also help provide actual gifts for our older residents by making a donation that will be used to order gifts that will be sent directly to the older resident. We are striving to make this a safe program this year for parents, children, donors, volunteers, and older residents.
Go to legacydecatur.com/give and designate your donation to A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur. Legacy Decatur is a 501 (c) (3) registered charity. For additional information, email aseasonofgiving@decaturga.com or call 404-378-8068.
Agnes Scott College’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center and the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion are proud to collaborate with Emory University, Georgia State University, and Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights on this Native American Heritage Month community conversation to be held tomorrow, Saturday, November 14th at 10:00 a.m.
The event titled “This Land Tells A Story: Decatur’s Indigenous African Connection” will feature Beth Michel, MPH, Tohono O’odham citizen, Associate Dean of Admission and Lead for Native American Outreach at Emory University; Natsu Taylor Saito, Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Law at Georgia State University; John Winterhawk, Member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation; and Akinyele Umoja, Ph.D., Professor ofAfrican-American Studies at Georgia State University. It will be moderated by Fonta High, Co-Chair of Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights. Yves-Rose Porcena, Vice-President for Equity and Inclusion at Agnes Scott College will deliver the opening remarks.
The City of Decatur is currently conducting an impact fee study that will establish an Impact Fee Program including fees for the City to use in 2021. The community is invited to attend the Advisory Committee virtual Kick Off Meeting on Friday, Nov. 13 from 3:30 – 5 p.m. The meeting agenda will include an explanation of impact fees, review of the study process, schedule of events and committee’s role in the study and conclude with a question & answer session.
The virtual meeting can be accessed using the following Zoom Link and Meeting Id.Additionally, there is a call-in option for this meeting, which does not require video.
The City of Decatur is partnering with Trees Atlanta to establish a front yard tree program. Residents pay a $25 application fee and Trees Atlanta will plant a tree in their front yard and maintain the tree for 2 years. This is a great way to replace canopy lost from recent storms. Homeowners will be able to choose from a list of trees suitable for our area. Please visit the Front Yard Tree page at Trees Atlanta to apply. There are a limited number of trees in the first year of the program and it will be first come, first served.
The Roundtables process included 800 registrants who contributed thousands of comments. Many of these comments about Decatur’s future were in agreement, but some topics revealed conflicting perspectives about how Decatur should chart its course for the next ten years.
The 202s will allow for a deep dive on these topics. After hearing from subject matter experts, we will join together in virtual discussion groups to help understand tradeoffs and find common ground among differing perspectives. Input from these groups will be used to form recommendations on how the Strategic Plan should address these issues. The 202s will seek to answer the question: “What does success look like in a community of 25K people within a metropolitan region of nearly 6 million people?”
Here’s the line-up:
Mobility:
Thursday, Nov. 19, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Housing:
Thursday, Dec. 10, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Equity & Racial Justice:
Thursday, Jan. 14, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Climate Change:
February 2021, Date TBD
Speakers will be announced closer to the event. Visit decatur2030.com for all details. All events will occur on Zoom and will be recorded and available after the meeting. To participate, you may register at decatur2030.com.
Can’t make it at the scheduled time but still want to be part of the conversation? Watch the recordings, download the discussion guides, and form a small group to discuss the questions. Discussion notes may be submitted at decatur2030.com/get-connected/ or decaturdestination@gmail.com.
The City of Decatur and the Decatur Development Authorities (DDA) have announced the creation of a small business grant program in response to the financial challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $400,000 will be granted from funding made available to the local government through the CARES Act.
Any small business in Decatur employing between one and 50 full-time or full-time equivalent employees is eligible, so long as they were open and operational as of March 1, 2020. Depending on various factors in the application process, including the number of full-time employees, eligible businesses will be considered for a grant of up to $25,000.
The grants are being administered by the DDA, and businesses interested in applying are encouraged to visit Decatur’s business resources webpage for updates and for the grant guide. The online portal to submit an application will open at 8:00 a.m. on November 11, 2020, and the deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. on November 25, 2020. In the event that the grant fund is over-subscribed, a lottery method will be used to select which businesses from the group of qualified applicants will receive the grant. Grant distributions are expected by the end of December.
The DDA has also created an interactive webpage detailing which local businesses are remaining open during the COVID-19 pandemic and their updated operating hours, which can be accessed through DecaturGA.com.
The Decatur City Commission has established a Non-Profit Grant Program using federal CARES Act funds to provide assistance to local non-profit organizations for needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $300,000 of funding is available. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020.
Individual grant awards will be available in amounts between $5,000 and $25,000. Non-profits must be tax-exempt organizations pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Non-profit organizations with a maximum number of up to 30 full-time equivalent employees (FTE) would be eligible. A City staff selection committee will evaluate applications and recommend grants for approval to the City Commission. A blind lottery process to select grantees will be used if applications for assistance are oversubscribed.
Key Dates
November 16: Applications due by 5:00 pm
December 7: Grants approved by City Commission
December 16: Grant agreements and related documentation executed
December 18: Grant funds disbursed
Information about the program and applications are available at decaturga.com/ems/page/covid-19-updates.
