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Meetings on annexation, new cities continue

Annexation and new cities Decatur Metro ATL

Meetings on annexation, new cities continue

Briarcliff Initiative member Allen Venet left, talks with Lakeside City Alliance Chairwoman Mary Kay Woodworth during a July 2 DeKalb Operations Task Force meeting. The two groups merged and became LaVista Hills YES. File Photo by Dan Whisenhunt
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Briarcliff Initiative member Allen Venet left, talks with Lakeside City Alliance Chairwoman Mary Kay Woodworth during a July 2 DeKalb Operations Task Force meeting. The two groups will work together to incorporate a new city in DeKalb. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

Briarcliff Initiative member Allen Venet left, talks with Lakeside City Alliance Chairwoman Mary Kay Woodworth during a July 2 DeKalb Operations Task Force meeting. The two groups will work together to incorporate a new city in DeKalb. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

A DeKalb County committee that’s studying the impact of new cities on county government will meet on Wednesday, but it’s only one of several discussions about annexation going on all over the county.

On Monday, the Decatur City Commission approved a $25,000 contract for annexation master planning services. The city has taken the position that this may be the last chance to extend the city limits.

The state General Assembly will reconvene in 2015 and will likely consider bills that would allow voters to create new cities in DeKalb County. It’s widely anticipated that former advocates of incorporating cities of Briarcliff and Lakeside will be pushing for a vote to incorporate a new city that combines both communities.

The Briarcliff Initiative put out an announcement to members reminding them of Wednesday’s meeting, saying, “Join us to see what comes up in the cityhood arena.”

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Representatives of Briarcliff and Lakeside said they don’t expect to make any major announcements on their efforts to combine forces.

City of Briarcliff Initiative member Allen Venet said, “Briarcliff and Lakeside are continuing to collaborate with the goal of one map to propose to the legislature. We are not there yet, but we are working on it and seeking input from different neighborhoods.”

Lakeside Yes Chairwoman Mary Kay Woodworth said, “We continue to meet with Briarcliff to discuss strategies to collaborate on a new map to present to the Legislature in 2015. We have had several productive meetings towards this goal, and will make presentations at several meeting during the next few months to discuss with communities both in and outside of current boundaries.”

The push to incorporate new cities in Metro Atlanta has been ongoing since Sandy Springs, located in Fulton County, formed its own city in 2005. It was soon followed by several others including the DeKalb cities of Dunwoody and Brookhaven. There’s no word yet on what the combined city of Briarcliff and Lakeside would be called.

The Aug. 20 meeting of the DeKalb County Operations  Subcommittee on Incorporation and Annexation will be Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 6 pm. It will be held at Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030. The meeting is open to the public.

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