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Group opposed to current cityhood process encourages support for DeKalb County reforms

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Group opposed to current cityhood process encourages support for DeKalb County reforms

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Closeup of the Georgia State Capitol. Photo by Connor Carey. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Closeup of the Georgia State Capitol. Photo by Connor Carey. Source: Wikimedia Commons

A group that’s politicking for a halt to current efforts to create new cities in DeKalb County is asking supporters to contact state senators in the name of reforming county government.

DeKalb Strong sent a message to supporters Sunday evening urging support for three bills: one that would empower the county’s Ethics Board, one that would tighten up its purchasing rules and one that would appoint an internal auditor to keep tabs on county spending.

Read more:

Senate Bill 121 – Establishing an internal auditor

Senate Bill 120 – Strengthening county purchasing rules

Senate Bill 118 – Strengthening the county’s Ethics Board

“There are three bills in the Georgia Senate that are vitally important to reforming DeKalb County government,” the message says. “We are running out of time in this session, and they need to be passed out of the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee ASAP!”

The latest message follows an earlier call to action against a bill that would advance a proposed city of LaVista Hills. That bill is being introduced by Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody, who has not responded to repeated messages from Decaturish seeking comment. Taylor does not represent the area that would be in the LaVista Hills map.

That shaking of the branches produced a barrage of phone calls to Taylor’s office. DeKalb Strong President Marjorie Snook told Decaturish over the weekend that support for DeKalb County reforms is equally important to the group’s members.

The reforms are long-overdue, according to LaVista Hills supporters. Allen Venet, with LaVista Hills Yes, said “On the first day of its existence, the City of LaVista Hills will have in place the auditing and ethics provisions which DeKalb County government has spent years debating without implementing – because too many county officials want to protect the status quo.”

Two of the reform bills are sponsored by state Sen. Elena Parent, SD-42, and one is sponsored by state Sen. Gloria Butler, SD-55.

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