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LOCAL
THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017 • Page 4A
DeKalb County police officers in attendance at a July 11 commission meeting. DeKalb County commissioners passed a budget that would address an increase in pay for public safety officials.
DcKalb commissioners pass budget
Includes raises for public safety personnel
BY HORACE HOLLOMAN
horace@dekalbchamp.com
According to DeKalb
County CEO Michael
Thurmond, it doesn’t
matter what you say is your
priority, where your money
is going reveals the “real”
priority.
Thurmond, who had
his proposed mid-year
budget passed by the
DeKalb County Board of
Commissioners July 11,
said the budget puts its
money where its mouth is.
“The proof is in the
pudding,” said Thurmond,
while discussing his budget
with commissioners.
The budget is set to
address some of the
county’s issues such as
blight and an increase
in public safety salary,
Thurmond said
The county plans to
address public safety
increases with a three-
year strategy for pay
scale, salary compression,
recruitment and retention.
More than $7.2 million of
existing funding will be
redirected to operational
needs and to fund public
safety pay packages,
county officials said.
Roughly $1.6 million will be
dedicated to the first phase
of addressing public safety
employee compensation.
“The first step will
improve the salaries of
nearly 1,000 front-line
public safety employees.
Public safety is paramount
and the CEO recognizes
every employee is important
and we want to continue
to develop compensation
packages,” Thurmond said.
The budget also funds
“operation clean sweep”
and addresses blighted
properties in DeKalb
County. Buildings at
Brannon Hill condominiums
are set to be demolished in
July and local funds will be
used to do so.
“This is going to be a
collaborative effort,” said
DeKalb County Director
of Beautification Marcus
Kellum. “It’s very difficult
to understand the impact
of [this property’s] debris,
trash, illegal dumping
and the fleas. It’s a little
overwhelming, but with the
support of commissioners
we can begin to tell the
story that we’re working
on remediating these
conditions.”
Though many spoke in
favor of the CEO’s budget,
some felt the budget does
not fully address some of
the county’s key issues.
DeKalb County resident
Joe Arrington said he
wants commissioners to
vote in the best interests of
residents.
“I’ve been coming to
these meetings a long, long
time. Longer than you’ve
been on the commission.
You’re not going to make
any changes [to the budget]
and we know it. It’s a
process and we know it,”
Arrington said. “Just like
the CEO said, the numbers
in your budget reflect your
priorities.”
Tucker resident works to save forest near Sears property
A Tucker resident is trying save 44 acres of forest near the vacant Sears Distribution Center property,
which is in a proposal for a mixed-use development.
BY CARLA PARKER
carla@dekalbchamp.com
While a developer is working
to have a mixed-use development
proposal approved, a Tucker
resident is trying save 44 acres of
forest near the property at Mountain
Industrial Boulevard and Hugh
Howell Road.
Green park advocate Steve
Hagen, who has lived in Tucker
since 2012, wants the city to deny
developer Stephen Macauley’s
plans to build single family
homes north of the vacant Sears
Distribution Center property to save
the forest on that land. Macauley
has presented several proposals
to the Tucker City Council to
construct a $300 million mixed-use
development project on 88 acres.
“The developer’s proposal
leaves the minimum amount
[of forest/greenspace] that he’s
required to leave—20 percent,”
Hagan said. “But he’s going to wipe
out half of what this good forest is.
When you wipe out half of it then
you’ve changed the edge of it and
then different trees will grow and
it’s very evident that’s happened
already.”
Hagan said behind the Sears
buildings are pine trees that have
become invasive and grew into the
forest.
“If you wipe out [the forest] you’ll
create a bigger mess down the
road,” he said.
In January, the city council voted
to accept Macauley’s withdrawal
request of three application
items needed to construct the
development. Macauley’s decision
to withdraw came after city
council members made motions
to either defer their vote or deny
the applications due to several
concerns. One of those concerns
was the city not having a downtown
development authority in place yet
to evaluate the project.
Macauley also requested the
city’s comprehensive plan be
amended. The city is currently using
DeKalb County’s comprehensive
plan while in the process of
developing its own plan.
Since withdrawing his request,
See Sears on Page 12A
