About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2019)
SECTION A: VOL 28 • NO. 28 The Official Legal Organ ofDeKalb County, GA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dun woody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker, Stonecrest and Stone Mountain. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17 - 23, 2019 www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com SHOW ME THE MONEY County discusses 2019 budget BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com DeKalb County officials held a special called finance, audit and budget committee meeting Jan. 11 to review the fiscal year 2019 recommended budget. Commissioners have until March 1 to approve the budget and will discuss the budget in committee meetings throughout January and February. County officials said DeKalb eliminated a $24.7 million deficit and increased the fund balance to $103 million. Called the county’s “rainy day” fund by DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, the $103-million fund balance could cover approximately two SEE MONEY ON PAGE 6 DeKalb County COO Zach Williams discusses the county’s budget during a special called finance, audit and budget committee meeting Jan. 11. Consent decree deadline looms | predictions/explanations On Aug. 23,2017, a record 6.4 million gallons of sewage spilled into Snapfinger Creek. The spill was caused by a 16-inch-diameter tree growing out of a concrete junction box. BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com For more than a decade, DeKalb County has been in hot water with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) over violations of the Clean Water Act. In 2011, DeKalb County entered into an agreement with the EPA and EPD known as a consent decree. The decree requires the county to clean, repair, enlarge and maintain its sanitary sewer pipes so sewer overflows are reduced. The deadline to implement changes under the guidelines of the consent decree is mid-2020. In an interview with The Champion, DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester said DeKalb won’t meet the deadline standards set by the federal court order. “We’re not on track,” Jester said, “not at all. Our obligations will not be met.” “We haven’t done the rehabilitation work we need to do...we haven’t done the work necessary and all of a sudden sewer spills are down,” Jester said. “This problem has been here for a long time I get that, but we’re two years in and the evidence points to a lack of progress.” In a statement to The Champion, county officials said it’s important to understand how and why the county’s progress in addressing terms of the consent decree has been delayed. County officials said between 2011 through 2014, DeKalb failed to select a consent decree program manager. Without a manager, several programs, maintenance, assessment and rehabilitation projects were not completed. County officials said the county got back on track 2017. In 2017 county officials expanded county sewer cleaning efforts and cleaned major trunk lines for the first time in more than 50 years. The cleaning effort helped remove 5.1 tons of debris from the county’s sewer system. “After much political interference in watershed department operations, lack of appropriate oversight and contract delays and failures, [DeKalb County] CEO Michael Thurmond enhanced communication and coordination on all consent decree projects,” county officials said in a statement. According to DeKalb County in 2018 more than 642 miles of small diameter lines were cleaned, and more SEE DECREE ON PAGE 6 QUICK FINDER Opinion 5 Week in Pictures 9 Education 12 Sports 14-15 FALLEN OFFICER RECOGNIZED AS OFFICER OFTHE YEAR PAGE 2 'COCOA WITH THEPO-PO' Decatur police deliver warm smiles, drinks PAGE 7 641 16 0 0 0 o DEKALBCHAMPNEWS O DEKALBCHAMPNEWS ^DEKALBCHAMPNEWS
