About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2024)
LOCAL THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, MARCH 7 - 13, 2024 • PAGE 3 Chamblee officials want Embry Hills/ Mercer annexation on November ballots BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM Chamblee city council members and Mayor Brian Mock voted unanimously to approve the adoption of a resolution requesting the Georgia General Assembly to place a referendum on the Nov. 5 general election ballot that would put the annexation of the Embry Hills and Mercer areas to a vote. The adoption of the resolution came during a special called meeting on Feb. 26 attended by Sen. Sally Harrell, Rep. Scott Holcomb and Rep. Long Tran, among other elected officials. The Georgia General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on March 28. The Feb. 26 meeting followed an earlier in February where Mock, together with the Embry Hills Civic Association, hosted town hall listening sessions with area residents about possible annexation. The topic first grabbed news headlines when Chamblee officials stated they contracted services with Rosetta Stone Communications in October of 2022 to "assist with the gathering of petition signatures for the proposed annexation." The annexation process was done using the 60 percent method, a Georgia law that requires 60 percent of registered voters and 60 percent of landowners in the area to sign the petition requesting annexation. However, that application was withdrawn in December 2023 after Chamblee officials said, "a review of the contents in the proposed annexation application [led to the] discovery of technical deficiencies." Now, Chamblee officials are hoping instead to see the annexation, which would add approximately 3,500 people to the city, put to a vote as early as the end of this year. During the public comments portion of the meeting, reactions to possible annexation were mixed with some members of the Embry Hills community expressing that they feel DeKalb County has neglected the area for years. Others, however, said they have been satisfied with the police and trash services the county provides and questioned whether Chamblee would be able to meet their needs. Mock said that he and other Chamblee officials have been approached by Embry Hills residents for years asking about the possibility of annexation. According to residents who spoke up during the meetings, if it does end up on a ballot, only those who would be annexed into Chamblee would be able to vote for or against annexation. A map on the city's website, labeled "phase one," shows Mercer University, Embry Hills Shopping Center, and numerous residential streets and neighborhoods included in the annexation footprint. For more information, an to view the map in its entirety, visit https:// www.chambleega.com/mayor counci I/annexation, php. DKPD officers indicted in Stone Mountain shooting BY JAY PHILLIPS JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM Two DeKalb County Police Department officers— one current officer and one former officer—were indicted on Feb. 28 in the shooting death of a man inside his Stone Mountain home. Former DKPD Officer Russell Mathis, 30, was indicted by a DeKalb County grand jury on charges of felony involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless conduct. The jury also indicted DKPD officer Jordan Vance, 30, on a charge of reckless conduct. The charges stem from the Nov. 4, 2022, shooting of Marando Salmon, 37, inside a home on Autumn Crest Court in Stone Mountain. According to the preliminary investigation, Mathis and Vance Marando Salmon (pictured) was shot and killed by a DeKalb police officer who has now been charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. Photo provided responded to a call about a stolen car parked in the driveway of a home on Autumn Crest Court. As part of their investigation, Vance knocked on the front door of the house—which reportedly swung open— and Mathis and Vance entered the home. A news release states that Mathis opened the door of a second-floor bedroom and encountered Salmon sitting on his bed in the dark room. In a matter of seconds, Mathis opened fire and shot and killed Salmon. Salmon had allegedly thrown a cell phone at Mathis, which Mathis believed was a knife. At the time of the shooting, Salmon was unarmed. Paramedics transported Salmon to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Following the indictments, warrants were issued for the arrests of Mathis and Vance. The news release states that Mathis and Vance are expected to surrender to the DeKalb County Jail in the coming days. The case will be assigned to a judge and set for trial later. More than a bank. Your good partner. SBA Loan Commercial Loan Mortgage Duluth Branch Doraville Branch Johns Creek Branch Sugarloaf Branch McGinnisBranch Houston (TX)Branch SBA ■“ %— f Member taa M FDIC Promise 3ne Bank good people, smart bonking www.promiseone.bank
