About Dunwoody reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 20??-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2013)
"From our home to yours, a Joyous and Kosher Passover!" 404.843.8857 690 Mt. Vernon Hwy. Sandy Springs • Georgia 30328 Insignia L Senior Living J AI FISH HOUSE & OYSTER BAR : LONGER... Fresh, authentic ingredients and a menu with strong, bold fare sets us apart jsssm Z T “n M, COMMUNITY Dunwoody officials propose multi-city fire department By JOE EARLE joeearle@reporternewspapers. net Dunwoody officials are asking leaders of three other north DeKalb County cit ies to consider joining together to start a fire department. Dunwoody City Councilman Terry Nall and City Manager Warren Hutm- acher said Dunwoody officials discussed the possibility during the council’s re treat Feb. 20. Dunwoody council mem bers liked the idea and decided to con fer with leaders of the other cities to see what they think, the two said. Dunwoody officials believe the four cities — Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville and Dunwoody — could cre ate an authority to provide fire servic es. They said such an authority could provide better fire protection to resi dents of the cities than they now receive from DeKalb County without collecting more in fire service taxes. “We believe we can do this in the four-city area with the same fire-district [tax] millage DeKalb County has today,” Nall said. Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis said he had been contacted by Nall and was interested in the prospect, but did not think Brookhaven — which opened for business only about two months ago and still is trying to organize its ba sic city services — would be able to join soon. “In the grand scheme of things right now, it’s not something Brookhaven is going to take on,” Davis said. “We are busy building the foundation of the • >5 city. But, he said, Brookhaven could be interested in joining such a venture in the future. “It’s an exciting prospect,” Davis said. In 2010, Dunwoody officials investi gated starting a city fire department but found that it would be too costly. Nall and Hutmacher said a multi city department could make financial sense. A preliminary study estimated the department could start up and oper ate for about $13.7 million a year, while the fire tax millage now collected by DeKalb County in the area could pro- “We always talk about the Three P’s’ - ‘parks, paving and police.’ It’s time to change that to ‘parks, paving and public safety,’ to include fire services.” - TERRY NALL DUNWOODY CITY COUNCILMAN vide $ 14.16 million a year for use by the new department, they said. The fire authority would be able to add new fire stations and relocate ex isting fire stations so they provide bet ter services to city residents, Nall said. Preliminary studies show large areas of Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Doraville are outside a 1.5-mile drive from the five existing stations in the communi ties, he said. Dunwoody officials propose the au thority be overseen by a board com posed of the mayors of the four cities and three of the city managers, Nall said. The fourth city manager would act as an administrator for the board, he said. “We always talk about the “Three P’s’ — ‘parks, paving and police,”’ he said. “It’s time to change that to ‘parks, pav ing and public safety,’ to include fire ser vices,” he said. Dunwoody Government Calendar The Dunwoody City Council usually meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Dunwoody City Hall located at 41 Perimeter Center East Suite No. 103. For a complete and up to date schedule of Dunwoody City meetings, visit http://www.dunwoodyga.gov/Residents/Calendar.aspx View our Digital Editions on your smartphone or tablet 1T> ReporterNewspapers.net 2 | MARCH8 — MARCH21, 2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
