Frequently Asked Questions

(FAQ)

BOUNDARIES

1.What are the proposed boundaries for a city of Dunwoody?

The charter legislation sets the boundaries for a city of Dunwoody using the traditional definition of Dunwoody:  North of I-285, west of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, and ending at the Sandy Springs and Gwinnett County boundaries. 

DEMOGRAPHICS

2.What are Dunwoody's population trends and projections?

In the 2000 Census, Dunwoody had an estimated population of 38,745.  Its population has been increasing steadily in recent years as a result of redevelopment and multi-family construction.   Projections for future growth depend in large part on zoning and land use decisions made by elected officials of a city of Dunwoody or by the DeKalb County Commission, if a city is not created.

TAXES/FINANCIAL

3.Would my taxes increase, decrease or stay the same?

The feasibility study performed by The University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government shows that the city of Dunwoody could operate without a tax increase..  Since Dunwoody has been taxed at rates higher than the cost of services delivered by DeKalb County, the CVI study showed budget surpluses in all but the most extreme scenarios.  Over time, these surpluses could be used to increase the quality of our services or be returned to taxpayers.

4.What is the impact of the 1-mill* cap on the property tax millage rate?

The proposed budget does not include a tax increase to provide the same levels of service.  The charter limits the authority of the city council to raise the city's millage rate more than one additional mill without voter approval.

* See  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_tax

5.Would I still get my senior citizen's homestead discount?

Yes. The proposed Dunwoody city charter retains all of the homestead exemptions currently provided by DeKalb County. Any exemptions under current law for the County tax portion also apply.

6.What percent of our current property tax bill would be affected?

About 10 percent of property taxes go towards providing municipal services.  That 10 percent would be redirected to a city of Dunwoody.  The remaining 90 percent would  continue to go to DeKalb County.

7.Other cities like Roswell and Sandy Springs spend $700 to $800 per resident.  How do we plan to run a city for under $400 per resident?

Those comparisons are misleading because they include the cost of providing Emergency Medical Services and Fire Department services. The City of Dunwoody budget plans for those services to be provided by DeKalb County.  Those cities also provide higher levels of service for police, parks, cultural events and roads improvements.  In Dunwoody residents are accustomed to much lower levels of service and a city of Dunwoody could duplicate those service levels, or increase them slightly, with the revenue currently being sent to the DeKalb County.

WHO DECIDES ON DUNWOODY'S INCORPORATION

8.Why shouldn't all DeKalb County residents vote on this?

Georgia law enables local citizens to vote on local matters.  It does not allow voters outside of a jurisdiction to interfere with the right of local citizens to vote on local matters.  New governments are created by those who would be subject to their laws.  We can vote to subject ourselves to a new government, but not to create a new government over someone else.  Since Dunwoody's residents would reap the benefits and risks of incorporation, they would decide if a local government is in their best interest.

SERVICE LEVELS/WHO WOULD PROVIDE

9.What services would a city of Dunwoody provide?  What services would the DeKalb County continue to provide?   

Today, DeKalb County provides Dunwoody with city services like police and parks, county services like a jail and courthouse, and fee-for-service services like garbage pickup and water.  A city of Dunwoody would assume responsibility for the city services no longer provided by DeKalb County; fee-for-service items would remain unchanged.  A city of Dunwoody would provide services that include police, roads and drainage, parks and recreation, code enforcement, zoning and land use, municipal court and permits. Fire and Emergency Medical Service would remain with DeKalb County.

10.Would a city of Dunwoody provide better services than DeKalb County?

That would be up to the elected city officials to decide.  The proposed budget for a city of Dunwoody provides funding for the same or higher levels of service across the board. Proponents of a city of Dunwoody believe a locally controlled City government would be much more responsive and more attuned to the desires of local businesses and neighborhoods. Thus, a city of Dunwoody would be in a good position to provide better services from a qualitative standpoint, with proper accountability for such services.

ZONING AND LAND USE

11.At what point would a city of Dunwoody take over zoning?  Isn't all the property already all zoned?  How can you change it once it has been zoned?

Zoning changes happen all the time as developers want to use property for uses other than they are zoned.  Often land use is controlled through variances rather than zoning changes.  There are also Special Land Use Permits (SLUPs) that provide control over how zoned property is developed. A city of Dunwoody would be able to provide land use planning, zoning review, and code enforcement.

PROPERTY TRANSFER

12.What would happen to ownership of police/fire stations?

A City of Dunwoody would own the police station since the city would provide police services. DeKalb County would own the fire stations since the county would provide fire services.

The principal is this:  Whoever is providing the service gets the facilities needed to provide that service.  Since a city of Dunwoody would be staying in the DeKalb County fire district, the fire district would continue to own and operate the fire stations.  Since a city of Dunwoody would be providing its own police, the police stations would transfer to a city of Dunwoody.

13.What is the expected cost of transferring the parks?

For years, Dunwoody residents have been paying taxes and repaying bond debts that have funded park acquisition and operation.  We have paid for the parks several times over.  The new City of Dunwoody will need to negotiate with the county over the transfer of property just as the cities of Sandy Springs, Milton and John's Creek negotiated with Fulton County.

PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (PCID)

14.Would there be any adverse effect on the Perimeter CID if Dunwoody incorporates?

No. The PCID remains neutral on incorporation.  The proposed budget for a city of Dunwoody maintains the same level of funding support for the PCID as it currently receives from DeKalb County.  A city of Dunwoody would focus on PCID issues in order to create the best possible business environment for the PCID. It would clearly be in the city's best interest to assure a highly viable and successful PCID.

15.How would a city of Dunwoody including Perimeter Mall affect DeKalb County?

The impact would be minor.  A city of Dunwoody would begin providing municipal services to the area around the mall and would receive the property and business taxes that provide the revenue to pay for those services.  All sales tax revenue and the bulk of the property taxes would continue to flow to DeKalb County. Many people are being misled on this issue by the suggestion that the Mall area would be taken from DeKalb County. This is incorrect. Cities and counties in Georgia both benefit from the business communities within their jurisdictions.

TIMING/TIME LINE

16.What's the proposed timeline?

The Dunwoody-wide referendum on whether or not to create a City of Dunwoody is scheduled for July 15.  If the majority of voters approve the measure then city officials will be elected on September 16 and the city will begin to operation on December 1, 2008.

POLICE

17.How greatly improved would the response be with a city of Dunwoody?

Initially, a city of Dunwoody would plan to increase the number of officers from 28 to 35, an increase of 20 percent, which would increase the number of patrols and dramatically improve response time to citizen calls.  Creating a city police force would also avoid the current situation where officers are called to deal with crime outside of Dunwoody leaving residents with a smaller police presence as officers assigned to Dunwoody respond to incidents in other parts of the county.

18.How would we get extra or special police services if needed?

A city of Dunwoody would create, as other municipal police departments do, an inter-governmental agreement with DeKalb County and neighboring police services to provide emergency or specialized services.   If needed, a city of Dunwoody would pay for the cost of those services based on the negotiated rates with these governments.

CODE ENFORCEMENT

19. How would code enforcement change in a city of Dunwoody?

Today, one code enforcement officer handles the entire North Precinct of DeKalb County.  Dunwoody is approximately 40 percent of the North Precinct. Dunwoody receives less than one-half of one code enforcement officer.  The proposed budget calls for two full-time code enforcement officers.

ROADS, DRAINAGE AND STORM WATER

20.Roads maintenance.  What would an adequate level of service actually cost a city of Dunwoody?

Costs for road maintenance vary with the cost of oil.  The right level of funding would vary from year-to-year.  DeKalb County is falling behind on road resurfacing projects and, as a result, these projects will become more costly.  A city of Dunwoody Roads Department, it would prioritize needed projects and ensure road funds collected in Dunwoody would be used on road projects in Dunwoody.

PARKS AND RECREATION

21.Would Murphey Candler programs and facilities still be accessible to Dunwoody residents if Dunwoody became a city?

Yes.  Murphey Candler programs would be unaffected by incorporation of Dunwoody.

22.How many acres of parks  does Dunwoody currently have?

Brook Run is 102 acres.  The Dunwoody Nature Center is 18 acres.  The Donaldson-Chesnut House and Windwood Hollow Park are five acres each.

SCHOOLS

23.Why would our schools remain with DeKalb County?

The DeKalb County School System is its own legal entity controlled in all respects by the DeKalb County Board of Education.  It is separate from the DeKalb County Government.  State law prohibits the creation of any new school districts.

24.How would a city of Dunwoody have an impact on schools?

Dunwoody city council members could indirectly impact schools by controlling zoning and land use.  For example, a city council could limit the building of new apartment complexes, which have led to overcrowding and the need to use trailers as classrooms. 

ELECTED OFFICIALS

25.Who would manage the day-to-day operations of the city?

The Charter for the city of Dunwoody states that the city would be run by a professional city manager, hired by the mayor and city council.  There would be six part-time city council members plus a part-time mayor.

26.Would Dunwoody voters still vote for DeKalb County officials?

Yes.  A city of Dunwoody would continue to be part of DeKalb County.  Registered voters would elect county officials as they do today.

HOST

27.What provisions are being made to ensure that Dunwoody residents would not lose its HOST property rebate?

The proposed city charter contains a homestead exemption that would match the amount of the HOST exemption we currently receive from DeKalb County for municipal services.  This exemption would ensure that, as property tax revenue is shifted from DeKalb County to the city, homeowners taxes would not go up because of a loss of the HOST tax credit.

FRANCHISE FEES

28.What about franchise fees?

Residents in unincorporated DeKalb County are already paying cable, natural gas and electrical franchise fees. The money collected for cable franchise fees would be re-directed from DeKalb County to a city of Dunwoody.  The money collected today by Atlanta Gas Light and Georgia Power is shared between all of the incorporated cities in Georgia.  Today, the unincorporated areas like Dunwoody and most of DeKalb County are, in fact, subsidizing the cities elsewhere in Georgia.  A city of Dunwoody would be entitled to a share of the franchise fees already being paid by consumers. 

29.Are any new franchise fees planned that could be passed on to Dunwoody residents?

City council members would determine if they wanted to add a franchise fee for telephone services. A franchise fee for telephone services would be approximately $40 per year per household. 

MILTON COUNTY

30.If Milton County comes to fruition, would it be easier to merge with it if Dunwoody were already a city? Would that give us a better chance of being included in a future referendum on becoming part of Milton County?

Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc. is not involved in the effort to create Milton County and we have no position on that effort.

RETALIATION FROM DEKALB

31.What would happen if DeKalb County refuses to enter into a service agreement for water, sewage, garbage or fire?

State law stipulates that a city of Dunwoody would be allowed to stay in the fire district; all other cities in DeKalb County are part of the fire district.  Water, sewer and sanitation are fee-for-service enterprise funds where residents and businesses are billed separately for the services provided.  DeKalb County would be interested in continuing these services since Dunwoody residents would help cover the costs of providing these services.  The proposed property transfer bill does include provisions that would allow a city of Dunwoody to opt-in or opt-out of these services.

32.What if DeKalb County wants to charge more for garbage service or water and sewer service?

State law stipulates that DeKalb County can not discriminate arbitrarily between rate payers.  DeKalb County could raise garbage and water rates, but they would have to raise rates of all county residents, at the same time.

33.Could DeKalb County just raise taxes in retaliation?

DeKalb County would be prohibited by law from singling out a city of Dunwoody and raising Dunwoody residents taxes in retaliation. 

FORM OF GOVERNMENT

34.What other governmental structures have you investigated?

Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc. looked at townships, but determined they would not provide the level of control over tax rates, revenue and expense distribution, or service levels that a city of Dunwoody would need.

GENERAL/OTHER

35.Would we still have to subsidize DeKalb County?

Presently, Dunwoody represents approximately 6 percent of the population of DeKalb County but its residents makeup approximately 11 percent of the tax digest.  Dunwoody residents contribute a disproportionate amount to county tax funds and provide a disproportionate amount of bond debt funding.  This will always be true even if a city of Dunwoody is created.  By creating a city of Dunwoody, residents would pay a marginally reduced subsidy level.

Additionally, if Dunwoody were to become a city, its council members could vote to opt-out of future county bond referendums as the cities of Doraville and Chamblee did in the last bond referendum by DeKalb County.

36.How does local control make a difference?

Dunwoody residents could directly control land use and zoning, code enforcement, law enforcement and spending on things like parks and roads.  In short, residents would be able to impact the quality of life in Dunwoody and direct its long-term growth.