Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission, at its Jan. 17 meeting, set the qualifying fees for the municipal elections in November.

The city commission sets the fees for the commission and the Decatur School Board. The fee for the city commission is $360 and the fee for the school board is $35.

Three seats on the city commission are up for election this year, which are District 1 and District 2, Post B; and the at-large seat. On the school board, District 1 and District 2, post B are up for election as well. Qualifying for the elections will be from Aug. 21-23.

City Commission District 1 Post B is held by George Dusenbury and the District 2 Post B seat is held by Lesa Mayer. Tony Powers currently represents the Decatur City Commission’s At-Large district.

The school board District 1 Post B seat is currently held by James Herndon and District 2 Post B is held by Tasha White.

In other business, the city commission renewed an agreement with KCI Technologies for monthly traffic signal inspections and monitoring at 34 intersections in the city. The agreement amount is $46,200.

“The inspection process includes verifying the overall operation of the signal equipment at the intersections including pedestrian devices and vehicular detection equipment, signal illumination and coordination with DeKalb County Traffic Signal Maintenance Division,” Assistant City Manager David Junger said.

Additionally, the commission approved an amendment to the New Street extension right-of-way agreement and accepted the extension.

Toll Brothers is currently constructing a housing development on Talley Street and New Street. The New Street extension is associated with that project.

“The long-term goal of the Avondale MARTA Station Area regulating plan, adopted in 2018, is to reopen and reconnect New Street with Talley Street. The New Talley Station project is required to further the goals of the regulating plan,” Planning and Economic Development Director Angela Threadgill told Decaturish.

In November 2019, the city commission approved a right-of-way agreement with developer Thrive to accept right-of-way for an extension of New Street. The New Street extension will be 50 feet wide and 250 feet long. It will be built as part of a residential re-development of a former AT&T parking lot. It will create a connection between the current dead-end of New Street and Talley Street.

A land disturbance permit was issued to thrive and construction began in January 2020. However, Thrive sold all of its assets to Toll Brothers in February 2020, including this project.

“The amendment will do two things,” said Jennings Bell, project civil engineer for the city. “It recognizes a change of ownership. The development was sold since the agreement was instituted, and it will allow the city to accept the right-of-way in its current condition as opposed to the original agreement that stipulated that the road had to be completed.”

Throughout the project, the developer did all the flat work, the mass grading, and the installation of curbs and road. They then transitioned to building the homes. There are still some incomplete items, particularly on the west side of the street, Bell said.

The remaining streetscape improvements will be completed at the same time as the housing units on the west side of the street. The work is expected to take about one year.

“Without the acceptance at this time, the street would remain private and the dwellings that are fronting on that street would not be able to receive the certificates of occupancy,” Bell said.

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