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Community deserves better
Cynthia Houston has zero tolerance for litter on the streets near her Stone Mountain home, and people have noticed. 3
What do you do when your neighbors’ grass is thigh-high or their front yard is a parking lot? Help is available if you know where to turn. 9
The Greater Towers community in Decatur is awash in code violators, dilapidated and abandoned houses, and rampant dumping. 10
Copyright © 2015 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
September 5, 2015
Volume 21, Number 19
www.crossroadsnews.com
SPECIAL REPORT quality of life under siege
Community beautification is everyone’s business In the more than two decades that I’ve lived in south DeKalb County, I, like a lot of my neighbors, have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of consistent county services. To get basic service – cutting of grass in medians other public rights of As I See It and way, clean streets, curb Jennifer Parker bumping, and landscaping – that residents in places like Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Dunwoody take for granted, we have to complain and complain and complain.
There is a curb under there somewhere. This sidewalk on Rainbow Drive between Kings Park Circle and the I-285 overpass bridge is emblematic of the condition of sidewalks throughout south DeKalb County.
Because the squeaky wheels get greased, a county crew eventually comes out – the street looks good for a week or two, and the cycle starts over again. At the risk of sounding strident: Why can’t our medians be cut on a regular schedule? Grass grows on regular schedules, and it has never been known to cut itself. It’s been the custom of DeKalb County government/Georgia Department of Transportation to build multimillion-dollar road projects with medians and sidewalks – but include no budget for tree plantings, beauPlease see COUNTY SERVICES, page 4
Jennifer Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Neighborhoods suffer from code violations Indifference, volume, courts hamper efforts By Donna Williams Lewis
Joscelyn O’Neil loved the neighborhood she and her husband, William, moved to in 1989 off Glenwood Road near I-285 in Decatur. “I invested my money in a nice, clean, quiet, safe neighborhood,” said O’Neil, president of the Greater Towers Community Association. “Now, I’m disgusted. I’m too old to pick up and move, and I can’t afford to move.” O’Neil is in a constant battle against blight in her 1,200-home community, where decent homes sit next to houses lined with junk cars and huge piles of decaying yard waste. Numerous vacant houses dot the landscape, some nearly swallowed up from view by overgrown vegetation. Joel Edwards, vice president of the King’s Ridge Homeowners Association across town off South Hairston Road, puts it this way: “We’re living in a dump yard.” “When I moved here in 1984, DeKalb County Joel Edwards was clean and green,” Edwards said. Edwards and some of his neighbors have been trying to get two dilapidated houses on South Hairston Road torn down for a decade. He constantly keeps after school officials to clean up their vacant property. But most of all, he misses what he used to see at the turn of the decade when he drove down Snapfinger Road between Wesley Chapel and Panola roads. “Fifteen years ago, you could ride down that road and it’d be a scenic area, but ride through it now and it looks like a sanitation dump,” Edwards said. Across south DeKalb County, neighbor-
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Joscelyn O’Neil, president of the Greater Towers Community Association, has been fighting against blight in her neighborhood for years.
hoods that once had curb appeal now have grass creeping over their curbs, and grass and weeds flourish in the gunk that has taken up permanent residence along sidewalks. Frustrated community advocates say code enforcement is one of the most critical issues in South DeKalb. Pushed by that frustration, DeKalb County is finally responding to the challenge with a slew of sweeping changes to Code Enforcement. Significantly beefed-up staff, new processes, new technology and a consolidated approach between county departments incorporated over the past two years are making an impact, Code Enforcement Administrator Marcus Kellum said. “We had over 5,300 people brought into
compliance just in the second quarter of this year,” he said. “That’s almost half of the number for the entire year last year. That indicates to me that the officers are in fact working with the community and the community is tryMarcus Kellum ing to adhere to our desire to have compliance.” Kellum, who is in his third year on the job, said issues arising out of the recession and foreclosure crisis outpaced the county’s ability to deal with them. “Things got out of control so fast and the county didn’t have the resources to deal with
it,” he said. “We didn’t have enough people to fight it and we didn’t have the tools to fight it. We were operating in an antiquated way dealing with a situation that was changing. It was almost like trying to send somebody a text message with a rotary phone.” Kellum said that there has been more support for code enforcement over the past three years from county executives. “I’m not sure code enforcement was a priority when it needed to be,” he said. “It is now.” A new expectation for improvement was set quietly, but firmly, after Lee May became interim CEO of the county in 2013. Please see BLIGHT, page 6
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Enforcement
September 5, 2015
“My attitude was, ‘What can I do to help you do what I need you to do for me. Tell me and that’s what I’ll do.’”
Neighborhood Warriors: A spotlight on people changing the face of South DeKalb 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007
Neighbors fought for 3 years to get rid of eyesore Danny Triplin and his wife, Denise, had to look at this burned shell of a home at 6331 Windy Ridge Way in Lithonia for three years and three months before it was demolished on April 3 under DeKalb County’s new “In Rem” process.
www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com
Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Assistant Editor Brenda Yarbrough Special Report Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Donna Williams Lewis Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Circulation Manager Alexandria LeKae Ford Graphic Design Curtis Parker By Donna Williams Lewis
CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Advertisements are published upon the representation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject matter of such advertisments, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.
When the smoke cleared after a raging fire next door to his Windy Ridge Estates home, Danny Triplin could see that his neighbor’s house was a burned-out yellow shell and a total loss. It was a sight the Lithonia resident and his wife, Denise HawkinsTriplin, would come to know far too well as months of looking at the disaster turned into years. “ We h a d people who would come over and look at it and say, ‘Is that house still there?’” Triplin said. “After the Danny Triplin second year, I just stopped replying. It was really depressing.” But he never lost heart. Triplin monitored the situation from the start by becoming actively involved with fire officials and county code enforcement officers who were getting nowhere with court citations. He took advantage of every opportunity to plead his case to elected officials. Last spring, he got the call he and his neighbors had been waiting and working for – that a county crew was on the way. On April 3, three years and three months after the fire, the house at
With the demolition of the burned house, grass is now growing on the lot at 6331 Windy Ridge Way. Danny Triplin, at center, much prefers this view from his back yard.
6331 Windy Ridge Way was finally demolished. “It was a great day,” Triplin said. “It was a blessing.” The house was the first private residential property torn down in the county under a new process in Code Enforcement that expedites the handling of uninhabitable or dangerous properties. The “In Rem” process enables the county to step in where property owners aren’t compliant and either fix the issues or demolish the properties using DeKalb County resources. While the In Rem process is commonly used by many other municipalities, this improved process, utilizing Sanitation resources, was
developed by Code Enforcement Administrator Marcus Kellum, Senior In Rem Officer Danny Jordan, Sanitation Director Billy Malone, and the county law department. Jordan had high praise for the way Triplin and his neighbors in Windy Ridge Estates worked with Code Enforcement. “Other than just complain about it, they understood what the In Rem process was,” Jordan said. “Triplin was one of the key people who kept in touch and kept up with follow-up and asked the right questions and didn’t get frustrated.” He said Triplin’s approach helped his neighborhood’s issue get “before top management and then to the people who could get
the work done.” Triplin, who now heads the code enforcement committee of the nonprofit South DeKalb Improvement Association, said he always tried to be patient and respectful with Code Enforcement, even when he was told things he wasn’t happy to hear. “I stayed on top of it, calling them not every day or week,” he said. “I was trying to call every 30 days. If somebody asked me to call them, I did.” Triplin said he just refused to be antagonistic and to bother them. “My attitude was, ‘What can I do to help you do what I need you to do for me. Tell me and that’s what I’ll do.’”
You can help DeKalb put its best foot forward Keep DeKalb Beautiful
A division of DeKalb County Sanitation, this agency partners with groups for litter patrols and community cleanups and provides resources for community gardens and beautification. Tools such as pickup sticks, gloves, vests and garbage bags are provided for community cleanups. Information: www.keepdekalbbeautiful.org or 404-294-2010.
SDIA
The South DeKalb Improvement Association has launched a large-scale campaign to clean up litter in partnership with
Circulation Audited By
Have a complaint?
Help is available. See story, Page 9 Keep DeKalb Beautiful. Members are asking people to maintain their own property and the block on each side of their homes. They’re asking organizations to adopt all or parts of roads and bus stops, and they’re looking for volunteers to participate in monthly cleanups. Email SDIAinc@gmail.com.
Code Advisory Committee
This panel of community advocates meets monthly with Code Enforcement Administrator
Marcus Kellum. The meetings are open to the public and allow time for public comment. They are held at 6 p.m. on the last Wednesday monthly at the Clark Harrison Building, 330 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. in downtown Decatur. The committee is chaired by Charles Peagler, who is president of the King’s Ridge Homeowners Association.
Neighborhood Ambassadors
Code Enforcement is redesigning this community volunteer program with tentative plans to unveil it in early 2016. Under the redesign, the focus for volunteers moves from enforcement to education and prevention.
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September 5, 2015
Code Enforcement Neighborhood Warriors
On 9/7/15 Everyone Gets A
FREE RIDE Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Cynthia Houston is committed to maintaining her “route,” which includes Stone MountainLithonia Road from Stonington Trace subdivision to Rockbridge Road and beyond.
This Labor Day, enjoy Atlanta on us. On Monday, September 7, all MARTA trains and buses are free.
One woman’s fight to rid her community of litter and trash By Donna Williams Lewis
Cynthia Houston spends 10 or more hours a week, every single week, voluntarily picking up other people’s trash. Armed with her grabber and orange garbage bags provided by Keep DeKalb Beautiful, Houston works what she calls her “route” two or three days a week. She starts in her subdivision, Stonington Trace, and then works her way down Stone Mountain-Lithonia Road to Rockbridge Road, sometimes beyond. Along the way, she picks up trash from the front of homes and businesses, from empty lots and along the roadway. She fills about six large bags of trash per week. This has been Houston’s routine for the past 15 years. Her tireless efforts won her a CEO’s Community Hero Award in 2013. Last year, Keep DeKalb Beautiful named an award in her honor. Nadine Rivers-Johnson, manager of the nearby Mainstreet Community Services Association, said Houston inspires others. “She’s the epitome of how things start at the grass-roots level,” Rivers-Johnson said. “It starts with one.” Houston, who works full time as an administrative assistant, is grateful for the recognition but is motivated by the need. “Where you live is a reflection on you,” she says. “You are not going to come to my house and say it looks like the ghetto.” Houston says ghettos just don’t pop up overnight. “They are created by people who either don’t care about themselves or their community,” she says. “Anyone who throws trash on the ground, in the gutter or out of the car window is guilty of creating a ghetto.” Since her subdivision has no homeown-
er’s association, Houston depends on help from DeKalb Code Enforcement to keep her community clean. “My biggest passion is being an animal advocate,” said Houston, who serves on the advisory board of the county’s Animal Control division. “Trash is a pet peeve and picking it up is my second passion.” She takes that job super seriously. Here’s proof: Two Keep DeKalb Beautiful Adopt-aRoad signs on Stone Mountain-Lithonia Road don’t list what you typically see: the name of a group. These signs bear the name of one person: Cynthia Houston. When a new bus route opened along the mile-long stretch of road she cleans, Houston called to request garbage cans at each of six new bus stops. She made alliances with MARTA officials, telling them some people would actually use garbage cans if they were there and that they shouldn’t encourage bad behavior by not providing them. “I feel like you should come home to an environment that’s clean and not one that’s making you feel depressed,” Houston said. “I used to get, ‘Why are you doing this?’ People are finally stopping and saying ‘thank you so much.’” Recently, a passer-by stopped and gave her $20 to show his appreciation for her efforts. Houston still remembers what he told her: “He said he told his son, ‘This is the way you set an example. One person can truly make a difference.’” Houston said that while you cannot change a person, you can change your community. “Everyone has the ability to prevent their community from turning into a ghetto when they pick up trash,” she said.
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September 5, 2015
“We will have a dedicated force picking up litter and taking down illegal signs.”
55 former sanitation workers to pick up trash and beautify county COUNTY SERVICES,
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tification and upkeep. Ditto for the construction of multimillion-dollar schools. The DeKalb County School District also does not invest much money into complementing its new school buildings with landscaping that can add to the way students, teachers and parents feel good about their surroundings. Roads don’t sweep themselves, and after years of no regular curb bumping, grass, weeds and even small trees are flourishing in the buildup of composted dirt and trash along many of our curbs. Why doesn’t the DeKalb Sanitation Department own street sweepers to help keep our business corridors clean and, by extension, attractive to businesses seeking places to invest in? Economic development does not gravitate to ugly places so we have to improve our curb appeal if we want to compete with some of the attractive areas I mentioned earlier. Interim CEO Lee May just gave us a tax cut of 0.4 mill, which amounts to the grand sum of $24 savings on a $150,000 home. Had he asked me and my neighbors, we would have gladly skipped the “tax cut” in exchange for a street sweeper to clean the Wesley Chapel Road corridor, even if it was just once every quarter. For sure, a four-times-a-year curb bumping schedule would be so much more desirable than once in the past decade. DeKalb County with its population of more than 738,000 is now an urban county, and with that distinction comes responsibilities for maintenance. It simply is no longer enough for us to depend on rainstorms to clean our curbs.
Where does the buck stop? The county says things are about to change with the launch of its Clean Communities Initiative that will unleash 55 former sanitation workers on litter and beautification patrols five days a week. We are told that these workers will pick up litter and cut, trim and manicure the public rights of way and medians on a regular basis. Bravo! While 55 workers are not a whole lot to
June 1, 2015
August 25, 2015
July 8, 2015
Photos by Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
After complaints about the poor execution of the plantings, county workers dumped wood chips in the tree boxes without removing the grass. Weeks later, the grass had once again overrun the crape myrtles.
keep up the entire county, with smart deployment and accountability, they can make a dent into the obvious problems that plague our major corridors such as Wesley Chapel, South Hairston, Panola, Snapfinger and Turner Hill roads and Flat Shoals Parkway in South DeKalb. Margaret Britton, a special projects manager in the county’s Infrastructure group, said they will have 55 people every day, all day, working to clean up and keep the county clean. “We will have a dedicated force picking up litter and taking down illegal signs,” Britton told East Metro CID board members on Aug. 21 at their annual retreat. Neither Britton nor Sanitation Public Information Officer Pauline Andrea was able last week to provide a schedule for crew
“While 55 workers are not a whole lot to keep up the entire county, with smart deployment and accountability, they can make a dent into the obvious problems that plague our major corridors in South DeKalb.”
hold the county accountable. Why? Because one of the biggest issues in our county is the lack of accountability. Citizens get the runaround when they call the county about issues – and please, don’t get me started on the customer service line, where complaints seem to fall in a deep black hole. Taxpayers need to know who is responsible, and who to call when things are not executed properly. Take for example the mulching of $64,210 worth of crape myrtles that were installed on Candler Road in June in the midst of weed and trash. After complaining to the county, the tree boxes were mulched.
deployment, but both said they are working hard to have the information ready before the targeted kickoff in mid- to late September. It is important that the county provide citizens the crews’ schedules, their leaders’ names, phone numbers and email addresses. This transparency is vital to help citizens CONTINUED, NEXT PAGE
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“Public littering is a big, no, huge problem in our county. … People seem to think it’s OK to roll down their car windows and chuck trash.”
EMCID, community groups, county can create new community vision FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
But weeks later, everyone discovered that all the county crews did was dump the wood chips over the grass. To no one’s surprise, the grass has grown through the wood chips. Why weren’t the weeds removed first? Why is it OK to do that? Who signed off on such sloppy work? We also need to have the opportunity to develop relationships with the people who will work with us to better our neighborhoods and position them for the economic development we so desperately crave. We want to be their ally in this massive job that is facing us as we all work together to transform our tree-lined streets into attractive neighborhoods we can all be proud to call home – again. Britton says the 55 sanitation workers will be divided among the county’s seven commission districts, and each crew will be responsible for keeping its assigned district clean and the grass along its public rights of way trimmed. I am also told that we can expect these crews to rid our sidewalks of the weeds and grass that are flourishing in the cracks, and they will do detail work, like trimming the trunks of the crape myrtles in the medians so their outgrowth doesn’t become a safety hazard. Best of all, I am told that the crews will be manicuring the edges so that grass doesn’t creep over the curbs. I know I can’t wait to see the results. The East Metro CID, on whose board I serve, has made a start by landscaping the north median at Wesley Chapel Road and I-20. The joint effort with the South DeKalb Improvement Association, the Wesley Chapel Curb Appeal Taskforce, Home Depot and others has yielded a good-looking median that could be a model for what can be done across unincorporated DeKalb County. With the landscaping of the south ramp; the cleanup of the nearby DeKalb School District’s Alternative School Campus; and the participation of all the businesses, churches, the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, Southwest DeKalb High, and subdivisions and homeowners between South Hairston and Kelley Chapel roads, working in concert with the Clean Communities Initiative crew, Wesley Chapel Road could become a model for what some of our corridors could look like. South DeKalb desperately needs a vision of what is possible, and I believe that if we work in concert and pool our efforts, we could begin to inspire everyone to get a new attitude. A journey of a thousand miles always begins with a single step, and we can step off and start something big, just as Kevin Chapman and his subdivision, Snapfinger Manor, did in 2012. They paid for the first plantings at the Wesley Chapel/I-20 ramps, picked up trash from the median, and mulched it with pine straw they paid for. Chapman and his neighbors also carried water in containers in the back of their cars out to the site to water the plants. [Read our May 2012 story about those efforts at http://crossroadsnews. com/news/2012/may/25/taking-charge-whileothers-sit-idly.] Those efforts morphed into the Wesley Chapel Curb Appeal Taskforce and the South DeKalb Improvement Association. Now the EMCID is helping to take that effort to the next level. It is important too that the county train its Clean Communities Initiative crew. Workers accustomed to loading garbage on trucks don’t necessarily know about trees, and DeKalb Extension should be enlisted to offer them the ABCs of tree care. A short PowerPoint presentation with photos of the trees in the medians would be a big help. Why? Because last fall when I called Keep
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Last fall, a county crew beheaded these trees in the median near the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library. The seven hardwoods died. The community is waiting for them to be replaced this fall with similar-sized trees.
“If we don’t stop throwing trash everywhere, our efforts won’t make a difference, and the county will never be able to field a work force large enough to pick up all the trash.” DeKalb Beautiful about overgrown crape myrtles blocking the vision of motorists turning into the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, the crew members sent by Gordon Burkette beheaded all the trees, including seven hardwoods. They were beginning on the other side of the median when I happened to see them. A frantic call to Burkette halted the carnage. The crape myrtles survived, but now there are seven dead tree trunks where hardwoods used to be. This fall, we expect the county to replace those dead trees with trees the size of the ones on the other side of the median.
Government can’t do it alone The dedicated litter patrol was created when the county switched to once-a-week
garbage and recycling collection on July 6 and ended up with 90 extra sanitation workers. Instead of laying them off, Andrea said they are being repurposed, “with 55 going to the Clean Communities Initiative team, four for addressing missed collections, and 31 to processing and disposal, collections and administration areas within the Sanitation Division.” Andrea said litter abatement will be a major component of the Clean Communities Initiative, along with beautification. Keep DeKalb Beautiful, headed by Burkette, is overseeing the entire initiative. When it gets under way, it will be the first time in my 22 years in the county that DeKalb government has had a dedicated work force to deal with litter. After years of begging, pleading and lobbying, the South DeKalb Improvement Association was able to secure a grass-cutting schedule from the Georgia Department of Transportation for the upkeep of the median on Flat Shoals Parkway/State Road 155. In an Aug. 20 email to the group, Phil Taylor, GDOT’s assistant district roadside enhancement coordinator, told the SDIA’s Ken Taylor that it will cut more frequently
in 2016. “I want to advise that the Department of Transportation is looking at cutting seven cycles in 2016 which means instead of cutting every 51 days, we will cut every 25 to 30 days,” Taylor said. Hooray! But government can’t do it all. Residents and business owners, who for whatever reason had given up on maintaining their properties, now have to take their cue from the county and begin to care for and detail the sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses. We do not have to wait for the start of the county’s initiative to take care of our own curb appeal. The sidewalks in front of our homes and businesses reflect on our property values. If only out of our own self-interest, we all should clean the curb in front of our properties. Public littering is a big, no, huge problem in our county. I don’t know when or how it happened, but people seem to think it’s OK to roll down their car windows and chuck trash out the windows and along the public rights of way. Yes, I know we don’t have enough public trash bins, but we can carry our trash around until we find one. Recently, I saw a man stop his car on the I-20 exit ramp on Wesley Chapel Road, open his car door, and throw trash on the road. When the light changed, he drove to the QuikTrip at Wesley Chapel and Rainbow Drive to pump gas. The QuikTrip has trash bins everywhere. Why on earth didn’t he just put the trash in one of those bins? In the past year, I have taken to walking around my Decatur neighborhood because from a car you miss so much. I am appalled at the proliferation of paper, beer cans, liquor bottles, fast-food bags and boxes, beverage cups, plastic water bottles and the like that strew our sidewalks. If we don’t stop throwing trash everywhere, our efforts won’t make a difference, and the county will never be able to field a work force large enough to pick up all the trash. Since we are all in this together, residents and the county have to work together to make South DeKalb a community we can all – once again – be proud to call home.
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Code Enforcement
September 5, 2015
“We can look at the system as a whole and see where there are ways that we can fix areas where we have fallen short.”
Common property maintenanc By Donna Williams Lewis
Open/outside storage CLIP AN Carports and lots cannot be used for open storage of lumber that is used or damaged, nor for junk, trash, debris, scrap metal, cans, bottles, tires, salvage materials, unusable furniture and appliances, yard waste, and salvage materials. More than seven days in public view is a violation.
Here’s a list of some common violations of the property maintenance and zoning ordinance of unincorporated DeKalb County. Violations can result in a warning or a summons to DeKalb Magistrate Court with fines up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail. Note: The full DeKalb County code can be found at municode.com. The property mainte- Vacant/unsecured structures nance section is in Chapter 18: Nuisances. Owners must ensure the interior is clear of trash and debris. All doors and windows must be Tall grass properly secured. Weeds and grass must be under 12 inches high. Unregistered or inoperable vehicles n Vehicles must have current registration and Parking on the yard display a license plate or lawful temporary tag. Vehicles cannot be parked on grass. All n Vehicles are considered inoperable if they canvehicles must be parked on paved surfaces. not be driven on a highway or have no resale value Tall weeds and grass (above) are a violation of county code. Other violations (near right) include inoperable or unregistered vehicles or parking vehicles on the grass and the ubiquitous illegal signs that proliferate at intersections throughout South DeKalb.
Photos by Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Code Enforcement administrator identifying ways to address chronic ba BLIGHT,
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Code Enforcement Division activi
Code Enforcement was renamed “Code Compliance” when it was relocated out of the Public Safety Department and into Planning and Sustainability. The division is now back to being called Code Enforcement. Kellum said May was adamant that enforcement is where the county needs to be at this point because of conditions on the ground. May said Aug. 20 that there was no public announcement about the change. “It was kind of an internal mind-set,” May said. “Code Compliance, for me, was too passive.”
More money for code enforcement Code Enforcement had eight officers when May became a county commissioner in 2006. Over the years he said that the division has struggled with challenges of leadership, structure and resources. Today, the Code Enforcement division has a $3 million budget, up from $2 million in 2013. In the past two years, the number of officers has nearly doubled to 40 from 23 officers. Three open positions are still to be filled. “We’ve come a long way,” May said. With all the new resources and staff, Kellum says DeKalb County now has the largest code enforcement force in the state, “and on all accounts we have the most improved service delivery in the state of Georgia in terms of turnaround time.” “Specialized teams and new performance standards are making that happen,” he said. Throughout unincorporated DeKalb, Complaint Response officers are expected to investigate complaints within 72 hours. Since March, 85 percent of all complaints have been investigated within that time frame, Kellum said. Follow-up officers are expected to resolve cases, either through compliance, a court citation or some other level of follow-up, within 30 to 60 days.
Inspections performed............................................. Service requests received......................................... Warning notices issued............................................ Properties brought into compliance........................ Citations issued........................................................ Court fines and penalties......................................... Signs removed......................................................... Source: DeKalb County Code Enforcement
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Uninhabitable houses like this one at 2402 Hairston Road are in the pipeline to be demolished through the county’s new “In Rem” process.
Other new teams specialize in investigating apartment complexes and monitoring vacant and foreclosed properties. Those properties must now be registered with the county, along with the name of the agent who will be responsible for maintenance. Code Enforcement’s ability to get uninhabitable or dangerous properties demolished has been expedited by a new process that involves cooperation among several county departments. Through this “In Rem” process, 30 demolitions have been completed since January, using both private contractors and Sanitation Department resources. A dozen more are in the pipeline, including one of the abandoned houses on South Hairston Road. Kellum has led several other code enforcement programs, including those in the cities of Duluth and Sandy Springs that have received local and national recognition. He is also a board member of the Georgia Association of Code Enforcement. He said he has trained more than 2,000 code enforcement officers in 10 states. In DeKalb, he said that code enforcement officers now have the tools – including smart phones and laptop computers with Wi-Fi connectivity – to do real-time investiga-
tion. “If you look at the stats, it’s working,” Kellum said. Last year, Code Enforcement received 12,265 complaints, referred to as “service requests,” and officers performed 22,000 inspections across the county, according to statistics provided by Code Enforcement. The inspections resulted in 5,380 warnings, 5,844 citations issued, and 10,734 properties brought into compliance. May said they have no control over how the courts act on cases. “But we can look at the system as a whole and see where there are ways that we can fix areas where we have fallen short,” he said. Case in point: illegal signs. Officers took down 35,000 signs last year. So far this year, they’ve snagged 6,360. Kellum said fewer signs are being posted. Officers hope violators are taking notice that their signs won’t be tolerated. In the meantime, May said, Kellum is looking at ways laws can be changed to become more aggressive with the violators. After a strategic review of DeKalb’s situation, Kellum began last year identifying ways to address a chronic backlog of cases, elevate service and enable greater economic develop-
“We have to pay extra for our landscaping to keep their weeds at bay. I’ve been here seven-and-a-half years. I’ve been writing letters about that property for six of those years.” Nadine Rivers-Johnson
ment in DeKalb. Joe Arrington, an early advocate for code enforcement in DeKalb, says Kellum is “a godsend” to the county. “He doesn’t get a lot of credit for all he’s done because a lot of people don’t know the inside workings,” said Arrington, a board member of Pride Rings in Stone Mountain, PRISM. Joe Arrington “They just know that they called three times and nothing’s happening.”
More tickets, fewer warnings Arrington, O’Neil and Edwards meet monthly with Kellum as members of the Code Enforcement Advisory Committee, a group that has worked with county CEOs since the Vernon Jones 2000 administration. Charles Peagler, president of the King’s Ridge Homeowners Association, leads this committee, which is clamoring for even more hammer. “We want code enforcement officers to be proactive in their routine so that when they drive by and see a code violation, they can cite that code,” Peagler said. “The way you get people’s attention
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Code Enforcement
“We have no problem engaging in ‘citation therapy,’ and repeat offenders should be dealt with accordingly.”
ce, zoning ordinance violations except for parts or scrap. They cannot be parked on the premises for more than 72 hours unless parked in a closed structure.
n Major auto repair is prohibited in a residential area unless the person doing the work owns the vehicle. If the work is being done outside of a garage, it must be completed within three days. Illegal signs n Commercial vehicles such as semitrailers, Sign permits must be obtained before erecting school buses and cargo vans may not be kept or posting signs. Some exceptions apply. in a residential zone.
D SAVE!
Did you know? Here are some other, maybe lesser-known code requirements: n Houses, accessory buildings and fences must be maintained in good repair. Peeling and weathered paint, rotting wood, broken windows and screens, broken railings and crumbling paving are examples of bad repair. n Trash cans should be off the curb except on collection days.
About animals n Animals kept outside must be given adequate shelter and housed in a proper enclosure that contains at least 100 square feet of open space. n Animals cannot be tied up but can be attached to a running cable line set inside a proper enclosure for part of the day. n Barking for more than 30 minutes is pro- Public view of junk, debris, tires, salvage materials, and unusable furniture or appliances for more hibited unless an intruder is present. than seven days is a violation. Garbage should not be left at the curb except on pickup days. This house at 1187 Muirfield Drive in Stone Mountain, with burned-out chimney, peeling siding and tarped roof, has “For Rent” and “For Sale” signs on the front lawn.
How to resolve code violations Tips on preventing and dealing with code violations: n Maintain your property at all times in all ways. If you’re not sure about something, check municode.com. n If you receive a warning for a violation, contact the officer whose name is on the notice. Explain your situation so you can work together to get in compliance. n If you want something done about a violation, report it to Code Enforcement. If you don’t know whether it merits a citation, report it anyway. Let the officers make that call. Follow up with officers if it looks like nothing changed. n If you want to remain anonymous, you can send a picture and address of the location by mail, fax or in person to Code Enforcement – no names necessary.
cklog of cases, elevate service and enable greater economic development The Hidden Hills Civic Association uses post cards like this to notify code violators and allow them to correct their transgressions before they are reported to Code Enforcement.
ity
2014 2015 to date ............... 22,000 . ................................15,669 .................12,265 . ..................................5,635 ..................5,380 . ..................................5,478 .................10,734 . ..................................7,590 .................. 5,844 . ..................................3,796 ...........$700,000 . .......................... $650,800 ............... 35,000 . ................................. 6,360
is they have to be cited.” Gil Turman, who led the advisory group from the time it started until recently, is concerned about the longterm effect on children of living amid squalor. “When we don’t take care of our property, what examples do we set for our children and grandchildren?” he said. “What do they see? We’re not preparing them to be good homeowners.” The advisory committee wants fewer warnings and more tickets issued. Some members said judges have been too lenient. The clock tower at the crape myrtle entrance of the Mainstreet community is a landmark on South Hairston Road. But the attractive view is marred on one side by 4-foot high weeds spilling over a landscape barrier that separates Mainstreet from its neighbor, an unfinished, abandoned church erected a decade ago. Nadine Rivers-Johnson, director of the Mainstreet Community Services Association, said the owner cuts the front but won’t cut the side. “We have to pay extra for our landscaping to keep their weeds at bay,” she said. “I’ve been here seven-and-a-half years. I’ve been writing letters about that property for six of those years.” The most officers can do is haul owners such as this one to court with citations. The owner of the church property has been issued three warning notices and 10 citations since 2010, according to county records. Kellum said he stands for aggressive law enforcement but that fines and penalties are up to
prosecutors and the courts. “We have no problem engaging in ‘citation therapy,’ and repeat offenders should be dealt with accordingly,” Kellum said. Ultimately though, Kellum said a stiff penalty and jail time will not change the conditions on the ground. “Citations are not the final answer,” he said. “They are simply a tool to inspire motivation in people to comply. Compliance is the ultimate goal.” Ten hotels and motels in the county have been selected as targets for a “coordinated intervention” that will include code enforcement sweeps of the properties. Kellum said they are located on major highways and thoroughfares throughout the county, and more than half of them are in South DeKalb. The issues at these properties range from broken windows and trash to fire alarm problems, exterior walls and damaged or missing handrails. Kellum said it’s important to balance enforcement with progressive policies and smart application of the code. In that vein, he said officers will work with the hotels and motels to adopt new practices to help reduce crime and prevent health and safety hazards. Going after some violators who don’t comply became more of a challenge this
its use of a novel tool – code enforcement hangtags for doors and mailboxes. The notices remind residents of the former golf course community that they are violating codes such as the storage of their trash cans. Code requires that trash cans are kept out of sight except on collection days. Residents are asked to correct problems so code enforcement doesn’t have to be called. Pauline Dailey, a past president of the civic association, said the use of code enforcement hangtags and postcards is an effort to self-police the community and make residents aware of infractions they need to fix. “Some people get mad, and sometimes there’s no reaction,” Dailey said. “It’s an important thing to just make the connection and find out what’s going on before siccing summer. In the old DeKalb Recorder’s Court, of- code enforcement on them.” ficers had the option of leaving citations at property and mailing them. Now that cases Joscelyn O’Neil sics ’em Riding through her community one day are handled by Magistrate Court, they must last week, O’Neil pointed out an abandoned now be personally served to property owners house on Tulip Lane where neighbors learned who sometimes can be difficult to find. Kellum is developing a strategy to cope burglars were hiding things. For a while, a homeless girl lived in front with the change. “What we do now is step to the next level,” of the house in her car, she said. She points out tires and trash and trucks he said. “I’m not afraid of hard work.” parked on grass and dirt. Over and over, she said, “I’ve turned that ‘Help the county do its job’ Rivers-Johnson encourages residents to in. Nothing’s happened.” At the corner of Sherrydale Lane and become familiar with the county code and become involved in solving the county’s Tulip Drive, where the gleaming new $20 million Peachcrest Elementary School sits at image problem. “Communities that are beautiful don’t the top of a hill, people must walk through do it by themselves,” said Rivers-Johnson, an almost impassable jungle of overgrowth, who serves on the county’s Board of Zoning trash and debris to get to the 128,000-squarefoot school. Appeals. O’Neil said the county needs to stop code “They don’t have any more pull with Code Enforcement other than that neighbors enforcement officers from making two or make other neighbors accountable. We have three trips to delinquent properties. “When they go out for stuff like this, that to help the county do its job.” Some neighborhood associations in- is not a warning,” she said. “It’s a violation of the law that should form residents of county code requirements through newsletters or post them on the be enforced. They gotta have some bite in the fines to the property owners because internet. Just down the road from Mainstreet, the then people won’t keep making the same Hidden Hills Civic Association is renewing violations.”
8
CrossRoadsNews
Code Enforcement
September 5, 2015
“They have cleaned it significantly. They moved all of the open storage. ... I love it when a plan comes together.”
County code officer encounters violations at every turn By Donna Williams Lewis
Driving down Candler Road on Aug. 18, Code Enforcement Senior Officer Ira Ross griped about the signs posted illegally along the road. “We wrestle with these signs all the time,” she said. “We did a sweep two weeks ago.” The signs paled in comparison to the quagmire she was about to reinspect on Ember Drive. After passing the A2B Budget Hotel, she entered a broken gated fence to get to the Creekside Forest apartment complex, where a new buyer will soon inherit a staggering load of issues. Among the approximately 30 buildings is a fenced-off burned-out building, buildings with their first floors completely boarded, broken windows everywhere, trash and graffiti. A resident passing by told Ross her building doesn’t have air conditioning. Ross, who formerly had a career in property maintenance, replied that she was aware of that. Dressed in her Code Enforcement uniform – dark blue shirt, khaki pants and a very large, very official brass badge, Ross walked into the apartment management office. Two women working in the office looked up when Ross politely asked for the manager. The request sounded simple enough. It wasn’t. “I’m just here,” an unidentified woman behind the counter said. When prompted with more questions, the woman offered a trickle of information. “My boss is working for the seller,” she said. “The property management walked out of here a few weeks ago with the files, computers and everything. I was asked to try to come in and collect some rent.” Moments later, the buyer, Douglas Croskey, walked in. Croskey is a partner in a company that buys distressed multifamily property. He made it clear that he knows what he’s getting into at Creekside Forest. “There are a hell of a lot of problems out here,” he told Ross. “We’re working through them.” The officer gave him her contact information and told him to expect to attend a meeting with DeKalb Code Enforcement. Ross documents the overgrowth covering a sidewalk on Sherrydale Lane in the Towers “As long as we’re working hand in hand community. Students use the sidewalk en route to the new Peachcrest Elementary School. with each other, we don’t have a problem,” Ross told him. ‘We wear many hats on a daily basis’ Croskey took her card and took a moment to vent. Senior Officer Menfus Housworth has been a DeKalb Code Enforcement officer “Some of the issues are not just the since 2008. He said his life changed from the moment he got the job. property owner but the people who live “I don’t see homes for what I used to see them – as only places to here,” he said. “People are always going to live. The investment is enormous and homeowners pay dearly to keep complain, especially when they owe money. them. The county has an obligation to maintain compliance within We’re going to put about $2 million in here, the communities, so they employ code officers and police officers to and unfortunately we’re going to put a lot protect and serve communities. Today, the popular opinion is to disof people out.” like enforcement, but when in need these are the first people help is sought from. Officer seeks to collaborate “It is truly difficult to see vacant/tenant-occupied homes dwindling Heading to her next destination, Ross Menfus Housworth away and not being attended to by an interested party. Banks, investors, talked about officers’ desire to collaborate. interested parties seem to use the out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude “My number one objective is not to see toward vacant properties. They don’t seem to recognize the detriment these properties how many tickets I can write but to see what bring to communities they are in. Frustrated homeowners who work hard to maintain kind of resolution we can get,” she said, addtheir properties are disenfranchised by legal loops in the law for interested parties that ing that she tries to help people understand cause this out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude to fester. Occupying homeowners lash out problems and work toward fixing them. at Code Enforcement by making blanket statements like ‘Code Enforcement is not doing Ross gives her county cell number to anything to remedy the problem.’ everyone she talks to and tells them she an“As Code Enforcement officers, we wear many hats to fulfill our duties. We are enswers it after work hours, on weekends and forcers, investigators, educators, mediators, motivators, inspectors, counselors, detectives, on holidays. plaintiffs, and public servants. We work hard for compliance. She has sought help from nonprofits and “We enforce property maintenance, zoning, sign, sanitation, business license, and other agencies for people who cannot pay permits as well as pick up signs from the rights of way daily. for repairs. “We are making a difference slowly but consistently in unincorporated DeKalb.” “I might have to work with some from paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “I might have to work with some waiting for a relative to send a check. Any time Code Enforcement comes to your location, there’s not always going to be a negative outcome. We are not there to strong-arm you but to make sure we get compliance. We would rather not cite you
because you need that money to take care of your violation.” While she’s willing to be flexible, Ross said she won’t ease up on a case until it is resolved. She said she loves DeKalb County and is determined to help restore its beauty.
“When I come out here, I’m not playing,” she said. “I’m one of the heavy hitters for Code Enforcement. When I come in, I write up everything I see.” Later that morning, she was driving through an area off Bouldercrest Road when
Officer Ira Ross confers with businessman Douglas Croskey about the troubled Creekside Forest apartment complex on Ember Drive that he’s buying.
Donna Williams Lewis
she spotted a scene that made her smile, a little yellow house with a dirt front yard on Dobbs Drive. “Before, there were trucks all over the yard. They got seven citations,” she said. “They have cleaned it significantly. They moved all of the open storage. It’s absolutely fabulous. I love it when a plan comes together. It’s a beautiful thing.”
New performance standards Ross is happy to show off an apartment complex on Bouldercrest Road that she said used to be “deplorable, one of the worst on the street.” The East Atlanta complex of attractive brown brick buildings had been cited for open storage, roof damage, overgrowth, dead trees, deterioration and more, she said. Now, the newly renovated Ashford East Village apartments are “gorgeous,” Ross said. The morning drive ends on a street in the Greater Towers community near Glenwood Road and I-285. Conditions there provided a perfect setting for Ross to address a common complaint – that officers pass violations they see on their own without writing them up. Asked to respond to that, Ross slowed down to talk about the houses she was passing on Tulip Drive. She rattled off rapid-fire one violation after another at nearly every house she passed, pointing out issues such as open storage, chipping paint, broken concrete driveways and trash. [See photos on Page 10.] “I would love to get them all, but I can’t get them all,” Ross said. Under new performance standards, officers must respond to complaints within 72 hours and come to some type of resolution of cases within 30 to 60 days. Ross, who was recently reassigned to work apartment complexes in North DeKalb, said she needs to get to 10 or more complexes per day “unless something special is going on.” “I can’t do everything and the house I’m going to is at the end of the street,” Ross said. “What I can do is let a supervisor know that we need to take a look at doing a sweep on Tulip Drive.” People need to contact Code Enforcement in order to make sure their concerns are investigated, she said. Ross got out of her car to photograph and document the voluminous overgrowth she saw near Tulip Drive and Sherrydale Lane. The driver of a passing car stopped to say “thank you,” and then moved on.
9
CrossRoadsNews
September 5, 2015
Code Enforcement
“Compliance is the end goal and enforcement is just a means by which we sometimes have to reach that goal.”
Where do you go for help when violations overwhelm By Donna Williams Lewis
DeKalb Code Enforcement, a division of the Planning and Sustainability Department, enforces the county’s property maintenance code and sign and zoning ordinances. It handles complaints about such problems as the tall grass here at 1367 W. Austin Road in Decatur.
Who can you call when you’ve had it with that jungle growing around your neighbor’s house or the junk car that’s been parked forever in the grass across the street?
DeKalb County Code Enforcement This division of the county’s Planning and Sustainability Department enforces the county’s property maintenance code and sign and zoning ordinances. Its 40 officers respond to complaints throughout unincorporated DeKalb County. Three open positions are yet to be filled. DeKalb’s nine cities handle their own code enforcement. They are supported with guidance from the county and their officers meet quarterly with county officers. Code Enforcement Administrator Marcus Kellum describes his team’s mission as the three E’s: education, empowerment and enforcement. “Compliance is the end goal and enforcement is just a means by which we sometimes have to reach that goal,” he said. Kellum said officers educate by interacting with residents who have been cited, explaining violations and their impact. They empower by involving themselves in the community, he said. Last year, code enforcement officers logged 225 hours of community outreach in neighborhood associations and county commission meetings. “Any time we have an opportunity to sing our song, we’re out doing it,” Kellum said. “We try to support community efforts like sign initiatives. You let us know what you have going on in your community and we will support what you want to get done.” The third E stands for enforcement. “It’s a motivator for people who don’t want to do anything,” Kellum said. Enforcement is a process that can lead to a court summons that could result in fines or jail time. Here’s how it works: Step One: Complaint is filed While the road to resolution can be long and challenging, getting started is as simple as making a phone call or sending an email. Some filing methods require that you provide your name while others – such as
the phone call – allow you to make an anonymous “service request.” When your complaint is filed, it’s assigned a “service request number,” which you should keep handy. Being able to provide it will streamline the process if you contact Code Enforcement later to find out how your complaint was resolved. Because of the volume of calls the department gets, officers will not follow up to tell you what happened with your complaint. They will only contact you if you need more information to complete investigations.
Step Two: Initial inspection Under a new performance measure, a complaint response team member is expected to get out to the scene of a complaint within 72 hours. This officer does an inspection and decides whether to open a case or close it. Some situations warrant immediate citations, such as junk vehicles or conditions with significant environmental or safety impact. In most cases, however, the officer will photograph the location and issue a warning that gives a deadline for compliance. The warning can be tacked on the door or mailed
Contact Code Enforcement By phone: 404-678-3700 By fax: 404-687-3844 By email: codeenforce@ dekalbcountyga.gov Online: www.planningdekalb.net
Filing complaint/service request Click on the “Services” pull-down menu. Follow the Code Compliance prompt to the Code Compliance Complaint System. In person: Clark Harrison Building, 330 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., First Floor, Decatur. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
if no one is available for discussion. Kellum said violators have an opportunity to work with officers. Maybe a person needs another week to get a lawn mowed, for example. “We’re very reasonable in what our recommendations are and our officers do have some latitude,” he said. In the case of rental property, Kellum said
the property’s owners are ultimately liable for violations, even when a rental contract makes the tenant responsible for whatever was in violation. If it’s determined that the tenant was responsible for the violation, both the tenant and the owner are held responsible.
Step Three: Follow-up A follow-up team monitors every case. Officers are expected to reach some resolution of each case within 30 to 60 days – either that there has been compliance, a court citation has been issued, or that there has been some other level of follow-up. Step Four: Citation When violators fail to comply, they are issued a summons to appear in court. Since July 1, when the DeKalb Recorders Court was abolished, code violation cases are now heard in DeKalb Magistrate Court, where citations can no longer be left at the property and mailed. Violators now have to be served by code enforcement officers and/or process servers in other jurisdictions when necessary. If found guilty, violators face fines of up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail.
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CrossRoadsNews
Come On Now
September 5, 2015
Residents who are working hard to maintain their properties must deal with eyesores throughout their community, sometimes right next door.
Deplorable conditions abound in Towers community The Greater Towers community is a poster child for the challenges facing county Code Enforcement. From indifferent tenants and absentee landlords to mortgage-holding banks, residents face a plethora of unsavory conditions.
Dilapidated houses, overgrown weeds, ancient yard waste and other code violations are rampant despite efforts to eradicate them by residents such as Greater Towers Community Association President Joscelyn O’Neil.
Which is worse – the weeds overtaking this house or the litter left in what’s left of the driveway?
This house at 3619 Tulip Lane is so overgrown with weeds that it is barely visible from the street.
Weeds grow amid a cluster of old CDs and cases left at this mailbox at 3619 Tulip Lane.
Photos by Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
This house on Freedom Valley Lane is one of many dilapidated or abandoned structures in the Greater Towers community, off Austin Drive between Covington Highway and Glenwood Road.
On Sherrydale Lane, students walking to the brand-new Peachcrest Elementary School must navigate litter, fallen leaves and overgrown weeds to use the sidewalk. At right, on the same street, the irony of a DeKalb Clean and Beautiful sign next to brush piles and litter typifies the benign neglect found in the Towers community.
Discarded furniture, trash and brush piles are common sights along Tulip Lane, one of the Towers community’s main thoroughfares.
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Emma Earline Shinault filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on October 8, 2013 to change the name from: Emma Earline Shinault to Emma Earline Gooden. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the petition was filed. Dated: October 8, 2013 Emma Gooden Petitioner, Pro se 38 Pine Tree Cir Decatur, Ga 30032 (770) 866-9296
Legal Notices 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16
NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
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CrossRoadsNews
September 5, 2015
Civil Action # ++13CV7660-4++ Marsha A. Clark Plaintiff Vs. Jeffery L. Clark
Defendant TO: Jeffery Clark 3331 Fannin Ct Lithonia, GA 30038 By Order of the Court service for service by publication dated October 21,2013 you are hereby notified that on June 18,2013 the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for: Divorce You are required to file with the Clerk
of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is Marsha A. Clark 3331Fannin Ct Lithonia, Ga 30088. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of, October 21, 2013. Witness the Honorable Gail C. Flake Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 16th day of October, 2013.
10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16
Notice of Petition to Change Name of Adult in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++ 13CV11423-8++
Asha F. Jackson
++ 13CV11423-8++ Emma Earline Shinault filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on October 8, 2013 to change the name from: Emma Earline Shinault to Emma Earline Gooden. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the petition was filed. Dated: October 8, 2013 Emma Gooden Petitioner, Pro se 38 Pine Tree Cir Decatur, Ga 30032 (770) 866-9296 Asha F. Jackson
110/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16
Notice of Petition to Change Name of Adult in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number:
13
Deandre Keshan Rush Petitioner, Pro se 6256 Hilldale Drive Apt 100 Lithonia, Ga 30058 (404)-552-2098
Gail C. Flake
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public notice DEKALB COUNTY VOLUNTEER AUDIT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE DeKalb County Government seeks two County residents to serve as volunteers on the 5-member Audit Oversight Committee as required by House Bill 599 of the Georgia General Assembly. This committee will function independently in conducting performance and financial-related audits for all departments, offices, agencies, and programs of the County. Interested individuals must meet the following requirements: • Reside in DeKalb • Possess expertise conducting performance or financial audits • Minimum five years experience and certified as one of following: public accountant, internal or performance auditor, management accountant; or ten years relevant professional experience • Serve one- or four-year term Résumés accepted 8/24–9/11/15 at executiverecruiting@dekalbcountyga.gov.
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Show Your PRIDE, South DeKalb! R Don’t Litter R Mow, Trim & Paint R Clean the Curb, Too! A PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE FROM CROSSROADSNEWS
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September 5, 2015
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SALE FRIDAY, TOO!
F F O % 5 7 % 5O STOREWIDE
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TS & MORE! UPONS, SALES ALER bile number, I agree CO T GE TO 7 29 62 g CPN from my mo TEXT “CPN” TO a rates may apply. By textin . Consent is not Max 3 msgs/wk. Msg & dat ting SMS/MMS messages from Macy’s to this number help. Terms & for rke 97 ma d 622 Text HELP to to receive autodiale Text STOP to 62297 to cancel. required to make a purchase. bilehelp Privacy policy at macys.com/privacypolicy conditions at macys.com/mo
.COM! RETURNS AT MACYS EE FR + NG PI IP SH FREE SE. H $75 PURCHA CLUSIONS APPLY; FREE SHIPPING WIT STORE. U.S. ONLY. EX IL OR INFREE RETURNS BY MAOM/FREERETRUNS S.C CY MA AT ILS DETA
S CARD USE YOUR MACY’
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SS WOW! LEPA PAREL! & CLEARANCE AP
ON SELECT SA EXTRA SAVINGS S & SUPER BUYS) IAL (EXCEPT SPEC
EXTRA 2O% OFF
, HER & KIDS PLUS RANCE WATCHES, E APPAREL FOR HIM CLEA NC RA EA CL & LE SE F LECT SALE & SELECT SA Y EXTRA 15% OF , SWIM FOR HER, SUIT SEPARATES LR WE JE N IO SH & ATES FINE & FA OFF SELECT SALE ITS, DRESSES, INTIM SHOES, COATS, SU R HIM & HOME ITEMS EXTRA 10% FO TS OA ICS & SPORTC FER ON MACYS.COM s, multi-pair shoe TRICS/ELECTRON CLEARANCE ELEC O CODE: SUPER EXCLUSIONS MAY DIF specials, super buy erings, furniture, V), OM (ED PR ues Val OM ay MACYS.C , Doorbusters, Everyd tronics, Impulse Buy More Save More, floor covgift cards, jewelry Day the of ls Dea ise, e elec Excludes: d Dallas Cowboys merchand tics/fragrances, men’s stor purchases for her, cosmeexcludes: athletic apparel, shoes & accessories;e on Field, previous purchases, selected license Nik , Also Era s. rug New s, s n, extra discount or sse tion upo ttre loca s/co ma ise/ pas s and ing rch sav me any ge h wit ksta trunk shows, Macy’s Bacorders, special purchases. Cannot be combinedAPPLIED TO REDUCED PRICES. depts., services, specialning a new Macy’s account. EXTRA SAVINGS % credit offer except ope
VA LID 9/4-9/ 5/ 20
15
OPEN A MACY’S ACCOUNT FOR EXTRA 15% SAVINGS THE FIRST 2 DAYS, UP TO $100, WITH MORE REWARDS TO COME. Macy’s credit card is available subject to credit approval; new account savings valid the day your account is opened and the next day; excludes services, selected licensed departments, gift cards, restaurants, gourmet food & wine. The new account savings are limited to a total of $100; application must qualify for immediate approval to receive extra savings; employees not eligible. N5080109E.indd 1
8/21/15 9:57 AM