Author: On Common Ground News

Two Rockdale County Commissioners say they have serious concerns about a $297,000 contract Chairman Oz Nesbitt is proposing to give an Atlanta company to supervise 56 children of county government workers for 82 days while the students attend classes virtually. Commissioner Sherri L. Washington and Doreen Williams say the contract was never put out for bid or presented to them for ratification by Nesbitt, who chairs the three-member Board of Commissioners. Nesbitt is proposing to give the contract to Positive Outcomes, LLC, which ran his five-day summer youth enrichment program in 2019. More than 30 rising sixth graders attended the…

Today, Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced that the State of Georgia successfully sold $1.133 billion in two different series of general obligation bonds to fund new construction projects and equipment, make repairs and renovations to existing facilities, and purchase and retire outstanding bonds to achieve debt service savings. “Georgia works diligently to maintain our coveted triple-A bond rating,” said Gov. Kemp. “I am incredibly proud of our state’s fiscal responsibility and efficient use of taxpayer resources, and I commend Lieutenant Gov. Geoff Duncan, Speaker David Ralston, and the General Assembly for their partnership to maintain Georgia’s strong financial track record.…

Rockdale County Commissioner Sherri L. Washington is inviting the public to participate in a virtual discussion relating to the setting of the Millage rate on Thursday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m., via the Rockdale County Government Official Facebook Page. Participants will hear from Commissioner Washington, Tax Commissioner Tisa Smart-Washington, Tax Assessor Will Barkley and Finance Director Roselyn Miller about the topic. The public can submit questions via email with subject line Millage Rate to: sherri.washington@rockdalecountyga.gov. The livestreamed meeting will ensure the public gets their questions answered prior to the Board of Commissioners setting the millage rate, which is scheduled to occur…

The Stonecrest Housing Authority will have a Special Called meeting on Friday, August 21, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss Workforce Housing. The meeting will be held via Zoom.

A DeKalb County Sanitation Division administrative building employee has tested positive for COVID-19. All employees who work in the administrative office and who may have come in contact with that employee will be tested and quarantined according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Additionally, the Sanitation Division’s administrative building has been sanitized. Customers seeking sanitation services can call 404-294-2900 or use the following email options: Commercial service – CommercialService@dekalbcountyga.gov New residential service – NewResidentialService@dekalbcountyga.gov Roll cart requests or inquiries – Sanitation3720@dekalbcountyga.gov All other inquiries or requests not listed above – Sanitation@dekalbcountyga.gov To submit bulky item or special collection…

STONECREST—If you love steamed crabs, check out Annie’s Crab Kingdom, 6768 Browns Mill Road. Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, yep, DeKalb County Commissioner, is the owner of the new restaurant, which opened about three weeks ago.  Annie’s, named for Cochran-Johnson’s auntie, gets an A+ for a superb meal and awesome service. 470-545-0230 https://youtu.be/eu_6JM54sSQ

The City of Stonecrest and Kasoa, Ghana officially became sister cities on today (Aug. 19) during a virtual conference that was held via Zoom. Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and Kasoa Mayor Michael Mensah signed a Memorandum of Understanding to forge a friendship to promote common prosperity, and open the channels for cultural exchange, tourism, education, and other opportunities to benefit citizens and businesses in both cities. “It’s an honor to share our different operational and municipal ideas. Mayor Mensah and I are committed to growing this relationship to a world-class opportunity between our countries,” Mayor Lary said. Lary said that…

Moody’s Investors Service, a bond credit rating agency, has upgraded DeKalb County’s credit rating. Moody’s upgraded the rating on DeKalb’s outstanding (general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) bonds to Aa2, up from Aa3. The upgrade affects $226 million in outstanding general obligation bonds. Moody’s reported on Aug. 17 that it upgraded DeKalb’s rating because of the county’s “healthy and improved financial position driven by solid management and conservative budgeting.” “The stable outlook reflects the expectation that the county’s financial position will remain sound because of conservative budget assumptions and commitment to maintaining structural balance,” Moody’s stated. “We do not see any…

Pictured: Pastor Jamal Bryant and Dr. Damon Kimes  “Married to Medicine’”s Dr. Damon Kimes brings free mobile COVID-19 testing to Stonecrest After a two-week hiatus, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 6400 Woodrow Road, Stonecrest will re-launch its weekly food pantry on Saturday, Aug. 22,  beginning at 10 a.m. The King’s Table food pantry, which was briefly paused during the church’s annual sabbatical, provides an array of free groceries, fresh produce and shelf-stable items to approximately 8,000 individuals each week. All items are available on a first-come, first-served basis. “For many individuals…

Rockdale County residents are applauding Commissioner Sherri Washington for the $600,000 in upgrades at Pine Log Park, 1451 Pine Log Road, Conyers. Thanks to Washington’s push to use SPLOST dollars(special purpose local option sales tax) to enhance the park, the public is enjoying four new lighted tennis courts, a new junior basketball court, upgraded lighting on a large basketball court,  new bleachers, playground equipment and new sidewalks, to name a few of the park’s improvements. “Quality of life is one of my main initiatives,” said Washington. “I pushed aggressively for the renovation of the tennis courts because they were in…