Author: On Common Ground News

By Mackenzie  N. Morgan A crowd of residents packed the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 13 meeting to voice their opinions about short-term vacation rentals as the county prepares to present a new ordinance on Oct. 17 regulating the properties. The Rockdale Board of Commissioners heard mixed viewpoints on how the county should deal with the properties, which opponents say are a nuisance to neighborhoods. Vice Chair Doreen Williams ran the meeting in the absence of Chairman Oz Nesbitt. Rockdale County Director of Planning and Zoning Kc Krzic provided an update on the developing ordinance stating…

DeKalb County property owners will receive $131 million in property tax relief soon. Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson has announced that property tax bills will be mailed the week of Aug. 12. “DeKalb is committed to delivering high-quality services while providing substantial property tax reductions for the second consecutive year,” said DeKalb County CEO . The county rolled back the Combined Countywide Operational rate, which was 10.364 mills in Fiscal Year 2018 to 9.952 mills in Fiscal Year 2019, reducing the rate by 0.412 mills. The projected value of the millage rate rollback is $12 million, which will provide a…

On Aug. 4, at approximately 3 p.m., the two females pictured entered Home Depot, 1330 Dogwood Drive, and made a fraudulent purchase by using someone else’s Home Depot credit card information. Any information leading to the arrest of the suspects may result in a cash reward of up to $2,000. Tipsters will remain anonymousand are asked to contact Crime Stoppers with anyinformation: Call 404-577-TIPS (8477). Click: www.CrimeStoppersAtlanta.org Fraud  

The City of Conyers has banned booting—the practice in which private companies use mechanical locking devices on unauthorized vehicles that have parked in privately-owned parking lots. The City Council recently passed an ordinance prohibiting the practice at the recommendation of the Conyers Police Department. Conyers Police Chief Gene Wilson called for action, saying that the regulation of the booting practice has become increasingly difficult to regulate. He said recent incidents involving booting companies have created a drain on public safety resources. “The experiences our officers and citizens have had with booting companies have often been contentious and the fines…

The Decatur Library will host Sam Wheelock for a song writing workshop and performance on Tuesday, Aug. 27 in the library’s auditorium, 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur. The workshop will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. followed by a performance at 7:15 p.m. Sam Wheelock is an blend of the many musical influences of the Eastern Tennessee Mountains. He recalls members of the Carter Family playing in the front yard of a family home but also the influences of mountain blues and jazz. The event is funded by the Friends of the Decatur Library and is free to the public.…

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson will host a  summit focused on the multi-billion dollar creative arts industry on Aug. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. Industry leaders in the creative field from the metro Atlanta area will share their insights in plenary and breakout sessions on how to break into this multi-billion dollar industry and turn your passion into your profession. Some of the money makers include video and music production, web development and UX/UI design. The creative industry in Georgia generated a $62.5 billion in total economic impact…

Mayor Deborah Jackson and DeKalb Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson Mark your calendars for the 4thAnnual Community Fun Day and Fish Fry on Saturday, Aug. 31, noon to 2 p.m. on Main Street in Lithonia. The City of Lithonia Mayor Deborah Jackson and DeKalb Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson will co-host the event. There will be a petting zoo, horseback riding and other activities for the children with line dancing for the adults.

Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful (KCRB) will host its Electronics Recycling and Paper Shredding for Rockdale residents and business owners. The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 7, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., oruntil the shredding truck is full, in the parking lot of 1400 Parker Road, Conyers. The free, half-day event will provide the public a place to safely discard and recycle old documents and electronics, regardless of working condition. There is a maximum of 4 banker boxes per vehicle allowed for paper shredding, and participants must provide photo ID as proof of an address in the Countyfor both…

The Rockdale County UGA Cooperative Extension Office will host the first Rockdale County Food and Science Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Pine Street Elementary School, 500 Sigman Road, Conyers. The free event will showcase all three program areas of UGA Cooperative Extension: Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS), and 4-H. The goal is to highlight the relationship between food production and consumption and the impact it has on the body and mind in a fun festival-style event. Attendees will be able to navigate a path through more than 15 different…

The six-week annual summer “volunteen” program at Piedmont Rockdale Hospital recently concluded with students receiving scholarships during the Volunteen Awards Ceremony. The volunteen program is organized and overseen by the hospital’s Volunteer Auxiliary. This summer, two returning students received scholarships totaling $3,000 to further their education in medicine. Jaylynn Caudle will be attending Augusta University in the fall and plans to pursue a medical degree. She has hopes of becoming an OB/GYN physician. Caudle has served more than 64 hours through the volunteen program and was recognized as the Rockdale Career Academy Healthcare Student of the Year. Jazmyn Flakes will…