Author: On Common Ground News

After hearing from 25 people during public comments at today’s City Council meeting, the Stonecrest City Council deferred a vote on proposed changes to the city’s charter. The council plans to vote on the changes on Dec. 4. Mayor Jason Lary is holding a public forum on Nov. 27, 6 p.m., at the Stonecrest Library ahead of the council’s vote. Lary said he plans to further explain the proposed changes. If the resolution is adopted, it must still be approved by the DeKalb County legislators. Faye Coffield (pictured at left above, who opposed the proposal ) and Dr. Barbara Lee…

DeKalb County Fire Capt. Eric L. Jackson shows you how to safely fry your Thanksgiving turkey.  Be prepared to drop it and wait for it for 45 minutes to an hour.

Congressman Hank Johnson is hosting a Telephone Town Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., to discuss the recent GOP tax bill. The community is invited to weigh in on the subject. Wesley Tharpe, research director of the non-partisan Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI), will field questions from callers during the one-hour forum. The call-in telephone number is: 540-409-4375, Ext.37683.

DeKalb County Public Library is developing its plans to meet the library needs of DeKalb residents in the future. The library needs your input. Let the Library know what you think by participating in its survey by December 9, 2017. To take the survey, go to the Library’s website at dekalblibrary.org and click on the survey link.

Students from the Sketching Pad, an art studio at 924 Center Main Street Conyers, tested out their painting skills at the Dairy Queen 1235 Dogwood Drive S.W. in Conyers. The group painted holiday scenes on the restaurant’s windows during the lunch hour.

The November 20, 2017 City Council Meeting will be held at the Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, Stonecrest, GA. at 10:00a.m. Starting in December all Meetings will be held at the new City Hall at 3120 Stonecrest Blvd. Stonecrest, GA.

DeKalb County officials are working on an initiative that would include a mobile crisis unit that responds with police on calls concerning the mentally ill, substance abuse, suicides and domestic violence. The initiative is one that former retired Lt. Col. Amos King, who heads Justice for Veterans, applauded DeKalb County’s CEO Michael Thurmond for after a meeting on Nov. 16 with the CEO, DeKalb Police Chief James Conroy and Deputy Chief Sonya Porter. “We had a good meeting. I’m glad we had the opportunity to sit down and talk,” said King, who had spent weeks pressing for a meeting to…

Bar and nightclub owners and their supporters will have a chance to have their voices heard at an upcoming public hearing. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners (BOC) unanimously voted Nov. 14 to defer action on a proposal to make the last call for alcohol sales at 2 a.m. The deferral will allow for a public hearing on Dec. 5 before commissioners consider the proposal again. The county also placed a moratorium on issuing any 2018 alcohol licenses for on-premises consumption until that vote takes place. Dozens of people wearing red turned out to speak against the proposal, saying…

A crowd celebrated the grand opening of Stonecrest’s new City Hall. Mayor Jason Lary, his wife Debra, and the five-member City Council held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 11 to mark the historic milestone for the newly-formed city of 50,000 residents. Congressman Hank Johnson and his wife, DeKalb Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, were among several dignitaries and officials who spoke before the ceremony. The half-day of festivities included a performance by the Arabia Mountain High School Band and entertainment by R&B band, Gritz and Jelly, as well as tours of the 13,000-square-foot City Hall office space. Attendees…

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners has received a $22,680,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) board of directors. The loan will finance the construction of a new 3 million gallon-per-day water pollution control plant. The project will address the county’s aging infrastructure by decommissioning three water pollution control plants. The county will pay 1.89 percent interest on the 20-year loan. GEFA Executive Director Kevin Clark said the federal water and sewer programs administered by GEFA assist local governments with improving their environmental infrastructure. “I’d like to express appreciation to Gov.…