North Decatur: DeKalb's $288M Water Debt

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Hey, North Decatur — big week for stories that could hit close to home and close to the wallet. DeKalb County is sitting on $288 million in unpaid water bills, and if collections don't improve, ratepayers like you may eventually absorb the cost through higher fees — worth understanding now. Meanwhile, a packed week of local events and a wave of construction activity give you plenty to dig into below.

- News — DeKalb's $288M water debt crisis and a pointed critique of the school district's data credibility are the two stories every resident should read this week.
- Business — No openings or closings to report this week, but keep scrolling — Express Oil is headed to Lawrenceville Highway and that's worth knowing.
- Events — It's a stacked week, from a children's book festival and Bug Fest at Fernbank to eco-activist talks, live music at Eddie's Attic, and a Cinco de Mayo 5K along South Peachtree Creek Trail.
- Government — DeKalb commissioners moved a $52M wastewater emergency and a $26.6M contract for three new fire stations, while the School Board is set to tackle the SY27 budget and a new AI-use policy this week.
- Construction — A former warehouse on Glendale Road is becoming a junior soccer training hub, Express Oil is breaking ground on Lawrenceville Highway, and major road improvements are stacking up at the North Druid Hills/US 78 interchange.

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Let’s dive in:

NEWS

Tucker City Council work session to focus on budget
If you live near the Northlake or Scottdale edges of the neighborhood, pay attention to how our neighbors in Tucker are balancing the books. While it's technically a work session, the priorities set here regarding infrastructure and public services often ripple across our shared borders. It's the first real look at where the city's money will go — and where it won't — as we head into the next fiscal year.

DeKalb water customers still owe $288M in unpaid bills
DeKalb County is staring down a massive $288 million hole in its water department budget, a staggering figure that should make every local homeowner take a second look at their next statement. If the county can't figure out a way to collect on these delinquent accounts, the rest of us may eventually be footing the bill through inevitable infrastructure rate hikes.

Dear Decaturish — DeKalb Schools' data credibility problem
Trust in our local school system is built on reliable numbers, and right now, those numbers are looking a bit shaky. This critique of the district's data management hits home for parents in the Medlock Park and Oak Grove areas who rely on transparent reporting for everything from redistricting to academic performance. It's a call for accountability that suggests we should be looking much closer at the "official" stats coming out of the main office.

DeKalb Stars raises $54k for domestic violence survivors
The local community stepped up in a major way this week, raising over $50,000 to support survivors of domestic violence within the county. It's a substantial win for local advocacy groups and a testament to the fundraising muscle our corner of DeKalb can flex when the cause is right.

EVENTS

-StoryWalk® at Mason Mill Park— Mon Apr 27 — Mason Mill Park
-Weekday Winning: Mega Mondays— Mon Apr 27 — Wild Heaven Toco Hills
-Books and Babies Storytime— Mon Apr 27 — Avis Williams Library
-Toddler Storytime— Mon Apr 27 — Avis Williams Library
-Oscar Film Festival— Mon Apr 27 — Avis Williams Library
-Eco Revolution: Maya Penn in Conversation with Hannah Testa— Mon Apr 27 — Decatur Library
-Tuesday Trivia @ Toco Hills— Tue Apr 28 — Wild Heaven Toco Hills
-Weekday Winning: Toco Tuesdays— Tue Apr 28 — Wild Heaven Toco Hills
-Friends of the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library Meeting— Tue Apr 28 — Avis Williams Library
-Lunch & Learn At DeKalb History Center: Images Of America - Arabia Mountain NHA— Tue Apr 28 — DeKalb History Center
-Injustice Town: Rick Tulsky with Cynthia Tucker— Tue Apr 28 — Decatur Library
-Jeffrey Martin & H. Pruz— Tue Apr 28 — Eddie's Attic
-Weekday Winning: Wicked Good Wednesday— Wed Apr 29 — Wild Heaven Toco Hills
-Drop-In Technology Support— Wed Apr 29 — Avis Williams Library
-Volunteer Project— Wed Apr 29 — Woodlands Garden
-David Ryan Harris: In Residence at Eddie's Attic— Wed Apr 29 — Eddie's Attic
-Weekday Winning: Thirsty Thursday— Thu Apr 30 — Wild Heaven Toco Hills
-Lotus Lens Screening: Evil Does Not Exist— Thu Apr 30 — Atlanta Chinatown
-Sustainable Landscaping Volunteer Day— Thu Apr 30 — Legacy Park
-Poetry Showcase— Thu Apr 30 — Charis Books & More
-Friends of the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library Book Sale— Fri May 1 — Avis Williams Library
-Yeison Landero— Fri May 1 — Wild Heaven Beer
-"May Flowers" Group Exhibition + Art Crawl at Cat Eye Creative— Fri May 1 — Cat Eye Creative
-Jane's Walk— Fri May 1 — Downtown Decatur
-Cinco De Mayo Run 5K/10K/13.1 ATLANTA— Sat May 2 — South Peachtree Creek Trail
-Friends of the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library Book Sale— Sat May 2 — Avis Williams Library
-SAVED BY THE BAND— Sat May 2 — Napoleon's Grill
-The Little Shop of Stories Children's Book Festival— Sat May 2 — Decatur Library
-Bug Fest— Sat May 2 — Fernbank Museum of Natural History
-Brookhaven Farmers Market— Sat May 2 — Brookhaven
-Atlanta Comic Convention— Sun May 3 — Atlanta Marriott Northeast
-Sunday FUNday: Flower Myths— Sun May 3 — Michael C. Carlos Museum
-"Cinco de Mayo" Celebration— Sun May 3 — Plaza Fiesta
-Music in the Garden— Sun May 3 — Woodlands Garden
-Pedal the Parks— Sun May 3 — Brookhaven Parks

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GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole

The Committee of the Whole met April 21 and moved a packed agenda of infrastructure, public safety, and finance items to the full Board of Commissioners. The biggest dollars were in wastewater: the committee advanced a suite of emergency contracts totaling more than $52 million for urgent upgrades at the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, covering wet weather storage, membrane capacity, and lift station improvements — the kind of work that keeps the county's sewer system from being overwhelmed during heavy rains. On the public safety front, a $26.6 million contract with Cooper & Company General Constructors was moved forward to build three new fire stations in Tucker, Decatur, and Lithonia, improvements that would shorten emergency response times across the county. The committee also advanced a $142.3 million short-term loan — a routine but significant annual move where the county borrows against expected property tax revenue to cover operating expenses early in the year. Rounding out the agenda: a $250,000 contract to update the Kensington Livable Centers Initiative master plan (which shapes development and walkability near the Kensington MARTA station), a new ordinance that would regulate the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores (headed to committee for further review), and a traffic calming petition accepted for a public hearing. Smaller community allocations — including $100,000 for a John Lewis memorial in Decatur and $10,000 for a cold weather shelter in Tucker — were placed on the consent agenda.

DeKalb County School District — Board of Education

The School Board met April 20 and approved a substantial $27.7 million mid-year budget amendment, the bulk of it covering salary supplements for the current fiscal year — a significant adjustment that reflects the district's ongoing commitment to staff compensation. On the capital side, the board greenlit more than $10 million in facility contracts: $7 million for districtwide on-call electrical services, and a $2.5 million roofing contract with Core Roofing Systems covering major repairs at two elementary schools. New school construction also got a boost, with $4.2 million approved for physical security systems, network cabling, and fiber installation at the new Sequoyah High, Sequoyah Middle, and Cross Keys High campuses. The board also approved $2.4 million in furniture and equipment for two elementary schools currently wrapping up capital renovations. Finally, the board signed off on a series of utility easements granting Georgia Power and DeKalb County Watershed access to school sites across the county — routine but necessary steps for electrical upgrades and sewer work, including installations tied to new portable health units at several campuses.

Meetings This Week
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Committee of the Whole — April 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM, 178 Sam's Street, Decatur (Multipurpose Room A1201). No agenda is available at this time.
- DeKalb County Board of Commissioners — Board of Commissioners — April 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM, 178 Sam's Street, Decatur (Multipurpose Room A1201). No agenda is available at this time.
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education — April 28, 2026, J. David Williamson Board Room. The board is scheduled to take up the SY27 budget framework and a proposal to expand Advanced Placement and Carnegie courses in middle and high schools. An update on the district's literacy plan and the "Disconnect to Reconnect" student wellness initiative are also on the agenda.
- DeKalb County School District — Board of Education (Policy Committee) — April 30, 2026, J. David Williamson Board Room. The committee will review several policy updates positioned for future board action, including a new draft policy governing the use of artificial intelligence in schools, an updated Internet Acceptable Use policy, and a new literacy instruction policy aligned with state reading mandates. A newly proposed "Safe Space" policy is also scheduled for early-stage discussion.

CONSTRUCTION

Permits
- Glendale Rd, Scottdale — $400K warehouse renovation permitted for a junior soccer training facility, complete with exterior field improvements. A former industrial space is getting a serious second act as a youth sports hub.
- Lawrenceville Hwy (between Performance Exhaust and O'Reilly Auto Parts) — $800K in utility work tied to a new Express Oil location coming to the corridor. New water and irrigation meters are the unglamorous first step before the bays open.
- 2685 Milscott Dr — $283K interior renovation of an existing medical office. Significant enough to signal a substantial reconfiguration, not just a refresh.
- Henderson Creek Rd — $225K permit for a front addition and full kitchen renovation on a single-family home. One of the larger residential projects in the batch this week.
- Sylvan Ramble Rd NE — $110K addition on the rear of a home for added bedroom space.
- 1446 Montevallo Cir — $58K revision permit covering a home office addition, deck extension, and concrete pad. The work-from-home buildout trend continues.
- 2240 Lawrenceville Hwy — Commercial retaining wall work filed and closed. Likely site prep tied to ongoing activity along that stretch.
- 1555 Church St — Electrical permit to replace a dedicated circuit to a chiller/freezer unit. Routine maintenance, but worth noting for any neighboring businesses sensitive to that kind of equipment work.

Beyond the highlighted projects, 41 additional residential permits were filed across the area — mostly single-family work — with a combined value of roughly $381K.

Road Work

Under Construction
- SR-236 EB at SR-155 Left Turn Lane Extension (DeKalb County) — GDOT is extending the eastbound left turn lane at the SR-236/SR-155 intersection, about 1.5 miles from the neighborhood. Expect lane disruptions at that interchange and give yourself extra time if you're heading that direction.
- SR-10, SR-13 & SR-410 Bridge Preservation — 6 Locations (DeKalb County) — Bridge work is underway at six spots across DeKalb, covering polymer overlay, superstructure painting, deck repairs, joint replacements, header work, and vegetation clearing. At 2.7 miles out, this one's worth knowing if any of those routes are part of your regular commute — multi-location bridge projects tend to create rolling delays as crews move between sites.

Pre-Construction

- SR 8/US 29 @ North Druid Hills Road (DeKalb County) — A cluster of improvements are stacking up at this busy interchange. One project will signalize the US 78/SR 410 westbound exit ramp at North Druid Hills Road and widen the road to add eastbound turn lanes. A separate project will extend the existing eastbound shared through/right-turn lane by roughly 245 feet. And a third will address a 2,600-foot corridor along North Druid Hills Road between Spring Creek Drive and Willivee Drive, including bridge work over the CSX rail crossing. That's a lot of construction converging on one stretch — expect significant disruption once these move to active work.
- SR 155/US 23 (Clairmont Road) from Rosecliff Drive to I-85 (DeKalb County) — About 1.5 miles of Clairmont Road between the I-85 northbound exit ramp and LaVista Road is slated for operational improvements. Details are still being refined, but if Clairmont is part of your daily routine, this one's worth watching.
- SR 155/US 23 @ SR 236 (DeKalb County) — A restriping project is planned at the Clairmont Road/LaVista Road intersection. Small fix, but intersections in this area carry heavy traffic — lane configuration changes here will take some getting used to.
- SR 155 @ North Druid Hills Road & North Druid Hills Road @ Azalea Circle (DeKalb County) — Pedestrian and cyclist upgrades are planned here: a shared-use path along the south side of North Druid Hills Road and a 6-foot sidewalk along the north side. Good news for walkers and riders in the area once it's built.
- SR 236 from Fulton County Line to I-285 (DeKalb County) — Resurfacing is funded for this 0.9-mile stretch, targeting a low pavement condition score. Routine maintenance, but it means lane closures are coming to SR 236 when work kicks off.
- I-285 Bridge Preservation at 4 Locations in DeKalb County — Work is funded for polymer overlay, superstructure painting, joint replacement, and general structural upkeep at four I-285 bridges in DeKalb. If your commute touches the Perimeter, expect periodic lane restrictions during this work.
- SR 10/SR 410/US 78 Sign Upgrades at 9 Locations (DeKalb & Gwinnett Counties) — Sign replacements and upgrades are planned across multiple spots along this corridor spanning two counties. Minor disruption expected, but worth noting if you travel US 78 regularly.