Fresh Loaf

Three of DeKalb’s seven commissioners have requested a criminal investigation into squirrelly purchasing practices that allowed two high-tech companies to be paid nearly a half-million dollars for county work without the required commission approval.

Late last year, it was discovered that the county’s Information Services Department had overspent its budget by a cool $1.4 million – partly a result of skirting purchasing rules. A grand jury subsequently found that employees had been pressured to do things they knew to be wrong, such as splitting contracts so as to avoid triggering competitive bidding requirements.

So far, though, no one has been able to explain who orchestrated the impropriety. Is the purchasing scandal another instance of questionable micro-management by CEO Vernon Jones? The letter to DeKalb Chief Superior Court Judge Anne Workman and DA Gwen Keyes-Fleming asking for a formal investigation doesn’t mention Mr. CEO by name. Says the letter:

We submit that a criminal investigation is necessary to clear the air and to reestablish public confidence in the county government’s capacity to faithfully administer public resources.

But the three co-signers are white, Northside Commissioners Elaine Boyer, Kathie Gannon and Jeff Rader – none of whom are political allies of Jones. Coincidence?

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(Photo courtesy Stock Exchange)

Yes, just a couple of days ago I said it would be two weeks, but now I’m hearing from sources and the commission that the controversial retrofit legislation that is proposed in DeKalb County will be voted on this Tuesday. This was confirmed by Commissioner Jeff Rader’s office today.

Chip Ivey of the DeKalb Association of Realtors® — perhaps the ordinance’s biggest opponent — said in a phone interview today that a representative from his organization will be delivering their own version of the ordinance to the county sometime this afternoon. He said the real estate industry group tried to schedule a time to sit down with Francis Kung’u, director of the DeKalb Department of Watershed Management, but has been unsuccessful so far.

CL will be there on Tuesday morning. No word if there are any cheerleaders slated to appear. Maybe awkward dancing plumbers, instead?

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First, an apology for my post last week encouraging readers to attend a DeKalb County Commission meeting that I misinterpreted as a vote but was actually a public hearing. If I ever do that again, rest assured that I’ll be at the meeting and awaiting beat-downs from angry residents whom I may have misled. Again, I apologize.

The DeKalb County Commission today deferred the controversial proposed ordinance requiring homes in the county with pre-1993 plumbing to be retrofit prior to sale, much to the delight of the rows of Realtors who attended the meeting solely to rally against the issue. Upon the commission’s decision to hold off voting for two weeks, the army of real estate professionals — I mean, Realtors — exited Maloof Auditorium en masse.

The ordinance has been met by staunch opposition by the real estate industry, which says it places homeowners and professionals in the industry at risk of fines if properties they’ve bought or sold haven’t been retrofit. They also argue that the ordinance is shortsighted, rushed and unclear. For example, they say even homes that are meant to be torn down to make way for new ones would have to be retrofit.

CEO Vernon Jones said the county is exploring the option of setting up a $500,000 rebate program to help residents purchase the low-flow fixtures needed to comply with the ordinance. The industry argues that an incentive-based program would be more beneficial and effective.

Commissioner Jeff Rader, a strong supporter of the retrofit ordinance, said that if implemented, the measure could save 3.5 millions gallons of water each day.

If passed, look for it to go into effect June 1.

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Tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Maloof Auditorium in downtown Decatur, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on an ordinance that requires homes with pre-1993 plumbing to be retrofit with water-saving fixtures before they are resold. Supporters of the ordinance, such as DeKalb Commissioner Jeff Rader, say water-saving fixtures could save the county as much as 3.5 million gallons of water every day. It was originally supposed to be voted on in mid-November but was met with opposition by the real-estate industry, claiming such a move would shake the market, pose homeowners and purchasers to possible fines or criminal liability, and would not help ease the current water shortage.

CL will be there. From what we’ve heard, Realtors® will be as well. If you’re for or against it, you should try to attend, too.

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A proposed ordinance requiring homes in DeKalb County to be retrofitted with water-saving plumbing fixtures before they are resold is in jeopardy of being quashed unless it gains more public support. That’s the take of DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader, who earlier this morning sent out an impassioned e-mail to various environmentalists and members of the community seeking to direct attention to the measure. The commission decided last week to postpone a vote on the ordinance until the next meeting on Dec. 5.

Retrofitting pre-1993 plumbing in metro homes has been a frequent suggestion offered by city and regional officials to Atlanta residents as a way to conserve water. Antiquated plumbing fixtures waste more water than their modern, more efficient counterparts. According to Rader, low-flow toilets and shower heads could reduce demand by an estimated 3.5 million gallons of water per day in the county. The cost — $450 is listed as a high-end estimate — would be recouped in the form of lower water bills in three years, he said.

“This is essential because we’re in a drought crisis and this is the single most cost-effective thing we can do to conserve water,” Rader said in a phone interview. “We’re not asking people to tear up their lawns or anything like that. This is a win-win situation for everybody. It’s a very effective thing we can do to reduce structural water consumption.”

According to a press release from the Atlanta Board of Realtors, the lobbying group inundated commissioners with phone calls opposing the DeKalb ordinance. It’s another battle in a familiar war — previous attempts at similar legislation have been met with opposition by the same industry. Realtors say ordinances such as the one proposed in DeKalb would negatively impact the market and place home buyers and sellers at risk of being fined. ABR’s offices were closed for the day when CL tried to reach them for comment.

In his e-mail, Rader urged the recipients to contact the other DeKalb commissioners and to attend the commission’s upcoming meeting, where they will vote on the ordinance. The commission will meet in the Maloof Auditorium Wed., Dec. 5, at 6:30 p.m. to vote on the ordinance.

Click here to read the Retrofit on Resale legislation being proposed by DeKalb County.

To send your views to the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, click here to visit their website and access their e-mail addresses.

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