09/08/2026
Tomorrow’s (9/9) council meeting will be the first public hearing for the proposed FY27 budget. I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the key additions this year.
Of note: this budget is not official until after we have public hearings AND the council votes on it. My goal with this post is to inform ahead of the meeting.
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
• 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀: When I ran for office, one of my promises was to make Doraville more walkable and pedestrian-friendly. The 2027 budget has allocations for upgrading and adding sidewalks throughout the city with funding to support nearly 3 miles of new sidewalks. We also have additional funding from grants to support further design and/or construction for the Peachtree Creek Greenway, a Flowers Road multi-use path, and Buford Highway pedestrian improvements. These are all funded by various mechanisms, with some using funds from the Tank Farm SSD.
• 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀: Funding has been allocated to upgrade playground equipment in Chicopee, Brook, and English Oak. There has also been funding set aside to improve walking trails, enhance safety, and even to consider a full-length basketball court in Bernard Halpern.
• 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗹: We allocated an additional $200,000 to the pool fund. Many people have asked me if we will ever replace the pool that was closed. The answer is yes, but it will take time. Honeysuckle Park is the most likely candidate for the pool, as it is our largest and has the space. A pool will likely cost around $4 million. While I’m looking into various methods to get that funding faster, in the meantime I think the smart thing to do is to save a bit year over year until we can afford it so that we do not stress our residents with higher taxes.
• 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀: Librarian Specialist, Economic Development Director, GIS and Environment, and Receptionist. While our city needs all of these roles, I am particularly excited about an economic developer helping activate our new downtown and surrounding areas as Doraville continues to grow.
• 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀: Moving forward, new city administrative vehicles will be electric. EVs are extremely price competitive these days, and this will save the city on gas long-term.
Earlier this year, we had hearings around the city millage rate. Council voted to keep the millage rate as is in order to not raise taxes. This choice, combined with Doraville being the only city in DeKalb to opt into HB581, resulted in residential homestead property taxes only increasing with the CPI—an average increase of about $35.
Some residents still called for a reduction in millage. While that is an understandable position, I wanted to show you that your tax dollars are directly benefitting you.
Please reach out with any questions or comments! Even if you disagree with certain allocations, I want to hear from you so I can better do my job.
