Zoe Seiler

2 months ago | decaturish.com | Zoe Seiler

DECATUR, Ga. — UNICEF USA recognized Decatur as a child-friendly city on March 21. Decatur is the third municipality in the United States to receive the designation through UNICEF’s Child Friendly City Initiative. Houston, Texas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, have also achieved child-friendly city recognition. The Child Friendly Cities Initiative, created in 1996, establishes a framework for prioritizing the creation of safer, healthier, more inclusive, and child-responsive cities around the world.

2 months ago | wabe.org | Zoe Seiler |Patrick Saunders

The Decatur City Commission on Monday approved an agreement with JHC Corporation for about $7 million to construct the renovations to the Decatur Square. The city commission also set a project budget of $8.5 million for the Square renovation and approved a $150,000 agreement with Ascension Program Management. Ascension will support the city staff in providing additional oversight of the construction. Decatur received two bids for the construction, and JHC Corporation was the lowest bid.

Feb 26, 2025 | wabe.org | Zoe Seiler |Meimei Xu

The DeKalb County Commission, at its Feb. 25 regular meeting, approved a 10 percent water and sewer rate increase every year over the next 10 years. Commissioners approved the rate increase with a 5-2 vote, with Commissioners Michelle Long Spears and Nicole Massiah opposing. The 10 percent water and sewer rate increase will fund some of the water and sewer operations and maintenance, debt service, and the capital improvement plan for 2025 to 2034.

Feb 25, 2025 | wabe.org | Zoe Seiler |Meimei Xu

The Decatur Police Department has issued fewer speeding citations since the speed cameras in school zones went live in November 2024. State lawmakers, however, are attempting to ban the cameras because of complaints that it’s hard to fight the fines and concerns about the large amounts of revenue the cameras generate. The state House Motor Vehicles committee recommended that House Bill 225 be passed during its meeting on Feb. 18. Over 100 representatives signed on to Rep.

Feb 25, 2025 | decaturish.com | Zoe Seiler

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County police officers will get a pay raise effective March 1. County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson recently shared various plans to retain and recruit officers for the understaffed police department. Overall, the CEO plans to invest about $10 million in the recruitment efforts. The county currently has 531 police officers on staff but funded 841 officers in the budget. At a DeKalb House Delegation meeting on Feb.