Avondale, Like Decatur, Won't Pursue Annexation This Year

AVONDALE ESTATES, GA -- Following in the footsteps of neighboring Decatur, officials in Avondale Estates say they, too, will take a break from the push to annex new territory this year.

“Upon discussion and mutual agreement with our state leaders, the board of mayor and commissioners has decided not to pursue annexation plans for the remaining 2016 year,” Avondale Mayor Jonathan Elmore said in a statement released by the city on Thursday.

“We believe annexation can be a positive means for the growth of the city and we will revisit annexation plans in the future.”

A little over a week ago, Decatur also said it will not pursue annexation in 2016.

Any annexation effort would need to be approved by the appropriate delegation of state lawmakers before the end of the Georgia legislature’s session, which is going on now. But, during this election-year session, there’s not believed to be much appetite in the General Assembly for the complicated, and often controversial, business of annexation.

Decatur, Avondale and Atlanta all have been aggressively looking to add turf in unincorporated DeKalb County over the past couple of years. But, so far, none of those efforts have gotten the consensus in the legislature needed to send it to a vote by residents in the impacted areas.