Decatur Won't Pursue Annexation This Year

DECATUR, GA -- The City of Decatur won’t pursue annexing any new territory during this year’s session of the state legislature, city leaders announced Wednesday.

In a blog post on the city’s website, a spokeswoman wrote that Decatur officials won’t push for the passage of House Bill 663.

That bill, which passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate, would have created a vote on whether to annex areas east of the city -- including Patel Plaza, DeKalb Medical Center and United Methodist Children’s Home.

“We have new city leadership, a new school superintendent and new Board of Education leadership,” Mayor Patti Garrett said in the post. “And we need to look at a variety of issues, including annexation, so we will not be pursuing adoption of HB 663 by the Georgia Senate during the 2016 session.”

The city commission and school board likely will revisit annexation talks later this year, with an eye toward next year’s General Assembly session.

Decatur’s annexation plan originally included Suburban Plaza and four other commercial centers to the north of town, on and around North Decatur Road. Those were removed by lawmakers in the House while the bill was being debated last year.