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Have You Heard the One About the Long Lines for Permits?

You have likely heard people in the pro-city group Tucker 2015 talking about how long it takes to get a permit in DeKalb County,  right?

Or, maybe you heard Lavista Hills leaders talking about the permitting issue and the Tucker city group basically retelling the same story but with a lesser ability to sound convincing that this was truly an issue for our mass concern.

Naughty or nice?  Are the Tucker leaders actually accepting a gift or trying to take
something out of Santa's hand?  Either way, the results were only something
to believe in if you also believe in fairies, elves and Elaine Boyer's advice.
If you did try to press them for details, you would have thought that this entire idea about them taking over this services  must be a joke because if you ask them for details, they suddenly clam up.   Blank looks on their faces, they would look at each other... stumped for how to respond.

Decide  for yourself.  Here's what we asked at a meeting held in Dec. 2014, during the short time frame they allowed in a small group type of setting after the meeting.  We stood around a large easel and flip chart with a proposed map of Tucker attached to it and several Tucker 2014 members stood there, chatting with those who attended.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU "PERMITTING" HERE?


Q:  "What kind of permits are  you talking about?  Building permits or Business permits?"  

 A:  "Both," the female Tucker 2014 member replied with a chuckle.  

A:  Then another female chimed in from beside her, " Oh  yeah, you have no idea how long these people have to wait in line in order to get a permit from DeKalb."
Q:  "Is that the same thing as zoning, or are these two separate services," someone else in the circle of conversation asked.

A:  "It's separate," the T2014 person replied.

Q:  "Well, then why do you want to control zoning?" we asked for a second or third time over the course of the last few meetings we had attended.  

 We hoped this time we would get an answer to satisfy our curiosity and convince us that these folks knew what they were talking about.   We waited a moment, and THEN ...

A:  "Well, because it is a good thing to have and it is one of the most cost effective services a new city can control."

Q:  "So, you want it because it is cheap?" we asked.  No response.


 The Tucker 2014 leader excused herself and sent someone else over to the circle to deal with us.

That was the moment we decided that supporting an incorporation effort might not be the best thing to do under the circumstances and leadership before us.

A:  Just then a small man wearing a "Members Only" type of jacket approached us with his hands in his pockets.  Looking irritated he asked, "What's the question?"

Q:  "What is it that you are trying to zone in Tucker?"

A:  "Well, you know that property across from Walmart that's vacant?  The county hasn't done anything with that."

 Q:  "And that's why you want to start an entire city?" 


A:  "Okay, folks, time to go!" someone else said from the doorway.

We noticed they were packing up their gift baskets and the extra bottles of water.  And, that was the last time we had any of our questions answered, or any attempt made by Tucker 2014 or 2015 at feigning an answer.

LONG LINES?  IN CYBER SPACE?


Oh yes, as for the "long lines" for permits, it was recently pointed out on a social media site that the mere suggestion that people are physically waiting in lines for these type of permits is not legitimate.  Most permit applications provided to the county are done so via an online process.  Even the fees are paid online.

What we do know is that many of these permits  in the new cities have to go through a city board and then they STILL have to get county approval depending on what it is they are wanting to do.  So, the city, in this case, really is just another layer of government.  It takes longer, it's more expensive and it doesn't do a thing to protect anyone from a corrupt DeKalb County.


Keep reading Save Tucker! leading up to the Nov. 3 vote on cityhood.  We have the facts!

Save Tucker by Voting NO!
Nov. 3




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