In response to opponents of Dunwoody’s upcoming Nov. 7 bond referendum question, city officials are responding to claims that a vote for parks would result in defunding Dunwoody’s police force.
Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch made several comments on social media regarding statements that are “at a minimum misleading, and at worst, flat-out wrong” regarding the claims made by the “Vote No” Dunwoody group and others in the community.
“Here are the facts – Since 2020, City Council has raised police salaries on average 40%, and we have increased spending on public safety 38%,” she said. “On top of salary, Dunwoody’s benefits are top in the state.”
Deutsch said benefits include a monthly housing stipend for police personnel living in Dunwoody, take-home cars, educational assistance and health insurance, retirement and vacation, as well as a sign-on bonus for new officers.
“You may also have heard that our police department doesn’t have the equipment they need or want,” she said. As Deputy Chief Mike Carlson recently said [at a recent Dunwoody Council meeting], members of the DPD lead with quiet professionalism. When they acquire new equipment, they don’t issue a press release or call for media coverage like some of our neighboring cities, they simply train on the equipment and use it in the field.”
The ”Vote No” Dunwoody website, however, continues to claim that more funding should be devoted to the police department, even though the $60 million bond can only pay for parks and trails.
“Demands on police resources will increase because of issues and development in the Perimeter area and urgent need to patrol neighborhoods and parks,” the website stated as reasons to vote no on the referendum. “Police department is short-handed.”
The “Vote No” group also claims that most bonds/debt “do not improve the quality of lives for [an] overwhelming majority of citizens,” and again reiterates that funding the police department should take precedent over parks and trail improvements throughout the city.
It appears that the opposition has taken down a false claim that 93% of Dunwoody residents oppose trails, a statistic that was taken from a 2013 survey of Portland, Ore. bikers. The statistic was refuted during a recent community forum hosted by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association that led to heated debate.
In a variety of forums and presentations, city officials say that the cost of the 20-year bond for an average household with a value of $500,000 would be about $157 annually.
