Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have asked to be annexed into the city of Atlanta. All three institutions are on Clifton Road, in what is now unincorporated DeKalb County.
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“These are nonprofits, so from a financial perspective it’d be very minor in terms of the overall impact on the county budget, at least initially,” DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond told WABE.
He said he’s proud of the relationship the county has had with the institutions.
His main concern, he said, is transparency as the annexation moves forward.
“There will and must be some negotiations and service agreements regarding fire, police protection and any number of other areas,” Thurmond said. “People who live contiguous to the annexed areas, if it occurs, may have some concerns about the impact on their homes, their property values and their quality of life. I think these are reasonable and rational concerns, and my expectation, of course, is that they will be addressed.”
Atlanta City Council will start looking at legislation to annex Emory, the children’s hospital and the CDC next week, according to Melissa Mullinax, adviser to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
She said the city is thrilled with the proposal.
“This is a rare opportunity to bring in a world-class teaching and research institution in Emory University, and two of the leading national public health institutions in the country,” Mullinax said.
The institutions would still be in DeKalb County but could officially be part of the city of Atlanta by this fall, following Atlanta City Council hearings and public meetings.
