Residents of Chamblee will vote on a $30 million bond referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot to pay for parks and trails, which stands to raise taxes about $118 for the average homeowner. 

Chamblee has added over 12,000 new residents in the last 10 years and more than doubled its size, making it the fastest growing city in DeKalb County. The parks are in desperate need of restoration, the city says, from improving safety with lighting to streambank restoration and trail construction. 

The city’s 2016 parks and recreation master plan estimated needs at $58 million. Now, needs are estimated to cost over $100 million – with $71 million for trails alone – according to the Chamblee Trails Master Plan adopted in April 2023. 

The referendum is being supported by the Chamblee City Council based on a survey in which less than 1% of the city’s population participated. 

Chamblee hired Trust Public Lands (TPL) in September 2023 to research the feasibility of a general obligation bond up to $30 million. According to a memo, TPL worked with staff and bond counsel to develop language for a ballot measure and crafted a public opinion survey. 

Of the 33,000 residents in Chamblee, 200 “likely voters” responded to a survey conducted through phone calls and text messages. The margin of error was +/- 6.9%. 

After answering two basic questions about voting, respondents were asked: “Shall the City of Chamblee issue up to $30,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its general obligation bonds for the purpose of financing the design, acquisition, construction, equipping and/or improvement of parks, trails and outdoor recreational areas, the costs of issuing the bonds and capitalized interest on the bonds?” 

The results showed 73.6% would “definitely” or “probably” vote yes to the bond referendum, 13.4% would vote against it, and 13% are undecided. Respondents also indicated they trust the Chamblee City Council to spend wisely (65%) and that the city is growing at an appropriate rate (63%).  

City staff received the results of the survey in May, and moved forward with the procedure to add a referendum to the November ballot. In June, Chamblee City Council approved a resolution to add the referendum to the ballot.

In a letter to Chamblee City Council TPL stated the likelihood the referendum will pass is high, and recommended “communicating the intent to provide full public disclosure of all project spending (84% more likely to support if included), to conduct regular audits of the program (84% more likely), and to seek matching funds from county, state and/or federal sources (78% more likely). We suggest including some details on accountability measures in the adopting resolution or ordinance, to assure transparency to the public.”

Several public information sessions are being held in October around the city.

Chamblee’s website states that the average homeowner, with a residential value of $499,000, would pay $118 per year if the bond referendum passes. There is no direct cost to renters. If the referendum fails, the city will continue to make smaller annual appropriations in the regular budget and through state and federal grants.