DeKalb County gives nod to reproductive care plan ► PAGE 7
September 4, 2025 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976
Panel nixes effort for reconstituting ambulance service in DeKalb County By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Northern DeKalb County cities, including Dunwoody, will have to wait for a solution to address lags with ambulance response times after a regional EMS council disbanded a subcommittee studying the issue in August. Currently, all of DeKalb County receives emergency medical services through the Fire-Rescue Department’s contract with American Medical Response. Dunwoody leaders raised issues about ambulance availability in northern DeKalb County before the COVID-19 pandemic, and now Brookhaven leaders have joined the chorus. In 2023, the state EMS Advisory Council and Department of Public Health denied the city of Brookhaven’s request to operate its own ambulance service, instead giving DeKalb County six months to improve response times. Last July, a Brookhaven resident was pronounced dead at the hospital after it took an ambulance more than 25 minutes to respond his location.
See PANEL, Page 15
Municipal Court offers September amnesty DUNWOODY, Ga. — Throughout September, the Dunwoody Municipal Court will hold its annual Amnesty Program for individuals with past-due traffic citations or active bench warrants related to a failure to appear in court. The city says the goal is to give people a fresh opportunity to resolve outstanding matters while helping reduce the risk of arrest. Municipal Court Clerk Norlaundra Huntington said the program is not a gimmick.
“We simply want to make it easier for people to return to court and take care of their cases without the extra financial stress,” Huntington said. “During Amnesty Month last year, we disposed of more than 50 failure-to-appear and warrant status cases.” For those interested in Dunwoody’s Amnesty Program, the city asks them to first visit the Municipal Court at 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
If fines are paid in full, all contempt fees will be waived. If a mandatory court appearance is required, individuals will be given a future court date, and any outstanding warrants and warrant fees will be cleared. Forms of payment that will be accepted are cash, money order, cashier checks and credit cards, but no personal checks. For more information, call 678-3826973. — Hayden Sumlin
Dunwoody takes steps to shift work in-house By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Dunwoody Assistant City Manager Jay Vinicki discusses how city department heads communicate with City Council members during a May 2024 meeting.
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council discussed a major rebidding of municipal services during its Aug. 25 meeting that would bring 12 contracted city positions in-house as full-time employees. Dunwoody’s five-year contracts for city services are set to expire at the end of December. Elected officials voted 6-1 to table a decision until the Sept. 8 meeting, giving the city plenty of time to approve something before contracts expire at year’s end.
City Councilwoman Catherine Lautenbacher voted against the motion to table the decision. City Councilman John Heneghan took the item off the consent agenda, which requires unanimous support, setting up the contract rebidding as an action item later in the meeting. “The item before us tonight is for contract approval. Why are there no contracts in the packet?” Heneghan asked staff. “I’m looking at what we did five years ago, and I’m looking at what we’re doing now.
See COUNCIL, Page 15