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DeKalb County officials begin demolition of blighted house, say weekly removals will continue
Summary
DeKalb County leaders opened a demolition event near Snap Finger School, naming Tisper Construction as the contractor, citing a $35,750 cost for this removal, and announcing operational changes to accelerate blight enforcement, including split shifts, zoned enforcement and more municipal court days.
DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Cochran Johnson said the county started demolishing a long-blighted house near Snap Finger School on Thursday and plans to carry out demolitions weekly across the county.
"As we bring down blighted properties, we bring forward hope," Johnson said, calling demolitions "long overdue." She told residents the removal of the house at the event represented a $35,750 investment and said the county will "aggressively seek to be reimbursed through placing liens" and selling those liens to recoup costs.
The announcement came at a public demonstration attended by Alan Mitchell, community development director and a member of the county's Blight Task Force, who opened the event and introduced the CEO. Mitchell named Tisper Construction as the contractor selected under the county procurement process and said the demolition began at the site during the program.
Johnson described operational changes intended to speed up enforcement: code officers now work split shifts and are assigned zones, and municipal court sessions have expanded from two to four days weekly since she took office in 2025. "We have officers that are in the field literally on a daily basis until 8PM," she said.
Neighbor Brenda Williams, who said she lives on Snap Finger, told officials she had watched the house deteriorate for years and supported the removal, while also expressing sympathy for the former resident she remembered. "It's time for it to go," Williams said.
Super District 7 Commissioner Ladina Bolton, who identified herself as living near the site, said removing the blight is important for neighborhood safety and the well-being of local children. Tim Hardy, speaking for the code enforcement director, thanked partner agencies and staff for coordinating the effort.
Officials framed demolitions as part of a broader effort to make properties productive again: Johnson said the county intends to transfer cleared lots to caring owners for affordable housing or to place them in the county land bank for sale to restore tax roll value.
The county framed the work as enforcement of homeowner responsibilities and said it would seek repayment from property owners when possible. No formal vote or ordinance was announced at the event; county leaders described the action as an operational removal initiated on site.
