DeKalb committee approves $100,000 abatement mowing contract; discusses community gardens and abandoned cemeteries

DeKalb County’s Public Works & Infrastructure Committee approved an annual contract to mow and maintain county abatement properties and launched follow-up work to map the parcels, consider neighbor-led uses such as community gardens, and research ownership and long-term maintenance of abandoned cemeteries.

The committee voted to award the low-bid contract (ITB 2025-137, agenda item 2026-0413) to Flex Landscaping Management LLC for an amount not to exceed $100,000 to provide mowing and maintenance services at county abatement locations. COO Williams presented the request and described the work as supporting existing crews who maintain abatement properties ahead of the rainy season.

Commissioner Ted Terry urged staff to allow commissioners to submit additional problem properties for inclusion and to verify that properties undergoing court processes still receive maintenance. "Just shoot me an email and we'll get it figured out," a staff member said in response to that request.

A substantive portion of the discussion turned to whether some abandoned lots could be repurposed rather than mowed. Commissioner Terry described constituent interest in converting certain abandoned parcels into pocket parks or neighborhood gardens and asked the county attorney (referred to in the transcript as Attorney Phillips and Zach) to advise on legal process. Staff said disposal or conveyance to neighbors could be the cleanest path but that each property requires a case-by-case legal analysis.

The committee also raised several abandoned or neglected cemeteries that appear on the abatement list. Commissioners said some historically African-American burial grounds have been overgrown for decades. Staff agreed to review records and work with the DeKalb History Center to catalog burials and clarify whether the county holds title or maintenance responsibility for each cemetery.

Commissioner Johnson asked that staff provide the abatement-property list broken down by commission district and publish a GIS web map showing county-maintained abandoned lots and rights-of-way. Staff agreed to supply a district breakdown and a web map and to coordinate with the land bank and other internal teams.

The committee approved the mowing contract by voice vote after these follow-ups were requested. Meeting minutes record the action as approved; no individual roll-call tallies were recorded in the committee discussion.

Next steps: staff will produce a district-by-district parcel list and web map, supply the legal office’s findings on property disposition options, and work with the DeKalb History Center on cemetery documentation. The committee plans to monitor whether any lots are appropriate for transfer to neighborhood stewardship programs.