Buckhead should be a city, residents’ group says

About 200 well-heeled residents heartily applauded Thursday as proponents argued the Buckhead community should break away from Atlanta and start its own city.

The Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation claimed Atlanta’s government and school system are fiscally irresponsible and said it’s time for Buckhead residents to decide how their tax dollars should be spent.

“The city of Atlanta, in my opinion, is broke and if we don’t do something about it, it’s going to get worse,” said Glenn Delk, an attorney who, at a luncheon held by the foundation, gave a presentation supporting the idea of Buckhead’s incorporation as a separate city.

Opponents argue that if Buckhead was not part of Atlanta, it would devastate the city and hamper its ability to protect public safety and provide other services.

Proponents of a new city of Buckhead defined the community Thursday as an area stretching roughly from the Atlanta city limits in the north to I-85 in the south and the Fulton-DeKalb county line in the east to I-75 in the west.

Buckhead provides nearly one-half of the city’s property and sales taxes, community leaders say. The area is home to several major businesses, Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza shopping malls and many of Atlanta’s highest-valued homes.