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Fulton closing departments in South Fulton transition, ending services

Tim Inglis (from left), Brian Epstein, Michelle Macauley, and Ringo McCollum prepare for the first day of building inspections on Wednesday. Monday was the first day of work for former Fulton County employees who are now working for the city of South Fulton. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM
Tim Inglis (from left), Brian Epstein, Michelle Macauley, and Ringo McCollum prepare for the first day of building inspections on Wednesday. Monday was the first day of work for former Fulton County employees who are now working for the city of South Fulton. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM
By Arielle Kass
July 3, 2017

With almost all of Fulton County now part of one of its 15 cities, the county no longer needs to keep its planning department, which helps with rezoning cases and land use decisions.

It doesn’t need code enforcement, either. Or police.

In fact, Fulton County is getting out of the business of city services entirely, focusing instead on big-picture issues.

VIDEO -- More about the City of South Fulton:

This week, the county began shutting down departments — a process that will take place over the next year — when it transitioned the planning employees over to the newly incorporated city of South Fulton.

This is the first time a Georgia county that provided such services is relinquishing them, said Todd Edwards, the deputy legislative director for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia.

“It’s uncharted territory,” Edwards said. “The experience they’ve gone through can be a learning experience for all counties.”

>> To read more about the closures, and the effect they will have, read the full story, only at myAJC.com.

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About the Author

Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.

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