There was a time, Fulton County Chairman John Eaves said Thursday, when the county “did not always leave the best of impressions.”
In recent years, though, leaders decided to change their priorities and the way the county does business. It's made a difference, Eaves said. Fulton County "is in better shape now than it has ever been, in many years."
“We have one of the best county commissions in the country,” Eaves said in his State of the County speech. “We’re different, we have opinions. … With all that diversity, all those differences, we sure make some great lemonade in Fulton County.”
As recently as this legislative session, the county has contended with proposals to split it into two, and create Milton County from the northern portion. The legislature, in years past, has worked to wrest away some local control, so displeased were lawmakers with the county's direction. Fulton's leadership was plagued by constant in-fighting and issues like botched elections and poor oversight that allowed money to be misspent.
Eaves spent the speech talking about the priority areas commissioners chose to focus their energy on — safety, health, economic opportunity, recreation and culture, self-sufficiency and sound government. He highlighted the sales tax for transportation that the county is pushing for a vote on later this year and the creation of Select Fulton as an economic development arm. He also made note of an increase in HIV testing and the work the county is doing to reduce the number of heroin deaths.
Eaves also mentioned a plan to increase energy efficiency in county buildings and spend the money that is saved to train employees. The county is currently in the midst of assessing its buildings to decide which to sell and which to repair.
The county is creating a technology investment advisory council that will aim to increase the amount of tech businesses that locate in the southern part of the county. In his speech, Eaves noted that 70 percent of the nation’s financial transactions take place in the state, with the lion’s share happening in Fulton County. The council, he said after the speech, will help share some of the jobs bounty county-wide. Now, most of the financial technology jobs are located in North Fulton.
“To have a seesaw and have one side of the seesaw up and the other down is not a good thing,” Eaves said. “It’s a deliberate attempt to spread the sector.”
The chairman also announced a council on cybersecurity, which will aim to better secure residents’ information and protect data from cyber thieves.
Additionally, Eaves used the forum to set goals for 2020. By then, he said, he hopes both recidivism and homelessness are down and the youth literacy and employment rates are up. The county should have also enhanced its readiness for homeland security issues and increased the resources available to prevent and control communicable diseases.
He will also continue to focus on restoring trust in government, Eaves said.
“This year has had Fulton County take a long, hard look at the way we operate,” Vice Chairman Liz Hausmann said. “We have found we all share a desire for a successful Fulton County government. Under the chairman’s leadership, we have made great progress.”
Susan Bacon, the president and CEO of Palmetto Grant Consulting, said she was happy to see that each commissioner took responsibility for some of the county’s goals. Fulton, she said, seems to be pulling itself together.
“It’s like Fulton is coming into the light,” she said. “They’re finally getting their act together.”
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