Efforts to create a new city out of the vast unincorporated areas of south Fulton failed once again this legislative session, but supporters say they’ll try again.
The problem is, they fear, last week’s defeat could make their job harder.
With another year to wait until the General Assembly takes up the cause again, Atlanta and other cities have time to chip away at the unincorporated area through annexations, possibly undermining plans to create a new city out of what’s left.
“I wouldn’t say this is our last opportunity,” said Rep. Roger Bruce, D-Atlanta. “But it gets more and more difficult because pieces get snatched up.”
The Senate killed House Bill 514 on the final day of the legislative session. Though the vote was 22-7 in favor of the bill, it needed at least 29 votes to pass.
Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, spoke against the bill. He said a majority of his constituents in unincorporated Fulton opposed the creation of a new city.
“This is a bad bill,” Fort said before the vote. “It’s a bad bill for Fulton County.”
Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta, argued that South Fulton residents should be able to decide for themselves whether forming a city made sense. But she failed to muster enough votes to pass the measure.
The bill would have allowed South Fulton residents to vote in November on whether to form a city of roughly 90,000 people out of the last remaining areas of unincorporated Fulton County. The area originally covered about 105 acres south of Atlanta, north of Chattahoochee Hills and west of College Park.
The Senate vote was just the latest setback for South Fulton supporters. Voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to form a city in 2007. And a similar bill passed the House last year but died without a vote in the Senate.
Already several cities have chipped away at unincorporated Fulton. The largest: Chattahoochee Hills recently took a 4,920-acre chunk out of the proposed city.
Supporters say annexations to date have not affected the viability of the proposed city. But bigger annexations may be forthcoming.
The City of Atlanta has proposed taking at least 20,000 South Fulton residents into the city. A bill that would have allowed a vote on that annexation died in the General Assembly. But Mayor Kasim Reed also has filed a lawsuit that could pave the way for Atlanta to annex the Fulton County Industrial District.
Both moves signal the city’s desire for a significant expansion into South Fulton. Supporters of a City of South Fulton say an Atlanta annexation of that magnitude could undermine the viability of the new city. The only way to know for sure, according to Bruce, would be to pay for a $30,000 feasibility study.
Not everyone is discouraged. Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, supports the proposed city and said he isn’t worried about its long-term prospects.
“It took Sandy Springs 30 years” to incorporate, he said.
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