Some cityhood proposals advance while others languish

Tucker: Population of 35,000 with borders from the eastern edge of I-285 and outside the perimeter. HB515 passed house 128-31.

Stonecrest: Population of 50,000 in the southeast part of DeKalb County that borders the city of Lithonia. Senate Bill 208 and HB539 are pending.

Greenhaven: Population of 294,000 covering all remaining unincorporated land in South DeKalb. SB221 and HB613 are pending.

Time is running out for two proposed South DeKalb cities to win approval from state lawmakers, who earlier this week pushed ahead measures calling for referendums on three other cities.

The Georgia General Assembly hasn’t voted on the potential cities of Stonecrest and Greenhaven, though the House of Representatives has passed bills that could lead to the creation of LaVista Hills, South Fulton and Tucker. They’ll next be considered by the state Senate.

While Friday was the deadline for most bills to clear either the House or the Senate, that timeframe didn’t apply to local measures such as those dealing with cityhood for Stonecrest and Greenhaven.

The communities that are advancing toward cityhood either have Republican support or have been navigating the state’s political process for several years. The cityhood efforts that aren’t as far along are located in an overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning area, and their fate is in the hands of the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

The sponsor of the Stonecrest bill, Sen. Ronald Ramsey, said he's worried because there are only a few days left before this year's legislative session concludes April 2. If the General Assembly doesn't take action, voters will be denied the ability to decide this year whether to form a city.

“This would disenfranchise nearly 50,000 members of my community and my district who have sought self-determination,” said Ramsey, D-Lithonia, as he spoke on the Senate floor Friday.

Rep. Pam Stephenson, who is sponsoring a Greenhaven bill, said residents in South DeKalb should have the same opportunity to vote on cityhood as people in other areas.

“There’s always obstacles, but we’re moving forward so everyone will have a chance to vote on municipalization in the north, central and south,” said Stephenson, D-Decatur. “We have a way of working things out and meeting in the middle.”

None of the cityhood bills will pass unless LaVista Hills does first, said Sen. Fran Millar, R-Atlanta.

He wants to make sure that LaVista Hills, located in north-central DeKalb County, is approved before those cities sponsored by Democratic lawmakers who opposed LaVista Hills.

“I’ll make it simple for you: I’m not going to pass a bunch of Democratic bills when the Democrats voted against LaVista Hills,” Millar said. “If the LaVista Hills bill passes, the Tucker bill will too.”

Millar said he would also support Stonecrest if LaVista Hills advances, but he’s still undecided on whether to back a 294,000-person city of Greenhaven because it would be Georgia’s second-largest municipality but doesn’t plan to immediately start up its own police department.

Sen. John Albers, the chairman of the committee that cityhood measures will have to go through, said he wants to let negotiations between lawmakers play out.

“In government, we have to work together on compromises,” said Albers, R-Roswell, the chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee. “Compromise is a good thing.”

The leader of the Stonecrest movement, Jason Lary, said he’s heard from lawmakers that they want to pass cityhood bills and let the people vote.

“They don’t want any headaches, and Stonecrest poses no headaches,” Lary said. “We have no boundary conflicts and we have a completed feasibility study.”

Kathryn Rice, who is spearheading the Greenhaven effort, said she’s holding out hope.

“There’s still a possibility this year,” she said. “For those who believe in fiscal responsibility, for those who believe in measuring yourself before taking on (police) services, we meet all the requirements.”