Metro Atlanta is undergoing a process of municipalization.
Since 2005, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton, Chattahoochee Hills, Dunwoody and Peachtree Corners have incorporated as new municipalities.
Now, the Georgia House of Representatives has taken steps toward the creation of a city in North DeKalb — Brookhaven (or Ashford, as it may be called.)
There’s no reason to expect this trend will stop.
Debate in North DeKalb over whether to form a new city of Brookhaven makes it clear our state needs a nonpolitical procedure for the creation of towns.
The way things stand today, a small group of residents can raise money and draw whatever boundaries for a city they choose, as long as they have a legislator to champion their map through the General Assembly.
Once approved, these residents need only secure the passage of a referendum, which should be easy because only people within the new city are eligible to vote on the matter.
Proponents don’t need to take into account the circumstances of those just outside the boundaries who remain unincorporated, existing cities or the financial health of the county or region.
In fact, there’s nothing prohibiting potential cities from including commercial areas that provide coveted tax revenue while leaving out adjacent residential areas that typically cost more to serve than they bring in.
This scenario has been seen in the proposed maps for the city of Brookhaven.
The process clearly needs to be more balanced, with better planning and attention paid to the economic viability of the existing counties and the Atlanta region, which is the economic engine of the state.
To that end, I have introduced, with state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, House Bill 830.
Need for this legislation is clear when one looks at the Brookhaven proposal.
There are those who would be residents of the new city and, theoretically, could benefit due to what may be better services, lower taxes or both.
Then, there are those whose neighborhoods would become isolated from the remainder of unincorporated DeKalb.
They may see their taxes go up as Brookhaven pulls revenue from the county.
Unfortunately, the current method only gives a seat at the table to the select few who are interested in forming a new city.
HB 830 would simply give everyone affected by the proposed city a seat at the table.
The bill provides for a two-year period to create a city and requires that proposed boundaries be set in the first year.
Moreover, it would require a feasibility study that sets out the anticipated cost of services in the proposed city, the unincorporated county and adjacent cities.
This would allow residents to compare costs before and after the incorporation.
HB 830 also requires the proposed community to attempt less costly and disruptive alternatives to incorporation, such as overlay zoning districts and special tax districts, before presenting a proposal for a city to the General Assembly.
There’s nothing wrong with the creation of cities. The opportunities they provide for local control, community investment and enhanced local representation cannot be discounted.
We need a clear process that is free of politics so that we can truly focus on the residents, businesses, and local communities that would be affected by the new municipality.
That is why I ran for office, and that should be the primary focus of all representatives.
State Rep. Elena Parent, D-Chamblee, represents District 81.
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