Residents are being held with a gun barrel pointed at our heads. The tactic is fear. We are being told we will have to pay more taxes than others in the county if we do not form a city. I say, take the issue to court.
What are the options in south DeKalb County? Create a city, create multiple small cities, or maintain status quo. The new city proposed by Concerned Citizens for Cityhood in South DeKalb would be smaller in land size than the city of Atlanta. It would have about 300,000 residents, approximately 90 percent African-American. It would be the largest city in DeKalb by far and the second-largest in Georgia.
The largest cities in DeKalb today are Dunwoody and Brookhaven, with 46,000 and 49,000 residents, respectively. Both already had significant economic development in their communities prior to becoming cities in their own right.
I do believe south DeKalb could exist as a city or cities, but it will not be as portrayed. Annexation laws should be made stricter. Alternative forms of quasi-governmental communities should be considered. Private residential association communities and special districts could be alternatives to cityhood.
The Concerned Citizens’ main rationales for incorporating are economic development, avoiding higher taxes and protecting assets. How does the group define economic development? Is it tax reduction? How will it achieve the economic development that it portrays in its vision?
The elephant in the room that some people want to ignore is that business investment tends not to be significant in areas that have a population of color of more than 65 percent. New municipalities can impact taxes, school districts, land use, growth control, environmental regulations, elected representation and public utility services. New municipalities can lead to fragmentation and competition for financial resources between local governments.
The process of forming cities should require a petition before an organization or person can represent themselves as speaking for the community or in the name of the citizens. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the government of the proposed city . What kind of mayor or city manager will this city have? Will the city council be strong? What ethnics review will be in the charter?
There should be a way for south DeKalb citizens to opt out of the new city if they do not want to be part of it.
I think residents would be better served if the Concerned Citizens filed a court case against the county and the other cities in regards to the tax liabilities and pension obligations that are not being shared by all property owners.
Finally, how can a new city, such as Dunwoody or Brookhaven, not be equally responsible for the pension and bonds that were already obligated prior to their cityhood? It would be equally appropriate if our DeKalb political leaders ask state legislators to amend annexation and consolidation laws to prohibit hostile takeovers. Also, some states require new cities to make up for the lost revenue of the county.
It seems shotgun cities are appearing all over DeKalb County. Who will pay the county’s bills once all the local communities become cities? I would suggest that the state Legislature stop this cityhood movement. DeKalb needs leadership on this issue. Citizens should not remain silent.
Ed Williams lives in Decatur.
