Fulton County is changing. The last 10 years have seen the cities of Sandy Springs, Milton, Johns Creek and Chattahoochee Hills come into existence.
Each was an area where Fulton County government previously provided municipal services. Voters in those areas wanted more localized control and received it. Now, voters in the remaining unincorporated area of southern Fulton are asking for the opportunity to choose having their own city, allowing themselves to join an existing city, or remaining unincorporated.
I believe they should have the opportunity to make that decision.
The Fulton Board of Commissioners has already spoken on this issue. The board agreed that residents of unincorporated areas should be allowed to make the decision at the ballot box regarding cityhood for south Fulton. House Bill 27, calling for cityhood, will be reintroduced in the coming session of the state Legislature.
It is understandable there is a desire for much more localized decision-making regarding how tax dollars are spent and resources are allocated. However, if the will of residents remains the same as in 2007, when citizens voted to remain unincorporated, Fulton will continue to provide those services, and at the highest levels possible.
Currently, residents of unincorporated south Fulton pay a separate tax other Fulton residents do not. That tax goes into our special services district fund and pays for municipal services such as zoning, parks, police and fire protection (countywide taxes go into Fulton’s general fund). If a referendum is successful, those taxes wouldn’t just go away; instead, those dollars would be put into a city’s coffers.
Regardless of the outcome of a possible cityhood vote, in the coming year, we have every intention of improving the services our residents receive. We are currently in our budget process and reviewing how we can provide services to residents more efficiently and with customer service in mind.
As I travel from Palmetto to Alpharetta and talk to people all over this great county, many are not aware of all the services the county provides. This question became especially vexing as we asked for more from residents last year, when the Board of Commissioners raised the property tax millage rate.
As I explained to residents at the time (and continue to do so), Fulton government is responsible for functions ranging from libraries to animal control to emergency management. We make sure the emergency room at Grady Memorial Hospital is available to residents in the most critical moments. Our county Health Department monitors potential public health crises. County senior centers meet the needs of an increasingly aging population.
A vote for or against cityhood won’t change any of these things.
I am proud of the work county employees have done providing municipal services, such as police and fire, to our unincorporated areas. Some south Fulton residents have praised the efforts of our police and fire personnel as they served these communities. The municipal services provided to these areas have been lauded for their quality, efficiency and relative value to our taxpayers. We are doing a good job in that area.
Still, I am not offended some residents in those areas remain interested in having more localized control. I see this moment as an opportunity, regardless of the legislation’s fate or a referendum’s outcome, to double down and show our residents that Fulton doesn’t just take your tax dollars, but provides a high level of service to constituents demanding as much.
I want constituents all over this county to understand we are working for them and will continue to do so, regardless of what happens on the floor of the state Capitol and, potentially, at the ballot box.
John Eaves is chairman of the Fulton County Commission.
