Community

Fulton County Board of Commissioners Meetings

First and third Wednesday each month at 10:00 am at the Fulton County Government Center.

Municipalities City Council Meetings Each Month:

Chattahoochee Hills City Council - first Tuesday at 3:00 pm (work sesion) 6:00 pm (meeting)

College Park City Council - first and third Mondays 6:30 pm (work session) 7:30 pm (meeting)

East Point City Council - first and third Mondays 6:30 pm

Fairburn City Council - second and fourth Mondays 6:30 pm (work session) 7:30 pm (meeting)

Palmetto City Council -last Thursday of month 6:30 pm (work session) first Monday 6:30 pm (meeting)

Hapeville City Council - first Tuesday 7:00 pm (meeting) and third Tuesdays 5:00 pm (work session)

HEADLINES

Commission Asks Probe of High Number of Brentwood Foreclosures

All homeowners used same mortgage company 

The Fulton County Commission has asked for an investigation by state and federal regulatory agencies into “an inordinately high number of foreclosure actions” in a South Fulton subdivision.

Acting on a resolution Wednesday, December 15 by District 7 Commissioner William “Bill” Edwards, the Board directed County staff to ask the agencies to look into transactions and circumstances surrounding home purchases and foreclosures in Brentwood, a 125-unit neighborhood in Palmetto. All homeowners obtained mortgages from the same company, which has sent foreclosure notices to at least seven residents.

The County Manager and the Office of Housing will work with the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Georgia Attorney General’s Office, and Metro Fair Housing, Inc.

“We get very concerned when we hear that a sizeable number of residents might lose their homes,” said Commissioner Edwards. “We want to get to the bottom of this.” 

Homeowners brought the matter to Edwards’ attention at a recent meeting that launched the “Stop Before You Borrow” awareness and education campaign to tackle the record high number of foreclosures that have made Fulton the nation’s leader in people losing their homes.

(Release courtesy Fulton County Department of Communications)

Fulton set to file suit after vote
If new city created, county wants 'to clarify' service setup

By D.L. BENNETT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/16/05

Fulton County's deeply divided commission will sue to overturn two critical provisions in the laws creating the city of Sandy Springs.

The lawsuit approved by a 4-3 vote — split along political lines — will be filed only if Sandy Springs voters approve creation of the city on Tuesday as expected. And, it won't try to overturn the decision voters make.

However, it could complicate the creation of the city considerably.

The four Democrats under the leadership of at-large Commissioner Robb Pitts want a judge to rule whether the county can be blocked from shipping some tax money collected in north Fulton to south Fulton and whether the county is required to continue to provide service to Sandy Springs during a two-year transition.

The first provision Fulton will challenge would only affect how Fulton pays for services in the unincorporated north and south portions of the county without the revenue generated by Sandy Springs.

The second, though, would question whether Fulton can or will provide police, parks, planning and other services even by contract as the new city struggles to get organized.

The new city would have to reimburse Fulton.

"This is certainly not to interfere with in any way or to stop the city of Sandy Springs," Pitts said Wednesday. "These two provisions have created quite a bit of discussion. The only way I know of to clarify this matter is to ask a judge."

Pitts said the two provisions are so questionable that he felt even Fulton's famously divided commission should be unanimous in supporting his measure. They weren't.

All three Republicans — Chairwoman Karen Handel and Commissioners Tom Lowe and Lynne Riley — voted against the measure.

Lowe, the only one of the seven who lives in Sandy Springs, said the lawsuit would be seen by residents of the community as a hostile action by the commission.

"I don't want it to appear I'm trying to find loopholes," Lowe said. "The group to fight this is not governmental boards, but some private citizen out there. If it is faulty, that lies with the Legislature. The highest officials of this state have said it is OK."

Democrat Nancy Boxill, who joined Emma Darnell and Bill Edwards in support of Pitts' request, said the commission has a responsibility to the entire county to pursue legal action.

"We must be fair to the citizens who will not live in the proposed city of Sandy Springs," Boxill said. "It's not clear how we can be fair under this legislation."

The law sets up a five-member Sandy Springs negotiating team that would be appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue. The team would work on contracts for services with Fulton and other surrounding jurisdictions until an election can be held in November.

The board on Wednesday appointed Boxill, Lowe and County Manager Tom Andrews to lead those talks for the county. That vote also passed 4-3 along partisan lines.

Sandy Springs forum draws crowd of 500

By HENRY FARBER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/10/05

Some were worried about creating a new city when no one knows who will manage it.

Others said any city government will be better than Fulton County's.

Nearly 500 crowded into Sandy Springs United Methodist Church on Mount Vernon Highway on Thursday night to hear more about the pros and cons of making Sandy Springs the second-largest city in metro Atlanta. It was the largest forum yet in advance of the June 21 referendum, in which voters will chose whether to declare their independence from Fulton County.

A panel of city advocates, opponents and some fence straddlers were peppered with questions and concerns about what cityhood would mean for those inside and outside the city. Representatives from the Committee for Sandy Springs, Fulton County and homeowners groups outlined their positions at the forum, sponsored by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Although the public questions grew heated at some points, the majority of the crowd seemed to lean in favor of cityhood.

"If you're having intensive development, you're not protecting neighborhoods," said city opponent Philippa Ahuja, who worried that Sandy Springs would need to attract more business and commercial development in order to fatten the new city's tax coffers.

Local control valued

City advocates tried to assure her that the north Fulton community is blessed with a solid commercial tax base — thanks, ironically, to overdevelopment by the county government they want to toss out.

But many said they'd prefer jumping into cityhood and letting a future mayor and council iron out the details if it would mean local control. City proponents argued that only a truly local government can preserve neighborhoods, reduce crime and control adult entertainment businesses.

"I want control of where I'm living," said Brian Katz, a Sandy Springs physician's assistant. "We're more likely to get our services and to get heard if we have a city."

Skeptics said city advocates have too little experience in running a municipal government of their own. They accused some cityhood supporters of campaigning with overly optimistic budget projections.

City proponents have faced criticism over the past two weeks since a study by Georgia State University was circulated that concluded the new city's budget might run close to deficit. The Georgia State team figured that the city could take in $77.2 million in taxes, fees and other revenue annually. Expense forecasts ranged from $76.8 million to $77 million, depending on bond rates.

An earlier research study by the University of Georgia predicted an independent Sandy Springs could operate with a healthy economic surplus. Pointing to that older study, city supporters again on Thursday night cited promises the city could operate with a cushion of $20 million to $50 million annually.

'Keep dollars at home'

The biggest round of applause of the evening followed remarks by panelist Eva Galambos, the leader of the pro-city movement, who said: "One of the main reasons for a city is to keep dollars at home and improve services."

Galambos also took a jab at opponents who fear a loss of tax revenue in south Fulton County if Sandy Springs successfully breaks away. "They're just going to have to learn to live at the [budget] level we've lived with for all these years," she said.

She and other advocates for cityhood cited statistics that the county government spends more per capita in the southern half of the county.

County Commissioner Nancy Boxill, one of the three commission Democrats who have opposed the creation of a city of Sandy Springs, made a rare public appearance Thursday night with three activists from south Fulton. "Perhaps what is most troubling is this idea that what we collect in taxes in our community has to be spent in our community," she said.

"In the America I grew up in, we address problems and we pool our resources to solve them."

Feds OK Sandy Springs city vote
Claims of racial unfairness rejected

By HENRY FARBER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/14/05

The U.S. Justice Department gave Sandy Springs residents the green light Friday to hold a vote next month on whether to become a city.

The department rejected an argument made by Fulton County officials that the issue is so important that all of the county's voters must be allowed to participate in the June 21 referendum, not just those voters living in Sandy Springs.

"This takes away any cloud from the referendum," said Rusty Paul, co-chairman of the campaign for a "yes" vote next month.

If more than half the voters in the community agree, Sandy Springs will become an independent city of 85,000 people. The new city no longer will rely on the county government to provide police protection, land zoning and many other services.

Democrats on the Fulton commission had asked federal civil rights officials to block the vote, saying a new city would be "racially punitive" to minority residents in the county.

Unincorporated South Fulton, with a predominantly African-American population, could lose $25 million in income from tax revenues if mostly white Sandy Springs incorporates — largely because Sandy Springs would hold on to more of the property tax money generated in the area, which is packed with shopping centers, office parks and apartments.

The potential shortfall for the rest of the county has officials struggling to figure out what level of police, parks, planning and fire services will be provided in south Fulton next year and beyond.

Attempts to reach the commission's four opponents of Sandy Springs were unsuccessful after the Georgia Attorney General's Office received word of the federal approval at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

The four Democrats have not said whether they would continue opposing the city in the event of a federal go-ahead. The commission's three Republicans have said it should be up to the community's voters to decide.

"I'm pleased the Justice Department made its decision in such an expeditious manner," said Commission Chairwoman Karen Handel, a Republican. "Now, the referendum can move forward in the time frame prescribed by the legislation."

Sandy Springs residents have sought to create the city for more than 30 years, complaining that the county has failed to control development, stop crime and perform other services.

Federal approval was required because of the Voting Rights Act, which requires Southern states with a history of discrimination to seek pre-clearance on election matters.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division reviewed the proposed city charter and found no objections to the plan to establish a new city government. It calls for the election of a nonpartisan mayor, who will be paid $25,000 per year, and six council members, who will receive $15,000.

"This is the last major hurdle for getting it on the ballot," said Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs), the main author of referendum legislation, which the General Assembly approved after a 35-year-battle. "There's not a justification for holding it up."

— D.L. Bennett contributed to this article.

New try to swat Sandy Springs
Fulton: U.S. ban on cityhood asked

By D.L. BENNETT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/21/05

Fulton County will take its case against Sandy Springs cityhood to the federal government — even though a majority of commissioners say their opposition is pointless.

Still, the commissioners decided to ask the federal Justice Department — which would have to review the matter anyway — to block the creation of a city of Sandy Springs.

But Tom Lowe, the only commissioner who lives in Sandy Springs, said it is a "a foregone conclusion" that Sandy Springs residents will vote as scheduled June 21.

"This is an ill-fated, ill-advised motion that fights the same fight," he said.

And Laughlin McDonald, an expert on the Voting Rights Act with the American Civil Liberties Union, said it's unlikely the Justice Department would object.

"The Department of Justice is very reluctant to interfere in government attempts to organize themselves," McDonald said.

The county would likely argue the new city should be ruled as an illegal attempt to hurt minority voters, said O.V. Brantley, the county attorney.

The county may contend that minority voting strength is diluted because Sandy Springs residents are the only ones allowed to vote on the incorporation issue. The county is also concerned about the way council districts are drawn inside the proposed city.

Longtime battle

Wednesday's action by the commissioners comes two weeks after they agreed to spend up to $100,000 for lawyers to research the matter.

The board couldn't muster enough votes to file a lawsuit, but it decided to make its case to the Justice Department.

The decision marks the latest squabble in a bitter, 35-year fight by Sandy Springs residents to form their own city.

Residents of Sandy Springs — a community of 85,000 north of Atlanta and south of the Chattahoochee River — will decide the incorporation issue in a special election.

If they vote "yes," Sandy Springs will become an independent city with a mayor, tax authority and police powers. If they vote "no," the Fulton County Commission will continue setting property taxes and controlling land use.

Sandy Springs residents have long complained they pay too much in taxes — and that too much of their money is being used for services in south Fulton County.

Previous incorporation efforts have been blocked by Democrats — particularly those from Atlanta — but the drive gained momentum this year, with Republicans controlling both the state House and Senate for the first time since Reconstruction.

Oliver Porter, a Sandy Springs resident helping to organize what he expects will be a new city, said the legislation was thoroughly reviewed by legal experts and will withstand any review.

"We have done our level best to create representative council districts," Porter said. "They are very evenly balanced. I can't understand on what basis they are objecting."

Four Democrats — Emma Darnell, Nancy Boxill, Bill Edwards and Robb Pitts — all voted for sending the letter to the Justice Department. They say Sandy Springs' incorporation would have a devastating effect on Fulton County.

The three Republicans — Lowe, Lynne Riley and Chairwoman Karen Handel — have all supported a referendum. They say residents deserve the right to choose their form of government.

'Grasping at straws'

Much of Wednesday's debate focused on Pitts.

As the only Democrat elected countywide, Pitts must face Sandy Springs voters on any re-election bid.

Pitts said he does not oppose a city of Sandy Springs, but decided to involve the Justice Department even though he is certain the federal government will find no problems with the legislation.

"This [vote] only helps the process along," Pitts said. "I do take issue with the notion that this is a vote against Sandy Springs."

But Handel called it another "attempt to stall and take away the right of the people of Sandy Springs to vote."

State Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Atlanta), one of the sponsors of Sandy Springs legislation, said he believes Fulton County officials may be "grasping at straws."

He said some Fulton County officials asked lawmakers to structure the enabling legislation to allow all county residents to vote on the city's incorporation, not just those who live in the boundaries of the proposed city of Sandy Springs.

"We said: 'No. That's not been the practice or pattern in the past,' " Willard said.

Of the $100,000 the county set aside for lawyers to research the case, less than $65,000 has already been spent, Brantley said.

The rest could go for further research on the submission to Justice or to a future lawsuit, she said.

HOW THEY VOTED

In favor of appealing to the Justice Department

• Robb Pitts, Democrat: "It's good for this board. It's good for the county. It's the right thing to do."

• Emma Darnell, Democrat: "Those who vote against this motion are voting against the Constitution of the United States. It's making a mockery of standing up here and saying (the Pledge of Allegiance.)"

• Nancy Boxill, Democrat: "All of us are charged with the responsibility of being fair to everyone."

• Bill Edwards, Democrat: "It ain't about getting elected. It's about doing what's fair."

Against an appeal to the Justice Department

• Karen Handel, Republican: "A vote in support on this is tantamount to being against the incorporation of Sandy Springs."

• Lynne Riley, Republican: "I am not in support. We are using taxpayer funds to perform an exercise that the Department of Justice already will do."

• Tom Lowe, Republican: "This group of people has felt like they have been disenfranchised. they want to be the captain of their own ship. Any sense of fairness would say these 86,000 people have the right to form a city."

Officials ask Perdue to kill cityhood bill

By D.L. BENNETT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/09/05

Three Democratic Fulton commissioners implored Georgia's Republican governor Friday to kill a key GOP initiative: the city of Sandy Springs.

Legislation now awaiting Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature would give residents in the community north of Atlanta and south of Alpharetta and Roswell a chance to vote on cityhood June 21.

Residents have sought cityhood for 30 years — complaining they pay too much in taxes and much of the revenue generated in north Fulton pays for services provided south of Atlanta.

During the legislative session, Perdue said he believed Sandy Springs residents should have the chance for that vote. As of Friday, he was still reviewing the bill, said Heather Hedrick, his spokeswoman.

Commissioners Bill Edwards, Emma Darnell and Nancy Boxill called Friday's press conference to warn the public Fulton faces cuts for health care, senior services and libraries as well as substantial tax hikes.

"I ask Gov. Perdue to veto this bill," Darnell said. "It is against the best interests and the moral values and beliefs of Fulton County."

The county's $631 million general fund — which pays for services provided countywide like courts, the sheriff's office and libraries — stands to lose about $20 million in sales and property taxes that would go to the new city.

Fulton's $116 million special services fund, which pays for police, fire, parks and other services provided only outside city limits, would be broken up into north and south service districts. The fund would lose $23 million generated by Sandy Springs.

On Wednesday, the board agreed spend up to $100,000 to hire outside lawyers to research whether they could sue to stop the new city.

The three commissioners bolstered their points Friday with memos from county staff on drastic service cuts that would have to be made if the city becomes reality.

Boxill said without Sandy Springs money poorer areas will suffer losses of programs like health programs that eradicate West Nile virus.

"The people of Sandy Springs will send a wreath but they will not send health care. That's what we've come to," she said.

Tibby DeJulio, a Sandy Springs resident, said he didn't feel guilty about the what's ahead for Fulton County.

Commission Chair Karen Handel made a surprise showing at the event, sitting in the audience. The Republican has been supportive of Sandy Springs voting on cityhood.

"This is nothing more than wild speculation and doomsday scenarios," Handel said. "This is grossly irresponsible. We need rational, fact-based discussions about where we want to go."

Fulton hires lawyers to stop Sandy Springs' exit

By D.L. BENNETT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/07/05

Fulton County officials have a knack for angering residents of Sandy Springs.

So Wednesday's commission vote to take county tax dollars — some of it generated in Sandy Springs — to hire lawyers to research whether they can block cityhood for Sandy Springs came across as just another stick in the eye.

"We have been abused, misused, malnourished and mistreated," said Gabriel Sterling of Sandy Springs. "This is not surprising. They have treated us like a cash cow forever and they didn't plan for this. I expect them to want to keep the cash cow."

The list of grievances are long: runaway taxes, poor service, out-of-control development, north Fulton taxes paying for south Fulton services; and downright hostility by county officials to Sandy Springs' wishes.

All that frustration over more than 30 years fed into a political revolution that has Sandy Springs on the verge of becoming a city.

A June 21 referendum offers residents the chance to seize control.

With that vote less than 90 days away, commissioners voted 5-0 Wednesday to spend up to $100,000 during the next two weeks in emergency legal research to find out if the county can block the creation of the new city.

County Attorney O.V. Brantley said she'd have a firm on board by Friday and probably work a team of lawyers around the clock to meet her April 20 deadline.

Having to examine such a complicated issue on short order is the reason that the assignment was given to an outside firm, county officials said.

Eva Galambos, a veteran advocate for Sandy Springs, said the legislation was reviewed by constitutional lawyers as well as Georgia's legislative counsel.

"If the County Commission wants to negate the will of the people, I don't think it speaks well of them to waste $100,000 of taxpayer money," Galambos said.

The bill, now awaiting Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature, basically requires the unincorporated areas of Fulton County to be divided into three separate service areas for police, fire, parks, planning and other city-type services.

Fulton County always has thwarted incorporation efforts, so it never developed contingency plans if the city finally became a reality.

Commission Chairwoman Karen Handel has supported the right of Sandy Springs residents to vote on cityhood.

Wednesday she voted to do the legal research, an action she says does not conflict with her pro-Sandy Springs vote stance.

"I need to know how this is going to be implemented," Handel said. "I need to know what we are dealing with. Part of the research is going to look at all of the manifestations of this bill."

In other items, the board agreed to donate $50,000 to efforts to attract a NASCAR hall of fame and museum to Atlanta.

Fulton County Board of Education Continues to Run

Separate and Unequal School System

A plan to renovate Westlake High School is on track for a vote at next month's Board of Ed meeting. Parents are insisting that nothing less than a new facility will suffice. In a fight reminiscent of the struggle for Civil Rights and acceptance. Parents, students and community activists in the Westlake High School zone are at odds with Fulton County Board of Education over replacing the 40 year old facility.

The planned patch work will do nothing to resolve many of the issues that plague the facility and grounds of the structure located on Union Road. Students complain about dead end hallways, electrical failures that are guaranteed to lose your assignments on antiquated computers and a crowded cafeteria built for a much smaller student body. Technology is only a pipe dream because the current facility can't handle the necessary wiring that typically is put in the newest schools being built in Alpharetta and unincorporated North Fulton County.

Parents complaints include inadequate space and resources for the Math and Science Magnet Program, case and point -  science classes takes place in a portable trailer and the lab is held inside the main building. Not to mention the concert band is unable to use the timpani drums because there is no way to get them to the theater.  Even the faculty complains about the lack of office space and resources for the Math and Science Magnet Program. For years the fans of the basketball program have complained about the size of the gymnasium which is more than five to ten thousand square feet smaller than state educational specifications. These are just some of the problems facing Westlake High. I'm sure Banneker, Creekside and Tri-Cities High respectively, can add to this list of problems and defects.

Meanwhile, on the north side of the county new schools are continuously being built after the growth that precipitated the first Special  Local Option Sales Tax has slowed. In the meantime, the growth on the south side is out pacing the north and one new middle school (which will open over capacity in the fall). one replacement middle school and a host of renovations are taking place at the local high schools. 

It's clear this board is more interested in running day-to-day operations of the system rather than making policies. It's also clear this board has made and will continue to make mistakes that both North and South Fulton parents see as pure power grabs and arrogance.

Even more disturbing is this board continues to conduct its meeting in South Fulton at its cramped administration building which holds no more than 50 and lacks adequate parking. As a matter of fact parents are forced to park along the crowded side road leading to the Crestview Nursing Home. While it conducts business in North Fulton in the spacious Dunwoody Springs Elementary School cafeteria which holds at least two to three hundred. Is this an effort to stifle to voice of the parents in South Fulton?

To think some judge removed Fulton County from it's consent decree because he felt the school system was no longer mistreating, make that discriminating against South Fulton parents and students.