Should AUSTELL Consider Unincorporation? (Mableton, Kennesaw: new house, cost, housing)

[KevK]

A few years ago Lithia Springs ceased to exist as a municipal corporation. They simply did not have the money to continue duplication of services that Douglas County provides. I have not really witnessed anything negative that has come out of that decision.
I am wondering if Austell is not looking at the same bleak future for its own finances. It is obvious that the city was not doing that well financially BEFORE the massive floods wiped out about 1/4th of its housing stock. And it is also obvious that no new houses are going to replace the ones lost. I drove through the Alabama Rd area last week and it looks pretty much like it did the week after the flood. Deserted and destroyed. Then I read this:

Flood still drains money from Austell *| ajc.com

I am wondering if Austell will survive as a city.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by KevK

I am wondering if Austell will survive as a city.

A very good question. It was flooding that killed the fledgling City of Mableton in the early 1900's, albeit in a very different time, so there's precedent.

[neil0311]

I think it is a good question for some small cities in large metro areas. Years ago, Austell was a separate city miles away from the big town. Today, it's a suburb.

You have to ask at some point whether the local control over some things is worth the cost and duplication. Austell even maintains its own Fire Dept, which even cities like Kennesaw and Acworth don't do.