Atlanta's Cityhood Movement (Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Norcross: lease, versus, moving)

[primaltech]

Back before Sandy Springs started all this mess when they incorporated in 2005, my suggestion would have been for all the core metro's cities (which were at that point all historic, real cities), to annex everything with its address/zip. So, Atlanta would get Vinings and Cumberland (30339 in Cobb), Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, most (if not all) of North DeKalb, a tiny bit of Gwinnett, some of Clayton, Cascade/Fulton Industrial area, and most of the rest of the south ITP in DeKalb. Everything with an Atlanta address, which would have included at least a little bit of each of the 5 counties.

Marietta would get most all of East Cobb, and a whole lot of area and population. And Lawrenceville would get a huge area and a few hundred thousand residents. Norcross would get Peachtree Corners. Duluth would have had areas in Gwinnett and N Fulton (the east half of what became Johns Creek). Alpharetta would get Milton and the other half of JC. Everything in the 5 counties would have been incorporated as whatever its USPS address was, pre-2005 (and still is as an acceptable address.)

I bet the population of the area that has an Atlanta address/zip code, is probably about one million or close to it.

[Forhall]

Originally Posted by ronricks

Why would I be gleeful? I don't live in DeKalb. California? They aren't even sustainable and it is only getting worse. They are in horrible financial shape. Why even bring them up?

We're not talking about state level finances, we are discussing the amount each state contributes in federal taxes versus how much they get back. My point is that California contributes quite a bit for the good of the country and doesn't just wall themselves off and do their own thing. If anything, having bad finances is even more reason they should do so, but they don't.

Speaking of California, the deficit soared after they elected an idiot Republican from the entertainment industry to run their state, and a large decrease in corporate and personal income tax rates is generally pointed out as the root cause of the deficit. Sound familiar? They've actually had a surplus since a Democrat took over, until this year.

[whodean]

DeKalb County governance is so atrocious, residents in the newly incorporated areas were just escaping the incompetence and criminal county leadership.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by Forhall

We're not talking about state level finances, we are discussing the amount each state contributes in federal taxes versus how much they get back. My point is that California contributes quite a bit for the good of the country and doesn't just wall themselves off and do their own thing. If anything, having bad finances is even more reason they should do so, but they don't.

Speaking of California, the deficit soared after they elected an idiot Republican from the entertainment industry to run their state, and a large decrease in corporate and personal income tax rates is generally pointed out as the root cause of the deficit. Sound familiar? They've actually had a surplus since a Democrat took over, until this year.

Did you somehow forget Gray Davis? The guy that single handedly wrecked California and was so bad he was recalled? I know you are a smart guy but you should be able to figure out why there was a small surplus and now isn't. California is in and has been in financial shambles going on two decades now. This isn't anything new and Arnold didn't contribute to it he actually reduced the ridiculous overlapping duplicity they had in the state Government to cut costs and save money. Enter Jerry Brown who has reversed most of it and has been spending like a drunken sailor and you get the current situation which isn't sustainable. California's problems are well documented. You realize that it is possible for one guy to make changes and the next guy to reap the benefits right? Well it didn't last long for California.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by whodean

DeKalb County governance is so atrocious, residents in the newly incorporated areas were just escaping the incompetence and criminal county leadership.

DeKalb can't even figure out how to get something as simple as a water bill correct.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by ronricks

DeKalb can't even figure out how to get something as simple as a water bill correct.

And so the obvious answer is, instead of fixing things, to abandon ship, and leave all the people who can't afford to become their own little enclave of 'got mine, get your own' to deal with it?

That sure sounds like a recipe for a strong county.


We already know the negatives of balkanization. We already know what kind of havoc it brings to doing anything at the metro level. The solutions is not MORE balkanization.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ronricks

DeKalb can't even figure out how to get something as simple as a water bill correct.

Well, that's been an ongoing problem in the city of Atlanta as well.

[goillini8]

I find it interesting that one of the focal points of the article - Sandy Springs - is the poster child for the cityhood/white flight (at least historically) suburb but is now around 20% black.

[tikigod311]

I think writing off legitimate complaints and desires to remove yourself from being subject to poor leadership (that is consistently elected) as racist is completely unfair.

With that said, this trend isn't healthy. I would love to see the boundaries of the CoA expanded dramatically. We need a more unified region.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I think writing off legitimate complaints and desires to remove yourself from being subject to poor leadership (that is consistently elected) as racist is completely unfair.

With that said, this trend isn't healthy. I would love to see the boundaries of the CoA expanded dramatically. We need a more unified region.

Exactly. I acknowledge that there are plenty of perfectly legitimate and understandable reasons for people to try forming their own city, but I don't think the proper solution is to form that city.

If something is broken, carving off a functional piece of it, cherry-picking the best sources of revenue, and leaving everything else behind is just recipe for more and worse dysfunction.