North Fulton Secession (Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell: house, bankrupt, schools)

[equinox63]

If North Fulton was to successful separate from the rest of Fulton County, how would it affect the city of Atlanta and South Fulton County?

[Iconographer]

Well for starters, say bye-bye to yet another enormous chunk of your tax revenue, Fulton County. You so richly deserve it.
Is there any seriously organized effort to do this out there? If so, I'm not aware of it.

[mrdkb]

Originally Posted by equinox63

If North Fulton was to successful separate from the rest of Fulton County, how would it affect the city of Atlanta and South Fulton County?

This thinking is the reason metro- Atlanta is in the shape it is in. Milton, Johns Creek, etc.., I have never seen anything like it. That said I predict that in 15-20 years the New South City will be Charlotte.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Atlanta would be bankrupt.
And the kids in south Fulton would have to go to the schools there.

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Well for starters, say bye-bye to yet another enormous chunk of your tax revenue, Fulton County. You so richly deserve it.
Is there any seriously organized effort to do this out there? If so, I'm not aware of it.

Oh, yeah, there is. Jan Jones, the state rep from Milton, has been pushing recreation of Milton County hard for several years, but so far hadn't been able to get it through to the point of the legislature actually acting on it. Now, since she's been elevated to Speaker Pro Tem of the House, she's got more clout with which to make it happen. Many of the municipal leaders in North Fulton, especially Roswell Mayor Jere Wood, have come out strongly in favor of it. It'd still be a shock for it to get through this legislative session -- there are a lot of legal and procedural challenges to get past -- but it's probably better positioned now than it's ever been. I'd guess that it'll stall out again this year, given all the other stuff facing the state, but that there'll be a major push to get it done next year.

Jan Jones could bring big changes to Georgia House *| ajc.com

The "official" report on the viability of Milton County, from GSU's Vinson Institute of Policy Studies and Andrew Young School Fiscal Research Center, funded by the state legislature: - Milton County

[DTL3000]

The balkanization of this area has just gotten ridiculous over the past 5 or so years. God forbid we look for ways to cooperate and maybe fix the issues and improve things for everybody. This is like the kids who take their ball and go home if they start losing the game.

And yes, this sort of thinking is a BIG part of why this region is in the shape it's in.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by mrdkb

This thinking is the reason metro- Atlanta is in the shape it is in. Milton, Johns Creek, etc.., I have never seen anything like it. That said I predict that in 15-20 years the New South City will be Charlotte.

This is basically correct.

Amazing the apparent inability of leaders in this region to think in terms of scale. When I look at this region, I see one region, regardless of how balkanized it becomes or how many pip-squeak breakaway villages you see. You'd think these people would be looking for ways to enhance Atlanta's standing as compared to such places as Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and even Charlotte, which have all grown larger, stronger and more coherent after annexations. But apparently many of the inhabitants of the Atlanta region just live in a different universe than I do.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

The balkanization of this area has just gotten ridiculous over the past 5 or so years. God forbid we look for ways to cooperate and maybe fix the issues and improve things for everybody. This is like the kids who take their ball and go home if they start losing the game.

And yes, this sort of thinking is a BIG part of why this region is in the shape it's in.

Well put.

Another thing about this that's striking is how out of step it seems when viewed in contrast with trends affecting urban areas generally right now. Young professionals are flocking to cities again in droves after a generation of preferring the quiet of the shady-leaf suburb. How this will play out over time is hard to tell, but it does appear at the very least that dynamics between cities, suburbs, and suburban counties are going to undergo a significant shift in the coming decades. You'd think these itchy-fingered declarers of independence might want to slow down a bit and see how things shake out. It might just be that 10-15 yrs from now being part of a revenue base that includes the city of Atlanta will be a somewhat more attractive prospect than it might seem to be today. Just a thought.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by rackensack

Oh, yeah, there is. Jan Jones, the state rep from Milton, has been pushing recreation of Milton County hard for several years, but so far hadn't been able to get it through to the point of the legislature actually acting on it. Now, since she's been elevated to Speaker Pro Tem of the House, she's got more clout with which to make it happen. Many of the municipal leaders in North Fulton, especially Roswell Mayor Jere Wood, have come out strongly in favor of it. It'd still be a shock for it to get through this legislative session -- there are a lot of legal and procedural challenges to get past -- but it's probably better positioned now than it's ever been. I'd guess that it'll stall out again this year, given all the other stuff facing the state, but that there'll be a major push to get it done next year.

Jan Jones could bring big changes to Georgia House *| ajc.com

The "official" report on the viability of Milton County, from GSU's Vinson Institute of Policy Studies and Andrew Young School Fiscal Research Center, funded by the state legislature: - Milton County

This is all true...but keep in mind that it will never happen. There simply aren't enough supportive votes in the legislature and there isn't any chance of there being enough. I don't believe that there is much public support for this devisive action...it seems to me that it's a small group of loud, whiny citizens.

[BringBackCobain]

I hope this passes, and I guarantee that even if it doesnt happen this time around, it will happen when the economy improves. People also said that the City of Sandy Springs would "never happen." What this whole thing comes down to is the schools - people in Milton County want control of their schools. Fulton County deserves it, especially after wasting tax dollars on busing programs for the last 40 years. The school system is also the only one in the country to be geographically split.

As for balkinization, you could make that argument, but you could also say that a government that covers an area as large and populous as Fulton County (1,000,000+ residents) could hardly be considered local. Milton County supporters have said that they will continue to participate in MARTA and the Grady Healthcare system.

The City of Atlanta shouldnt be too worried, as it is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, and things are looking pretty good for it in the long term if it continues its demographic trends. The city of Atlanta's population is getting more diverse both racially and socioeconomically. It will be interesting to see how the politics of the region will be 10 years from now when Atlanta is 50% white. My only worry is that someone will try to push for a consolidation of the remaining Fulton County and Atlanta, which would completely obliterate the gains the city has made.