City, county leaders weigh in on consolidated Savannah-Chatham government

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

I genuinely don't know what is so complicated about a city count consolidation. Please explain.

Uh ... because CHATHAM COUNTY has 8 incorporated municipalities (cities) while the most any other consolidated city-County in the state of Georgia has is 3.

Also, none of the city boundaries in Chatham (as they currently exist) make any geographical sense. Do you know where Savannah becomes Garden City becomes Pooler becomes Port Wentworth becomes Pooler again becomes Savannah again becomes Bloomingdale becomes Pooler again becomes Port Wentworth again becomes Savannah again becomes Pooler again becomes Garden City again becomes unicorporated Georgetown? Of course you don’t ... and nobody else does either.

Get it?

[843904]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Not only would that be a disaster, it’s a moot argument because the Georgia Constitution forbids the creation of any new school districts — a law enacted to specifically prevent wealthier WHITE schools from “seceding” and breaking away from poorer minority majority schools, which is epidemic in states like Alabama and many places in the Northeast and Midwest.

Wasn't aware about the Constitutional mandate. Interesting.

[GA Survivor]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Uh ... because CHATHAM COUNTY has 8 incorporated municipalities (cities) while the most any other consolidated city-County in the state of Georgia has is 3.

Also, none of the city boundaries in Chatham (as they currently exist) make any geographical sense. Do you know where Savannah becomes Garden City becomes Pooler becomes Port Wentworth becomes Pooler again becomes Savannah again becomes Bloomingdale becomes Pooler again becomes Port Wentworth again becomes Savannah again becomes Pooler again becomes Garden City again becomes unicorporated Georgetown? Of course you don’t ... and nobody else does either.

Get it?

I know where and how most fall and it makes even less sense than you can image. My favorite is Dean Forest Road from I 16 to Robert B. Miller Rd. From the white fog line on the west side to the fog line on the east side of the road is in Savannah. The West side properties are Pooler up to the Airport boundary and the East side is Garden City. Then the "Airport" property has some covered by Airport services and some by Savannah.

[masonbauknight]

I've supported city-county consolidation since the first serious try (it actually went to a referendum in 1973 and failed). Like others here, I see it as near impossible now. Chatham's 7 other independent cities, from biggish Pooler to tiny Vernonburg, would remain independent, as they're old towns with their own identities. That's been the pattern in every single consolidation across the U.S.: separate towns with histories and community allegiances near Augusta, Nashville, Louisville, and Athens remained outside the merger. If they've ever given up their charter to consolidate with a larger city, it was years later because of puny size and finances in the red. (Ex.: when Bibb City merged with Columbus GA.)

"Consolidation" thus means only Savannah and unincorporated Chatham, each of which is racially different (very black and very white respectively), politically polarized (Democrat/progressive vs. Republican/conservative), and economically distinct (many poor blacks in Savannah, mostly affluent whites in the county). Getting these two to merge would be a tall order. First of all, Pooler residents and council vociferously oppose a "mega Savannah" nearby and would work with opponents outside to prevent it. In the unincorporated area, one wealthy enclave with money and legal-eagle resources, Skidaway Island, has already threatened to incorporate as Chatham's newest city ahead of any consolidation plan. The entire situation is so much like Atlanta, Fulton County, and Sandy Springs it's not funny. Would the GA legislature approve the referendum, would the governor sign the order, and would voters in city and county approve it? How?

Unless there's some secret we don't know about -- Savannah is flush with cash but unincorporated Chatham is low on funds and must merge with Savannah -- it's science fiction.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by 843904

Wasn't aware about the Constitutional mandate. Interesting.

In Georgia, there are 181 public school systems. There are 159 county school systems and 21 city school systems. Article VIII, Sec. V, Par. VI, of the 1976 Georgia Constitution (Code Ann. § 2-5306):

ARTICLE VIII SECTION V.

LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS

Paragraph I. School systems continued; consolidation of school systems authorized; new independent school systems prohibited. Authority is granted to county and area boards of education to establish and maintain public schools within their limits. Existing county and independent school systems shall be continued, except that the General Assembly may provide by law for the consolidation of two or more county school systems, independent school systems, portions thereof, or any combination thereof into a single county or area school system under the control and management of a county or area board of education, under such terms and conditions as the General Assembly may prescribe; but no such consolidation shall become effective until approved by a majority of the qualified voters voting thereon in each separate school system proposed to be consolidated. No independent school system shall hereafter be established.

[Airforceguy]

On the first day of the session, the Savannah delegation has requesting funding for a study and just like I thought, if the study finds a merger feasible, which it will, it will go before voters in 2019.

We've learned the Chatham County Delegation has already made its formal request to the state of Georgia to fund a $200,000 study to look at whether it would be feasible to merge city and county governments in Chatham County.

These efforts are being fueled by the city and county's on-going dispute over who should pay for what, including the cost to share the police department, which led to the demerger.

State lawmakers are fed up because they believe tax dollars are being wasted by having separate governments. Right now, there are eight city and counties in Georgia that are merged and many of them consolidated because the very issues we are seeing here over cost share and resources.

By law, the state of Georgia must conduct a study first to determine if it's feasible.

It's a $200,000 study that UGA's Carl Vincent Institute of Government is slated to conduct if the funding is approved. We learned Monday that Rep. Ron Stephens put in a request for $50,000 from the state house. A $50,000 request was also requested from the Senate. And if those requests are granted, our sources confirm that the Savannah Economic Development Authority, SEDA, will match it with the other $100,000 needed.

This comes after the Savannah Area Chamber listed the study as being one of their top priorities on their 2018 legislative agenda.

Rep. Stephens said last month that having multiple agencies and departments in charge of the same services is inefficient and wasting tax dollars.

"The city of Macon, they cut their taxes five percent per year and they eliminated their city tax altogether. That's our end goal is to save taxpayer dollars,” Rep. Stephens said.

Appropriation meetings begin next week. Rep. Stephens has said he's confident they are going to get the money.

If and when that happens, it will take six months to conduct the study. And if the study recommends consolidating, Chatham County voters will get the final say on the ballot in 2019.

Funds requested to study merged government in Chatham County - WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports

[masonbauknight]

Yes, this really is news -- had to be news with the recent hissy fit on Skidaway Island, followed by that raucous meeting of "concerned citizens" from Wilmington and Whitemarsh. The buzz got way out there that city-county merger was more realistic than at any time since 2001 (when Pooler and Bloomingdale shot down the consolidation pigeon before it could fly). Perhaps a referendum will indeed happen next year.

[GA Survivor]

I do believe they will get a referendum but I don't believe it will get much from unincorporated Chatham or Savannah. I don't think many really want a consolidation.