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Atlanta City Council Set To Annex More South Fulton Land

June 28th, 2016

The Atlanta City Council is set to finish voting on the annexation of tracts of land in unincorporated South Fulton County.

These are areas looking to become part of Atlanta before a vote in November on whether what’s left over in the area should become a city.

Georgia Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, is no fan of the South Fulton cityhood idea. He’s blocked state bills to allow a vote on the matter in past years.

“What you’re really in effect doing is creating another level of government that’s unnecessary,” said Fort. He said he’s heard concerns from south Fulton residents that services could suffer if the new city is voted into being. Fort said the annexations, which have to be petitioned for by a majority, show many residents and businesses are against cityhood.

“If you create a city that’s not viable, you’re going to have some issues like always on the cusp of bankruptcy, providing inefficient and inadequate services,” said Fort.

He said the most viable parts of South Fulton are what’s being absorbed into Atlanta and nearby cities. “Sometimes you have to be careful what you hope for, because the unexpected consequences can be very serious, and that’s what’s going on here,” said Fort.

The deadline to complete the annexations, ahead of the November vote, is this Friday.