Other options...                                                                Documents Information and Links Atlanta Out of the Abyss and Up the Mountain Economic Strength: Atlanta, GA versus South Fulton, GA Of the South's newly thriving cities, few have risen from the ashes of economic and political crisis as quickly as Atlanta Mayor Franklin talks with Michel Martin about why she decided to enter politics Town Hall Meeting in Sandtown with Shirley Franklin How they Plan to Split North Fulton Off into Milton County A New City of South Fulton? Why you want to vote against it on September 18th AJC Article: South Fulton residents weigh annexation, incorporation Campbellton Road Corridor Redevelopment Plan Approved by City Council Why a new city is not a good option for SW Fulton Sandtown communities move forward, seeking annexation into Atlanta Recap of FEB 20 Town Hall with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin Communities continue choosing to join Atlanta in 2007 Annexation of The Regency and Huntington Community How Fulton Schools in Sandtown compare with nearby Atlanta Schools - Brochure Property Tax Calculator (2006 Fulton vs. Atlanta Property Taxes) Atlanta Mayor says more services won't require tax hikes The City of South Fulton suffers a setback... New Atlanta Resident Kits Atlanta Update WSB-TV Video: Is the Fulton Fire Department Hemorrhaging? Midwest Cascade Community Joins Atlanta - Map Horseshoe Community Joins Atlanta - Map Letter to the Editor Come join Atlanta Package City of Atlanta OCT 4 Press Release on Schools Thousands of acres of Proposed City of South Fulton annexed Fulton Emergency Services in Jeopardy Atlanta PRESS RELEASE on Annexation Information is key to making the best choices South Fulton, GA 30331 Analysis of the report on the financial feasibility of a new City in South Fulton Annexation Update Fair and Balanced? Incorporation - Winners and Losers Will we allow them to take away our rights? When is Enough, Enough? – Looking East to Atlanta Sandtown Steering Committee Decides on Atlanta Annexation is about services! Recap of Town Hall with Atlanta Leaders Atlanta Public Schools Recap of Town Hall with Mayor Shirley Franklin February 20, 2007 GUESTS PRESENT:  Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Atlanta City Councilman Jim Maddox, Atlanta Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Morris, GA State Representative Tyrone Brooks, and Atlanta Director of Commerce and Entrepreneurship Charles Whatley. SCA President JOHN DAVIS called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM at the Owl Rock Methodist Church, Campbellton Rd., Atlanta 30331; Pastor Cheryl Maxfield opened it with prayer.  John gave a brief history of the Sandtown Community Association, stressing that it is a group of volunteer residents who have been working for about 16 years to bring about a better quality of life to Sandtown. He asked for more people to volunteer to help by coming to our meetings and getting involved.  He said that while 5000 residential units have been approved for our area, indicating that the area is booming, the concern is that our economic base (businesses, retail, etc.) has not grown much at all. Therefore, the SCA has concluded that joining forces with the City of Atlanta is the best alternative. A number of community-wide meetings with various department heads from the city of Atlanta and with representatives from the school board have been held since June of 2006, bringing the SCA to that decision.  The purpose of this meeting, he said, is to provide a forum for residents of Sandtown to gain needed information from Atlanta City officials so they can make informed decisions.     DAN YOUNG:  Report on status of the Sandtown Annexation process.   The 4,000 square acres of Sandtown encompasses 2 voting districts, SC01 and SC16-A, which is shared with parts of West Cascade.  He explained that there would be 3 phases of petitions to annex to Atlanta, and all 3 schools would eventually be included.  Dan said he is in favor of annexation because of the financial strength of Atlanta, and because he is impressed with it’s elected leadership.  COUNCILMAN JIM MADDOX:  Having represented the SW Atlanta area for 30 years, Mr. Maddox said he felt confident in saying that we would be given good service if we joined the city. He says the Mayor has been one of his constituents for years since she lives in the Cascade area, and he said in his years on the council, no other mayor has received more awards than she.  MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN: She has lived in our area since 1972; she worked for 13 years for the City of Atlanta under Mayors Andrew Young and Maynard Jackson, rising to the office of Chief Operating Officer for the city. She has learned a lot from those dynamic mayors, and knows the past efforts that worked, and those that didn’t.  She said the changes coming about under her administration are from her desire to overhaul local government, bringing each department into line with sound business principals and service performance analysis.  The Mayor says the City of Atlanta is financially stronger today than it has been in recent history, coming back from the water/sewer debacle within one year and showing a balanced budget ever since.  The millage rate in 2002 was 9+, and it has been going down each year since then, currently at 7+. She attributed the reduction in tax rates to leadership (the cost-effective programs implemented) and the resurgence of building in the downtown area, increasing the tax revenues.   The Mayor pointed out that in years past, the tax base of Atlanta had eroded because of the flight of people moving away from the downtown area. Now the trend has reversed. Today, Atlanta is doing more than planning: they have a lot of resources and are putting them into programs that will drive development in underdeveloped communities so the formerly spotty nature of development will cease to exist.  The “Next Step” program was discussed-- an education program the Mayor personally raised $1.7 million to fund.  She has “adopted” graduating classes of high school senior since 2005, offering them assistance from the city to get what ever they need to have as the “next step” to take them toward their future goals. She has met one-on-one with over 2,900 students who are in that program.  Citing the cooperation of the City Council with the Mayor’s office, Mayor Franklin said the City of Atlanta is in a “can-do” mode, determined to have a great city and determined to do whatever it takes. She introduced the Director of Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Charles Whatley.  CHARLES WHATLEY:  The Atlanta Development Authority identified 6 priority areas, one of which is the Campbellton Road Corridor.  As a result of their studies, 4 new tax allocation districts (TADS) are proposed—the Campbellton Road one would go from Fort McPherson to the city limits. This would be in coordination with Fulton county and input from the community is supposed to drive the development, not the developers themselves.  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:  General discussions ensued re:  taxes, education, zoning and permitting.  The Mayor said the city is undergoing such a building boom that they have more permits being applied for than all the other cities in the region added together. Of 40,000 permits, 80% now are processed in less than 120 days, and while that is not as good as it should be, it is better than it was because of  the addition of technology that makes online permitting possible, and the extended hours the permit office has adopted.  She said there are 25,000 new housing units being built in Atlanta right now. The complicated permits are the ones being mostly delayed.  Those would be the ones with water issues, since the city is still under a consent decree and anything to do with water and drainage requires special handling.  On taxes, she reiterated the declining millage rate, and said the business model that pegs pay raises to the cost of living increase (75% of COLA is what the city raises consist of) is one example of cost containment that helps Atlanta in reducing taxes; and “We don’t spend what we don’t have” is her philosophy. back to top   South Fulton, GA 30331 Do you like the sound of South Fulton, GA 30331?  That’s likely to be your new mailing address if you do not sign the petition to join the city of Atlanta.  Many folks like an Atlanta mailing address even if they live outside the city limits. They like being affiliated with a successful economic engine.  We questioned the financial feasibility studies that said a City of South Fulton would viable also and believe the numbers simply won’t work for a new city for us either:  Analysis of the report on financial feasibility of new South Fulton City. Keep reading if you need more information to decide on what makes sense for your destiny.   back to top Annexation Update High infrastructure costs, limited resources, and poor political leadership have influenced consolation decisions.  In the United States, the current day’s movement has been achieved through annexation. Residents of Sandtown and parts of West Cascade have chosen annexation to the City of Atlanta over other alternatives to reflect their dissatisfaction with needed education improvement and delivery of municipal services. All our efforts to achieve the required number of signatures for annexation have galvanized both communities into a powerful grassroots campaign.  Despite obstacles from outsiders, political leaders and developers, we grow stronger each day and steadily gain in reaching our goals.  We remain committed to the principles of democracy and will continue our campaign for victory. Fair and Balanced? From the Sandtown Community Association Steering Committee The approach people and organizations take tells you a lot about them.  The same thing applies with political campaigns and posturing. One group will persuade you by sharing all of the positive things about their position, while the other’s technique is to talk about what they are against and what you should not do.  It is reminiscent of the “vote for anyone but him” campaigns we see in politics.  The anti-whatever rhetoric is so loud, you sometimes can’t tell they are actually for something, because they chant so loud what they are against. Many of you have probably noticed the recent appearance of the “Annexation – No Thanks” signs that the “South Fulton Concerned Citizens” group (SFCC) is frantically placing in Sandtown and West Cascade.  These aren’t signs touting their position about the benefits of creating a new city from scratch - they seek to plant doubt in our minds as though there are any certainties in creating a city. Remember there is no mayor or city council of the “City of South Fulton” yet to give you the promises and assurance you seek for real and existing cities. The Sandtown Community Association knew the viability of a new city was in question in the beginning and we looked at other options that our politicians did not share with us because an Atlanta annexation was contrary to their scheme.  The widening battle against any annexations isn’t based on what’s best for Sandtown, it’s because Sandtown’s leaving makes the “South Fulton” pie some want to rule even smaller and brings about the same winners and losers as in Sandy Springs.  On the SFCC website some of their steering committee members already have the future “City of South Fulton” council districts listed next to their names.  Did we miss an election or is this a campaign announcement? To give you better perspective members of the Sandtown Community Association were approached late last year to represent Sandtown in these SFCC meetings.  A member of our steering committee attended and when asked if the association had decided on whether to vote for a new city, our position was stated that we had not decided.  We felt that it was premature to participate with an organization that had already made a decision without any financials at the time. The Sandtown Community Association (SCA) did not want to first determine a position in support of creating a new city and then gather the facts to build a case for it. It was clear in that meeting that this organization’s sole purpose was in favor of a new City of South Fulton and their biggest obstacle was annexations.  All of the SCA steering committee members subsequently passed on joining the group. The Sandtown Community Association wanted to take the time to look at all options,  a) incorporate into an new city, b) vote against the referendum to remain unincorporated and c) Sandtown’s Annexation by Atlanta the option they did not tell you about in all those Town Hall Meeting in the big convention centers.  This parallel of not mentioning option “c” annexation and painting the picture that our only salvation was to form our own city was the consistent message from the “South Fulton Concerned Citizens” and most of our elected leaders. We went through a deliberative process before deciding that Sandtown’s best option was for the City of Atlanta to annex us.   We are not running around saying that if you choose a new city the “sky will fall”.  We are saying it won’t be easy, it will be expensive and look behind the veil of the elected politicians going on road shows supporting it. In contrast from nearly the outset SFCC opposed annexation and they have on their website pages dedicated to the “threat to their cause of annexation”.  In an AJC article Rex Renfrow a spokesman for the group clearly put it "We will oppose every piece of annexation." What SFCC and others favoring a new city of South Fulton or choosing to do nothing “trying to remain unincorporated” won’t tell you about how successful the cities of East Point, Union City, Palmetto and College Park are in taking huge bites out of the proposed city of South Fulton.  By the time they are finished there won’t be much left to form a financially viable city.  Sadly the ferocity of opposition to Sandtown joining Atlanta has moved beyond intelligent debate and we now have one SFCC member in our community verbally accosting folks who want to exercise their right to choose when signing petitions.  The merits of these acts of desperation or lack thereof speak for themselves. Choosing to pass on signing a petition for annexation by Atlanta is a decision.  You are gambling there will be enough left for a fiscally viable city of South Fulton.  You are betting that we will have the revenue and leaders with the integrity to build a successful city.  You are rolling the dice that Fulton can continue to provide services on a transition basis while a city is being built. We don’t have much commercial in South Fulton - just a lot of residential, so higher property taxes would have to fund a new city because we don’t have economic engines like the Atlanta Airport or as someone said the revenue from Mike Vick throwing the football every Sunday. The same winners with the Sandy Springs incorporation are lingering on the sidelines, awaiting a new municipal platform to solidify their power.  We would face even greater challenges than Sandy Springs with less money and fewer resources from the county for our transition as we endeavor to build a city.  From the Sandtown Community Association Steering Committee   back to top Will we allow them to take away our rights? From the Sandtown Community Association Steering Committee  We are aware that there is a organized effort afoot to contest the petitions for Sandtown’s annexation by Atlanta.  We respect the right of residents to express their desire to not move forward with annexation.  Our concern is how one political representative has crossed the line by participating in a meeting where discussions about challenging the signatures on petitions were planned.  As an elected official elected to safeguard the democratic process for open debate and discussion and the rights of citizens to exercise their constitutional choices, we find the proximity and closeness to the line disturbing.  Furthermore his participation as an elected official in such a politically charged debate started by grassroots efforts is deplorable and unethical and gives attendees the impression because of his statue that this is sanctioned by governmental bodies.  If this issue causes this elected representative great concern and purpose, we would respect his participation in the discussion on an even planning field as a citizen and not an elected official.  Also participating in the meeting was a member of the Fulton School Superintendent’s staff and members of the “South Fulton Concerned Citizens” (SFCC) who for the past year have had numerous public meetings with the support of a number of elected officials. This group was consumed with the option of forming a separate city.  Dialog regarding annexation was focused solely from the standpoint of preventing cities from annexing land to defeat the goal of forming a seventh city in South Fulton.  In Sandtown residents have had numerous opportunities to attend meetings and secure information.  Much of the opposition coming from SFCC has recently been diverted to undermining the interests of residents in Sandtown and West Cascade who have considered options beyond forming a new city.  The Sandtown Community Association Steering Committee back to top When is Enough, Enough? – Looking East to Atlanta  By the Sandtown Community Association Steering Committee Members of the Sandtown Steering Committee have witnessed extensive dialogue regarding city hood and annexation, we felt compelled to provide greater understanding of our point of view on the future of Sandtown. The Community Association developed a blueprint for Sandtown that touched every facet of a resident's quality of life. The plan (commonly referred to as Blueprint Sandtown) was developed in the wake of preventing the widening of Campbellton Road by the GDOT. This vision for Sandtown addressed the needs for education, commercial/residential development, parks and recreation and infrastructure. In this article, we hope to share our reasons in support of annexation and to ask each of our fellow taxpayers, when have you had enough?   For the last eleven years, SAT scores have lagged in South Fulton behind the state, county and national averages. Closing the achievement gap has been more of an effort in dialogue and despite requests for an outlined plan, progress is "slow going". The schools in Sandtown have become overcrowded due to the residential growth and the School Board has failed to offer any relief. Go look at the new trailers that have gobbled up two-thirds of the parking lot. The Board has made an exception for Autry Mills MS up North, but leaves Sandtown busting at the seams with some of the largest school districts. We remain vigilant in pressing for relief in overcrowding of our schools, the number of trailers, the rebuilding of Westlake HS, parking for teachers, improved egress and ingress and the size of our districts.   Efforts to attract commercial development have been controlled by several developers whose empty promises remain as vacant as the proposed land for development. The fruits of their commitments remain unrealized. The recent development has resulted in a re-opened CITGO station at New Hope and Boatrock and a CVS at Camp Creek Parkway and Campbellton, where ground breaking has still not taken place. Instead of movement on Sandtown Center, the community faces an attempt to place commercial development along Camp Creek Parkway. A bright spot is on the horizon with a new design of an old project defeated by the BOC almost four years ago.   Sandtown Gym has needed a facelift for years and the community has outgrown existing parkland. The community sought to attract a YMCA to the community and an initial study that was conducted looked promising. This effort was stalled when leadership outside our community sought to upstage our efforts by proposing the Camp Creek Marketplace area as a better location. As of this date, nothing has materialized, and the county has no funds to upgrade the gym or park. Even after land was sold by the County Parks Department to build Sandtown Middle School, the $300K promised by the County to be used to replace the lost park land has disappeared. We have pressed for road improvements, sidewalks and trails in this current day, and nothing has materialized. At what point, does a taxpayer reach the conclusion, that there has got to be a better alternative. When are the political leaders who wield power going to deliver? Are we ready for self-determination, so that the blueprint actually means something?  As we look east at the city of Atlanta, we see resources for parks, schools and a better quality of life. There is nothing wrong with optimism, hope and a quest for something new. As we look at the last ten years, we fail to find a compelling argument to continue to be ignored, insulted, disrespected and isolated. back to top

Recap of Atlanta Town Hall Meeting with Department Heads On Monday June 12 the Sandtown Community Association hosted the first of a series of Town Hall Meetings on "Options for Sandtown".  Representatives from the City of Atlanta made their pitch to Sandtown residents on  why we should choose Atlanta.  We had a great turnout and residents asked many insightful and constructive questions.  We also had a few folks making speeches instead of asking questions.  Some live in Sandtown and some do not. Some sounded like they have started their campaign for office. We had elected officials and their staff members from Fulton County, the Fulton School Board and Atlanta City Council in the audience.  Tables in the Sandtown Middle School cafeteria were full of interested parties. Atlanta officials raised the bar on the quantity and quality of information we should be demanding of ALL other options for an "apples to apples" comparison.  We are at a serious crossroad where we need to make informed decisions on how we will be governed and who we believe can actually deliver on their promises.  We cannot make this decision based on what folks are telling us anecdotally, take information from folks at face value just because we like them or  accept emotional appeals devoid of empirical data.  Don't believe what you hear from someone unless you are able to confirm it independently. Lastly as you listen to various folks on their opinions, recognize that the correct solution depends very much on where you live in South Fulton.  The best choice for one area, may not be the best choice for Sandtown.  The right solution for politicians, might not be the right solution for residents. As promised we conducted a meeting on June 29 with Atlanta School officials to discuss what they can offer the students living in Sandtown to round out the information provided for the Atlanta Option. As we gather more information on Atlanta, we will add it on this page and share it via email it to our association members. Recap of Atlanta Town Hall Meeting with APS back to top Atlanta Annexation Information and Links: City of Atlanta Letter From Mayor Shirley Franklin: Letter Atlanta on Why Choose Atlanta: Flyer Town Hall Meeting Notes: Town Hall Meeting Recap Atlanta rolls out the welcome mat | ajc.com Atlanta's Redevelopment Plan Links (WARNING LARGE FILES FOR HIGH SPEED BROADBAND USERS ONLY) 1. Front Matter and Executive Summary 2. "Big Picture" Plan Overview 3. Existing Conditions and Analysis 4. CASCADE (Avenue) 5. CAMPBELLTON WEST (W of I-285) 6. CAMPBELLTON EAST (E of I-285) City of Atlanta Newsbytes Atlanta Beltline Partnership New Cities Checklist - The County is required to provide services to new cities through the requisite transition period unless notified otherwise by the city in accordance with its enabling legislation. This a list of the services that a city must provide or contract with Fulton County to provide. There is also a section to assist the new city in identifying the many issues to consider prior to incorporation. back to top Need Tools to Review Documents? Get Viewer to read Adobe PDF Documents     Microsoft Windows Media Player Free Download     Get Viewer to view WORD Presentations     Get Viewer to view PowerPoint Presentations                                                                                                               back to top