Cityhood Process Needs Revision

The 10-county metro Atlanta region is undergoing a process of municipalization.  Since 2005, the cities of Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton, Chattahoochee Hills, Dunwoody, and Peachtree Corners have all incorporated as new municipalities.  A proposed city of Brookhaven (or Ashford, as it may be called) in DeKalb County is currently under consideration in the General Assembly. 

There is no reason to expect that this trend will stop.

The eruption of the debate in North DeKalb over whether to form a new city of Brookhaven made me realize that we need a better procedure for the creation of new cities.  After speaking with my constituents about the possibility of creating a city, I noticed that their opinions ran the gamut.

The way things stand today, a small group of private citizens can raise money and draw whatever boundaries for a city they choose, as long as they have a legislator to champion their map through the General Assembly.  Once approved by the state legislature, these citizens need only secure the passage of a referendum, which should be easy because only people within the new city are eligible to vote on the referendum. 

The proponents need not take into account the circumstances of those just outside the boundaries who remain unincorporated, existing cities, or the financial health of the county or the region.  In fact, there is nothing prohibiting potential cities from including commercial areas and leaving out adjacent neighborhoods - a scenario that has been seen during discussions for both Dunwoody and Brookhaven.  The incentive is there for proponents of a new city to draw just such a map, because commercial areas bring in much of the tax revenues local governments need to operate, whereas residences usually cost more to service than they bring in.

The City of Brookhaven would have different effects on different residents of North DeKalb - hence the disparate viewpoints. 

There are those who would be residents of the new city, and theoretically could benefit due to what may be better services, lower taxes, or both.  Then, there are those whose neighborhoods would become isolated from the remainder of unincorporated DeKalb and may well see their taxes go up as the city pulls revenue from the county, and those in existing cities whose annexation potential would be limited.  As the representative for individuals in all of these different postures, I see the failure of the current method of incorporation to not give a seat at the table to anyone but those select few who are interested in forming a new city. 

 The process clearly needs to be more balanced, with better planning, and attention given to the economic viability of the existing counties and the Atlanta region, which is the economic engine of the State.  To this end, I have introduced HB 830 with Representative Mary Margaret Oliver.

 This bill would provide space in the discussion regarding the formation of a new city for residents of areas that would remain unincorporated, residents of existing cities, and county officials, as well as residents who would live in the new city. 

The bill provides for a two-year period to create the new city, with proposed boundaries set in the first year.  It would also require a feasibility study that sets out the anticipated cost of police, fire, and sanitation in the proposed city, in the unincorporated county, and in adjacent cities.  This would allow residents to compare costs prior to and after the incorporation, which would provide a mechanism for existing cities to have a voice in the discussions related to areas that are immediately outside their boundaries and for which they may have an annexation interest.  The feasibility study would also assess the financial impact of the incorporation of the municipality on the county where the new city is located.  HB 830 also requires that the community proposed to be incorporated attempt less costly and disruptive alternatives to incorporation – such as overlay zoning districts and special tax districts -prior to presenting a proposal for a new city to the General Assembly.

There is nothing wrong with the creation of new cities.  The opportunities they provide for local control, community investment, and enhanced local representation cannot be discounted.  But we also need to be honest about their downsides, such as increased fragmentation at a time when our metro Atlanta region needs to be working together to solve our challenges, such as improving our transportation system, like never before.  The creation of smaller government units also raises the cost of services over time because the cost is spread over fewer people.

 Policy makers must balance the competing interests of local control and government that works for all citizens, and HB 830 gives the General Assembly an opportunity to put into place a sound process to guide our region’s municipalization movement.  Only if we take into account the interests of all residents of the metro Atlanta area will our region work together and thrive. 

Representative Elena Parent represents District 81 in DeKalb County.