Milton County will rise again!
January 19, 2009 at 5:31 pm by Thomas Wheatley in News
Last Monday, state Rep. Jan Jones, R-Alpharetta, fired the first shot in the battle between North Fulton residents and the Fulton County Commission. The aim of these highly educated, high-income, and mostly Republican residents: Split from the terrible fiend named Fulton and revive Milton County, which fell on hard times after a boll weevil infestation and the Great Depression. In 1932, it merged with Fulton County.
Jones filed a bill that would allow former counties to “re-create” themselves. There’s no dancing around the fact that it’s meant for Roswell, Alpharetta, Mountain Park and the newly created cities of Johns Creek and Milton to revive Milton County. The House Communications office even announced it as such.
It would also mean Fulton County loses one of its wealthiest areas.
Jones, in a press release, didn’t sound angry.
“The mandate to re-create Milton County becomes clearer and more pressing with each new disclosure of the continuing failure of Fulton County to provide adequate basic government functions,” said Representative Jones.
Oh, wait, maybe she did sound a little fed up. For years, North Fulton residents have wanted to split from Fulton County, calling it an ineffective and unrepresentative governing body and a leech on its taxpayers’ wallets. According to a poorly made website dedicated to the secession effort, “every dollar paid by county residents outside of the Atlanta city limits returns only about 68 cents in local services.” When I worked at an Alpharetta newspaper in 2005, many residents often spoke as if their city was a colony and the county commission was its overseas king.
So it’ll be simple, right? Not exactly. Jones talked about the bill with the AJC last year. It looks like it’ll be a long process.
The bill would call for a constitutional amendment allowing pre-existing counties to be reconstituted. If the General Assembly signs off on it, the amendment would require a statewide vote perhaps as soon as 2010. If Georgia voters approve it, then there would be an election in what would be Milton County. If north Fulton voters support it, then the Legislature would draft a charter. Then would begin the hard work of dividing the counties.
And before it even gets to that point, proponents will have to win over a 2/3 majority in the state House. Surely the rest of the Fulton delegation will try to prevent its passage.
According to the above article, “opponents say it is the accusations that are unfair and that amputating the northern area would hurt Milton and Fulton counties.” It being a holiday, Fulton County Chairman John Eaves’ office was closed. I’ll update when I hear from him.
All in all, it’s a shame. First, Sandy Springs jumped ship. Then Johns Creek and Milton decided to govern themselves. What’s next, Campbell County? Something tells me that in a few years, Fulton County will just be Commissioner Robb Pitts’s house. That and his many, many casinos. Hmmm, casinos.
(Photo courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources)
January 20th, 2009 at 12:31 am
campbell county? interesting factoid.
January 20th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Umm, a big area that used to form old Campbell County already has jumped ship. They go by the hoity-toity name of ‘Chattahoochee Hill Country’ now.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:36 am
It’s about time we brought Milton County back. The Fulton County Commission has always bin dysfunctional and its time to say good by. If you look at the dollars we pay in tax’s and what we get in services we have been on the losing end of the stick.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:43 am
yes, adding ANOTHER county will solve all of life’s problems…
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:33 pm
It seems to me that the Republicans in this country have not realize that their destruction has caused higher taxes, higher jobless rates, and abysmal fiscal failure throughout the US. Georgia is a prime example of what happens when you cut tax base, fail to woo new middle class jobs, and uttlery ignore blue collar workers in factories. The result is higher taxes for cities, selling out once coveted private space and anti-corporate development (i.e., dunwoody and its billboards) fewer affordable services, corrupt commissioners and police departments (Sandy Springs) and budget cuts for Georgia public schools (statewide by Gov. Perdue).
When do people in Atlanta learn? Apparently the rich are outweighing their CPAs advice and deciding paying more taxes is good, as long as it benefits them personally. God knows, we don’t want higher taxes, but assuredly we don’t want to support the City of Atlanta, where most people in North Fulton work everyday!
These people never think, but then again, thats what corporate America does, it sucks out your brains and leaves the corpse for Religious reasons.