BUCKHEAD
Senate committee holds hearing on cityhood effort
From left, Buckhead City Committee CEO and Chairman Bill
White, who is leading the cityhood movement, and Sen.
Brandon Beach testify before the Georgia Senate committee.
BYAMYWENK
A Georgia Senate committee held a hear
ing Nov. 4 about the proposed “Buckhead
City,” laying the groundwork for a high-pro
file discussion next year.
During the three-hour hearing, cityhood
advocates centered their testimonies on vio
lent crime in Atlanta, saying an independent
Buckhead would hire its own police force.
Opponents said breaking Buckhead off
would be financially disastrous to Atlanta,
citing impacts to its economic development,
bond ratings and national reputation.
Sen. Brandon Beach (R - Alpharetta) pre
filed a Buckhead cityhood bill on Nov. 18.
Beach is among a dozen state legislators
who have expressed support of the effort, al
though none represent the city of Atlanta.
Cityhood supporters hope to get legisla
tion passed at the Georgia General Assembly
next year, which would place a referendum
on the November 2022 ballot allowing Buck-
head residents to vote on whether to form a
new city.
“I was involved in the creation of Milton,
Johns Creek and Sandy Springs,” Beach said.
“Those citizens wanted control of their own
destiny... The city of Buckhead wants to do
the same on local control. They want to have
their zoning and trash pickup. But make no
mistake about it, crime is driving this issue.”
Beach had started his testimony with a
video compiling recent violent Buckhead
crimes, including a security guard who was
shot at Lenox Square mall. At the hearing, the
Senate committee also heard from Eliana Ko-
vitch, who was violently attacked by a man
in Buckhead last year.
To combat crime, the proposed Buckhead
City would hire 250 police officers, said Buck-
head City Committee CEO and Chairman Bill
White, the face of the cityhood effort He add
ed that the police force would be the highest
paid in the state.
“It is clear that Atlanta and its leadership,
which is bankrupt of new ideas, is not up to
the job of providing adequate police cover
age for its 500,000 residents,” White said. “So,
reducing the area they need to patrol makes
perfect sense to us.”
White slammed city leadership’s abili
ty to effectively police the city. “Regarding
the results of the mayoral election this week,
no one that I speak to in Buckhead wants
Moore’ of the same, nor do we want the
‘Dickens’ scared out of us,” he said, referring
to Felicia Moore and Andre Dickens, the two
Atlanta mayoral candidates headed to a run
off on Nov. 30.
But, cityhood opponent Peter Aman, a
former chief operating officer with the city
of Atlanta, said there was no indication that
public safety would improve if Buckhead left.
“Criminals do not respect boundaries,” he
said.
Aman also said that it would be an “un
mitigated disaster” for the city of Atlanta to
have its revenues slashed if Buckhead broke
off. Cityhood opponents in September re
leased a study that said the net fiscal loss to
Atlanta could range from $80 million to $116
million per year.
Aman said the proposed Buckhead City
would incur significant startup costs, includ
ing the acquisition of community assets such
as Chastain Park, which could cost in excess
of $250 million, he said. Residents of the new
Buckhead City would also have to pay much
higher water costs, up to 36% more, he said.
“Separating Buckhead from the city of At
lanta would be calamitous for everybody,”
said Aman, a Buckhead resident who ran for
Atlanta mayor in 2017.
Kevin Green, president
and CEO of the Midtown Al
liance, said tearing apart At
lanta would harm the city’s
ability to lure companies
and would tarnish its na
tional reputation.
“Bond markets being
downgraded, increasing cost
of future debt, years of litiga
tion over this, virtually guar
anteed higher taxes, and a
national narrative that this is
going to exacerbate econom
ic and racial segregation —
that is not the kind of atmo
sphere that any company or
investor wants to enter,” Green said, adding
that if the proposed cityhood goes forward,
competitor cities such as Charlotte, Dallas,
Houston and Chattanooga would benefit
Tom Gehl with the Georgia Municipal As
sociation said carving a new city out of At
lanta could hurt taxpayers across the state.
“Should this legislation ever pass, it’s likely
that the credit rating agencies would essen
tially downgrade the municipal bond market
in Georgia, thus raising the costs to taxpayers
and cities across the state,” he said.
“But from just a PR perspective, the Atlan
ta brand and the state of Georgia’s brand may
be tarnished forever,” Gehl said.
I.REISS
2090 Dunwoody Club Dr, Ste 107 Sandy Springs, GA 30350 www.Lauderhills.com 770-396
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DECEMBER 2021| 9
