SOUTH FULTON 101
Understanding Our New City
FREQUENTLY CALLED NUMBERS
24/7 PUBLIC WORKS HOTLINE
(470) 552-4311
Garbage Collection, Illegal Dumping, Street Paving & Potholes
24/7 PUBLIC WORKS HOTLINE
(470) 552-4311
Garbage Collection, Illegal Dumping, Street Paving & Potholes
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Business Licenses & Taxes
Lashayne Taylor, Tax Specialist Lashayne.Taylor@CityofSouthFultonGA.gov (470) 809-7725 Code Enforcement Report Code Violations ClickIt@CityofSouthFultonGA.gov (470) 809-TELL (8355) Old National Code Endorcement Anthony Mullins, Director Anthony.Mullins@CityofSouthFultonGA.gov Sign Permits Dana Gray, City Planner Dana.Gray@CityofSouthFultonGA.gov (470) 870.7201 Zoning & Regulatory Affairs Shayla Reed, Director Shayla.Reed@CityofSouthFultonGA.gov (470) 809-7200 |
South Fulton City Hall
Work is underway to reconfigure the Fulton County offices at 5440 Fulton Industrial Boulevard into South Fulton, Georgia's first City Hall.
Fulton County Police, Fire, Planning & Zoning and code enforcement — all of which will be transitioning to city control this year — are already housed in this building. Fulton County has agreed to transfer the building's lease to South Fulton; and to keep us in the building, its owner has agreed to lease & build out an additional 10,000 square feet of space at hugely discounted rates.
All this means huge savings of money and time for the City, which allows us to focus on building other city infrastructure and improving our services. Most new cities wait 7-10 years before building a city hall "from scratch," so they can build their financial reserves. This was the case with John's Creek and Sandy Springs.
Fulton County Police, Fire, Planning & Zoning and code enforcement — all of which will be transitioning to city control this year — are already housed in this building. Fulton County has agreed to transfer the building's lease to South Fulton; and to keep us in the building, its owner has agreed to lease & build out an additional 10,000 square feet of space at hugely discounted rates.
All this means huge savings of money and time for the City, which allows us to focus on building other city infrastructure and improving our services. Most new cities wait 7-10 years before building a city hall "from scratch," so they can build their financial reserves. This was the case with John's Creek and Sandy Springs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Tuesday, January 1
January 21 (3rd Monday) February 18 (3rd Monday) Wednesday, May 1 May 27 (last Monday) Thursday, July 4 September 2 (1st Monday) October 14 (2nd Monday) November 5 (1st Tuesday) November 11 November 28 (4th Thursday) December 24 December 25 December 31 |
New Year's Day
MLK Day of Service President's Day City Anniversary Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Indigenous Peoples' Day Election Holiday Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Eve Christmas Day New Year's Eve |
History of Citywide Trash Service (cont'd)
In August, the South Fulton's Procurement Manager, Anthony Kerr, scored the proposals an announced the winner of the contract: Advanced Disposal. Ironically, the very thing that gave Advanced an advantage in its proposal — its local operation of a waste transfer station — may be a key factor in the company's failure to close the deal.
Per City Council's revised RFP, Advanced received extra points in its bid to be the citywide sanitation provider because it already operated a Waste Transfer Station on Welcome All Road, within the city limits. However, residents complaints about pollution coming from the facility gave some council members pause. Others on Council were concerned about how commitments to work with smaller companies were scored in the procurement process.
Per City Council's revised RFP, Advanced received extra points in its bid to be the citywide sanitation provider because it already operated a Waste Transfer Station on Welcome All Road, within the city limits. However, residents complaints about pollution coming from the facility gave some council members pause. Others on Council were concerned about how commitments to work with smaller companies were scored in the procurement process.
City Council rejects recommendation of Advanced Disposal
The Council voted to reject the Procurement Manager's recommendation and called for a Special Public Meeting with all interested providers to question them directly and vote for a recommended provider. However, just as the meeting was about to begin, Mayor Bill Edwards made a speech warning against the meeting. The meeting was canceled.
With the Procurement Manager's recommendation rejected, the RFP process abandoned, a Public Hearing with possible providers canceled, and a transition deadline of November 2018 too close to put out a new RFP and start the bidding process anew, it fell to new City Manager Odie Donald to come up with a buzzer-beating play. The Sandy Springs, free-market model was the play. Residents would select from a list of city-approved providers who were supposed to compete with one another, resulting in lower prices for the consumer.
With the Procurement Manager's recommendation rejected, the RFP process abandoned, a Public Hearing with possible providers canceled, and a transition deadline of November 2018 too close to put out a new RFP and start the bidding process anew, it fell to new City Manager Odie Donald to come up with a buzzer-beating play. The Sandy Springs, free-market model was the play. Residents would select from a list of city-approved providers who were supposed to compete with one another, resulting in lower prices for the consumer.
We Are Not Sandy Springs
Councilman khalid questions "Sandy Springs" model of privatized garbage collection & warns how implementation of such a program will be problematic.
From the very beginning, Councilman khalid was an outspoken advocate for a single, citywide garbage collector. As the selection process broke down, he urged colleagues not to abandon the principle that a single, citywide provider was the best option. In a speech before the vote to adopt this "Sandy Springs model", khalid warned it could fail in ways city leaders had not yet imagined. His predictions did not take long to come true.
The first bad news came from the Big 3 companies. Under the city's original (RFP) — which was discarded with the Procurement Manager's recommendation of Advanced Disposal — the city would have paid millions up front for residential garbage service, then worked to recoup that money from property owners via a city tax bill (the way citywide garbage service is paid for in Atlanta). However, under the Free Market model, each company bills each customer individually. When the Free Market Sanitation Model was announced, two of the Big 3 — Advanced and Republic – opted out of providing residential service, claiming they could not scale up their infrastructure of trucks & employees to service the entire city without the upfront payments outlined in the RFP
The next blow came from the small haulers. Upon implementation it became clear that the goal of their lobbying was never to compete with the Big 3, only to keep the turf they had. Unlike Sandy Springs, who has multiple vendors competing in a much smaller, more densely populated area, South Fulton's 100 square mile service delivery area had long ago been carved up by sanitation companies. Decades before we became a city, companies like Waste Industries bought the rights to "routes" (the right to drive trucks in particular areas) from smaller companies like Latham. The small haulers had no intentions of challenging big corporations for these routes. Only one company, Fulton Sanitation, expressed intent to expand its operations and compete for new business. For the others, it was simply not financially feasible to drive dozens of miles to collect trash at a few scattered addresses if they could not be guaranteed the right to service the entire area. Many small companies understood these financial realities from the beginning, even though City Council did not.
The final blow to the citywide model came in companies decision to pass along the city's new "infrastructure fee." Many cities charge garbage collectors this fee for the wear & tear on city streets by heavy garbage trucks. With no contract language or negotiation to stop them, most of the private garbage companies passed this 5 percent fee on to South Fulton residents. As a result, most South Fulton citizens have the same garbage companies to choose from today that they had before cityhood — but at higher prices.
The first bad news came from the Big 3 companies. Under the city's original (RFP) — which was discarded with the Procurement Manager's recommendation of Advanced Disposal — the city would have paid millions up front for residential garbage service, then worked to recoup that money from property owners via a city tax bill (the way citywide garbage service is paid for in Atlanta). However, under the Free Market model, each company bills each customer individually. When the Free Market Sanitation Model was announced, two of the Big 3 — Advanced and Republic – opted out of providing residential service, claiming they could not scale up their infrastructure of trucks & employees to service the entire city without the upfront payments outlined in the RFP
The next blow came from the small haulers. Upon implementation it became clear that the goal of their lobbying was never to compete with the Big 3, only to keep the turf they had. Unlike Sandy Springs, who has multiple vendors competing in a much smaller, more densely populated area, South Fulton's 100 square mile service delivery area had long ago been carved up by sanitation companies. Decades before we became a city, companies like Waste Industries bought the rights to "routes" (the right to drive trucks in particular areas) from smaller companies like Latham. The small haulers had no intentions of challenging big corporations for these routes. Only one company, Fulton Sanitation, expressed intent to expand its operations and compete for new business. For the others, it was simply not financially feasible to drive dozens of miles to collect trash at a few scattered addresses if they could not be guaranteed the right to service the entire area. Many small companies understood these financial realities from the beginning, even though City Council did not.
The final blow to the citywide model came in companies decision to pass along the city's new "infrastructure fee." Many cities charge garbage collectors this fee for the wear & tear on city streets by heavy garbage trucks. With no contract language or negotiation to stop them, most of the private garbage companies passed this 5 percent fee on to South Fulton residents. As a result, most South Fulton citizens have the same garbage companies to choose from today that they had before cityhood — but at higher prices.
2020
This current arrangement of Citywide Garbage Collection is set to expire in 2019. City Council is collecting feedback on how to move forward in 2020.
Discussions of future service will also include how the city might use some portion of the $25 million in L.O.S.T. funds it receives for having citywide collection might be used to subsidize the price of garbage services for the elderly or less fortunate. Councilman khalid & others are still pushing for a single citywide provider. In light of recent events, his ideas appear to be gaining support.
Please take the survey below to share your thoughts on how the city should move forward in providing citywide garbage collection.
Discussions of future service will also include how the city might use some portion of the $25 million in L.O.S.T. funds it receives for having citywide collection might be used to subsidize the price of garbage services for the elderly or less fortunate. Councilman khalid & others are still pushing for a single citywide provider. In light of recent events, his ideas appear to be gaining support.
Please take the survey below to share your thoughts on how the city should move forward in providing citywide garbage collection.
FACT CHECK:
Why Not Call a Citywide Vote for New City Name?
What About a Non-Binding Vote?
The suggestion has been made by several others that the city hold a non-legally binding Election where voters could give direct feedback. A proposal gaining popularity in recent weeks is to open polls at City Hall (5440 Fulton Industrial) and the South Service Center (5600 Stonewall Tell) for citizens to hold a citywide vote on the name. Voters would select between 5 names, with a citywide vote occurring around the MLK Holiday in mid-January. |
Many have asked: Why not just put the name two a citywide vote?
There are three reasons a Vote for a New City Name would be very difficult at this time: 1) Legal Limitations 2) Logistical Considerations 3) Timeline of Cityhood Transition LEGAL LIMITATIONS In order to place a referendum (question for voters) on an official ballot, Georgia State Law O.C.G.A. §36-35-3 requires citizens to collect around 17,000 signatures (15 percent of the city’s 119,073 Registered Voters) for each proposed name to be added to the ballot. Additionally, even if either of these solutions was pursued, O.C.G.A. § 21-2-540(c)(2) limits such ballot questions to the following dates in 2018: May 22 and November 6. Neither of these would give us enough time to transition departments. Remember: we are legally & financially obligated to set up Fire, Police & Sanitation services before November 2018. |
However, a Non-Legally Binding Election means that even if thousands of people came out to vote for the City Name, our City Council would still be required to hold its own vote. No Councilmember would be obliged to cast a vote for the top choice of citizens.
This is exactly what happened during City Council's November 13 vote for the City Name. Though the name South Fulton lead in many online surveys, its popularity was NOT reflected in the votes of Councilmembers.
This is exactly what happened during City Council's November 13 vote for the City Name. Though the name South Fulton lead in many online surveys, its popularity was NOT reflected in the votes of Councilmembers.
LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
If the City were to conduct a non-biniding Election, here are some logistical issues to consider: How Would Residents Be Notified? One of the biggest complaints of our residents is the lack of communication from the city about the name change. Though much information about the city is available online, and in electronic newsletters like this one, residents have pressed for paper notification of such events. Indeed, in a legally binding Special Election, a Notice of Election would be sent to every eligible registered voter, with the date(s) of the Election and the location(s) where s/he could go vote. To print & mail such a notice to all eligible voters would cost the city around $50,000. |
What City Names Would Go On the Ballot?
Nearly 300 different names were submitted by residents who were aware of our renaming. Countless other names were brought by others as they found out about the renaming.
Many residents were displeased with the process Marketing Firms Vivo 360 & firstClass Inc. used to narrow the list to the 20 most popular names. How many names would be placed on the ballot for a citywide election — 5, 50 or 500 — and what process would be used to select them?
If no name received over 50 percent of the popular vote, would a runoff be held?
These are some of the crucial questions that must be answered, in addition to figuring out who would supervise the voting and counting of the ballots, before any such election could be held.
Nearly 300 different names were submitted by residents who were aware of our renaming. Countless other names were brought by others as they found out about the renaming.
Many residents were displeased with the process Marketing Firms Vivo 360 & firstClass Inc. used to narrow the list to the 20 most popular names. How many names would be placed on the ballot for a citywide election — 5, 50 or 500 — and what process would be used to select them?
If no name received over 50 percent of the popular vote, would a runoff be held?
These are some of the crucial questions that must be answered, in addition to figuring out who would supervise the voting and counting of the ballots, before any such election could be held.
South Fulton 101 TV:
What Does a City Manager Do?
A Schoolhouse Rock® for adults, South Fulton 101 TV is a series of short videos created by Councilman khalid to educate South Fulton citizens on how their new city government works. Watch the latest South Fulton 101 video here!
FACT CHECK:
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T-SPLOST
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Developers have once again set their sights on the land around our airport — the world's busiest. Aerotropolis Atlanta is a mixed-use development, including a 4-star InterContinental hotel, class-A office space, and travel plaza adjacent to the airport’s main domestic terminal and MARTA station, which along with the Porsche headquarters, is part of a larger vision by Invest Atlanta, Delta Airlines, Georgia Power, SunTrust Bank & others to transform the vicinity around the Airport on Atlanta's Southside.
The initiative is broken into two segments — an organization of land owners in airport areas Business Districts, or CIDs in Fulton & Clayton counties, and a larger coalition working on a more comprehensive Economic Development plan. |
Appealing Your 2018 Property Tax Assessment
As the City of South Fulton improves public services and property values increase, some residents may notice an increase in their property taxes. These increased property taxes are how our city pays for new police officers and improved parks, streets and emergency services. When included in your house note and spread over the year, most increases amount to only a few dollars each month. However, residents who notice a sharp increase in their property tax assessments can file an appeal with the Fulton County Tax Assessor's Office.
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To File An Appeal Online:
Visit the Fulton County Tax Assessor's website at www.FultonAssessor.org, or simply click the link below to access the Online Services > SmartFile tool (see steps below). To File An Appeal By Mail:
Print the one-page Appeal Application at the button below and mail to: Fulton County Tax Assessor
235 Peachtree Street NE North Tower • 12th Floor Atlanta, GA • 30303 To File An Appeal In Person:
Visit the Fulton County Tax Assessors office. Fulton County Tax Assessors Office
South Fulton Annex 5600 Stonewall Rd, 30349 • Room 224 Monday-Friday • 8AM-4.30PM |