City Moves Towards Unified Residential Garbage Collection
As of February 1, 2019, every house and residential building in the City of South Fulton is required to have its own Garbage Collection service by a city-approved Sanitation company. Renters must negotiate with their landlords on who will pay for the service.
Quarterly Fees for City of South Fulton, GA Residential Trash Service (Oct 2020).
How Did We Get Here?
Those paying close attention to South Fulton's transition to cityhood remember earlier plans to have one, citywide service that included recycling & bulk trash collection, all included in homeowner's property tax bills. So what happened?
In order to be officially recognized as a city by the State of Georgia, certain services must be provided by City government. There are additional requirements if a city wants to receive a portion of the 8% Sales Tax you pay every time you purchase something in Fulton County. Georgia State Code (O.C.G.A. 48-8-80) states that in order to receive this money, cities must provide 3 of the following 6 services:
In order to be officially recognized as a city by the State of Georgia, certain services must be provided by City government. There are additional requirements if a city wants to receive a portion of the 8% Sales Tax you pay every time you purchase something in Fulton County. Georgia State Code (O.C.G.A. 48-8-80) states that in order to receive this money, cities must provide 3 of the following 6 services:
Water
Sewage
Garbage Collection
Police
Fire
Library
Sewage
Garbage Collection
Police
Fire
Library
The City of Atlanta owns the water lines. Fulton County owns the sewer system and runs the library system. This leaves Police, Fire and Garbage Collection — the very services those who fought for cityhood vowed to improve. By having these three services, the City of South Fulton secured access to the Local Option Sales Tax (L.O.S.T.) described above, which totaled over $28 million in 2021. These millions in additional, annual tax dollars allows South Fulton to spend on more on its citizens
At the outset of cityhood, South Fulton's Council decided against creating a city-owned Sanitation Department like Atlanta's; and opted instead to contract with a private company to provide citywide trash service. The next thing to decide was whom to give that very lucrative contract.
At the outset of cityhood, South Fulton's Council decided against creating a city-owned Sanitation Department like Atlanta's; and opted instead to contract with a private company to provide citywide trash service. The next thing to decide was whom to give that very lucrative contract.
Who Can Do the Job?
City of South Fulton, GA
The first thing to keep in mind whenever discussing the City of South Fulton is our map. Unlike other new or neighboring cities, the City of South Fulton is nearly the same size as Atlanta, covering nearly 100 square miles. Anyone offering to do business or provide services in South Fulton must have a plan to cover our entire city; including its countless odd edges, where some streets are South Fulton on only one side of the street, or for only a few blocks.
This is very different from the City of Sandy Springs, whose population of 100,000 people is compacted into a neatly defined area one-third the size of our city. It is usually easier and more cost-effective to deliver services to more densely populated areas — which is why most Americans live in cities in the first place.
At the beginning of the Sanitation process, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was written to solicit bids from companies to do the job. Each proposal would be scored from 0-100, based on criteria provided by City Council & staff. By the end of the RFP period, only three companies — Advanced Disposal, Republic Services and Waste Industries — submitted citywide proposals. These "Big 3" were the only companies large enough to handle providing service to residents across the entire city.
This is very different from the City of Sandy Springs, whose population of 100,000 people is compacted into a neatly defined area one-third the size of our city. It is usually easier and more cost-effective to deliver services to more densely populated areas — which is why most Americans live in cities in the first place.
At the beginning of the Sanitation process, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was written to solicit bids from companies to do the job. Each proposal would be scored from 0-100, based on criteria provided by City Council & staff. By the end of the RFP period, only three companies — Advanced Disposal, Republic Services and Waste Industries — submitted citywide proposals. These "Big 3" were the only companies large enough to handle providing service to residents across the entire city.
Don't Forget the Little Guy
While everyone agreed that the price per customer should be the chief criteria used to judge each bid, some members of Council argued for other concerns to be included. Then Councilman khalid failed to persuade City Council to give additional points to companies whose workers had higher wages & safer working conditions. However, a majority of Council did agree to give additional points to "local" companies.
From the first announcement that South Fulton was looking to "contract out" garbage collection, Councilmembers were approached by small sanitation companies already doing business in the area who worried they would be put out of business if the City chose one, citywide trash company. These "small haulers" lobbied Councilmembers in and out of Council meetings, warning that they would go bankrupt if forced out of South Fulton by big corporations.
Then they lobbied citizens. As the deadline for Council's decision to pick a Sanitation Provider loomed, South Fulton residents began hearing from their beloved garbage man that he might soon be out of a job. Many residents loved their local provider and praised them for having lower prices & better customer service. Concerned constituents began to flood City Council phone lines and email inboxes, demanding the right to keep the current garbage collector.
Many on Council caved to this pressure from constituents and revised the Request for Proposal (RFP) to give "local preference" in the awarding of the contract(s). However, it also meant that larger companies with local operations would receive a similar consideration — an unforeseen consequence some would later regret. In the end, a compromise was reached that would allow citizens to select a garbage collector of their choice from an approved list of city vendors. However, the South Fulton's current Sanitation Ordinance provides no explicit penalties for companies who provide poor service and no set criteria to remove such companies from the City's list of approved vendors.
From the first announcement that South Fulton was looking to "contract out" garbage collection, Councilmembers were approached by small sanitation companies already doing business in the area who worried they would be put out of business if the City chose one, citywide trash company. These "small haulers" lobbied Councilmembers in and out of Council meetings, warning that they would go bankrupt if forced out of South Fulton by big corporations.
Then they lobbied citizens. As the deadline for Council's decision to pick a Sanitation Provider loomed, South Fulton residents began hearing from their beloved garbage man that he might soon be out of a job. Many residents loved their local provider and praised them for having lower prices & better customer service. Concerned constituents began to flood City Council phone lines and email inboxes, demanding the right to keep the current garbage collector.
Many on Council caved to this pressure from constituents and revised the Request for Proposal (RFP) to give "local preference" in the awarding of the contract(s). However, it also meant that larger companies with local operations would receive a similar consideration — an unforeseen consequence some would later regret. In the end, a compromise was reached that would allow citizens to select a garbage collector of their choice from an approved list of city vendors. However, the South Fulton's current Sanitation Ordinance provides no explicit penalties for companies who provide poor service and no set criteria to remove such companies from the City's list of approved vendors.
SANITATION (TRASH COLLECTION) SURVEY
Please take the survey below to share your thoughts on how the city should move forward in providing citywide garbage collection.
The new City of South Fulton, Georgia is considering a move to a citywide sanitation (trash collection) service. Please share your thoughts.
Things Fall Apart
City Council rejects recommendation of Advanced Disposal
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. The City's new Purchasing Department has been negotiating fees with approved service providers. Residents paying higher prices under previous, individual agreements for sanitation service should be eligible for the new, lower price.
GFI (formally Waste Industries), the only provider serving all addresses in the City of South Fulton, is offering Trash Collection & Recycling for $59.54 per quarter — with additional discounts for seniors & veterans. They have also waived can delivery fees for new service.
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.
GFI (formally Waste Industries), the only provider serving all addresses in the City of South Fulton, is offering Trash Collection & Recycling for $59.54 per quarter — with additional discounts for seniors & veterans. They have also waived can delivery fees for new service.
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.
Future Murky for Merk Miles
Merk/Miles Road Transfer Station
For years, Fulton County Residents have been able to drop off trash for as little as $3.50 for 3 bags. However, this service and the cost of operating the facility was heavily subsidized by the Fulton County Commission, who decided last year to end operations at the facility on December 31, 2018. After objections from several residents at December meeting, the Fulton Board of Commissioners decided to extend operations of the Merk/Miles facility until March 31, 2019.
Merk/Miles was formally a landfill, but not operates as a Transfer Station. Trash dropped here is later transported to landfills & recycling centers outside the City of South Fulton. City officials are currently investing the cost to keep the facility open. Councilman khalid has suggested that Merk/Miles might be a cheaper alternative for homeowners who cannot afford the quarterly bill for private trash collection, but that the low cost of $3.50 for trash drop off would likely increase to make up for the lost funding from the County.
Merk/Miles was formally a landfill, but not operates as a Transfer Station. Trash dropped here is later transported to landfills & recycling centers outside the City of South Fulton. City officials are currently investing the cost to keep the facility open. Councilman khalid has suggested that Merk/Miles might be a cheaper alternative for homeowners who cannot afford the quarterly bill for private trash collection, but that the low cost of $3.50 for trash drop off would likely increase to make up for the lost funding from the County.
GOOD NEWS from SOUTH FULTON
Councilman khalid recalls meeting Congress John Lewis after reading his memoir, Walking with the Wind, which moved him to follow in Lewis' footsteps from protests to politics.
FREE Confidential HIV Testing
Now at Creel Park
Councilman khalid is on a mission to transform South Fulton's recreation centers into holistic, Community Health Centers. He kicked off this initiative — and National HIV Awareness Month — by bringing FREE, Confidential HIV Testing to Creel Park. Watch hiim take a live HIV test in the video below.
In his 2nd Video Newsletter, City of South Fulton Councilman khalid explains city plans to overhaul it's Parks & Recreation Department, which includes a study of the effectiveness of Athletic Associations, and bringing health screenings & Senior programming to more of the city's parks.
In his 2nd Video Newsletter, City of South Fulton Councilman khalid explains city plans to overhaul it's Parks & Recreation Department, which includes a study of the effectiveness of Athletic Associations, and bringing health screenings & Senior programming to more of the city's parks.
Councilman khalid Promotes South Fulton at Facebook's NYC HQ
1 July 2019 — City of South Fulton, GA Councilman khalid tours Facebook/Instagram’s New York Headquarters with the company's Northeast Public Policy Director. khalid discussed how to build the City's brand and increase South Fulton's visibility on social media.
According to the city's Director of Economic Development, Christopher Pike, Old National is "South Fulton's number one commercial corridor." Situated just one exit from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Old National's South Fulton council districts 5, 6 & 7 are the most densely populated in the south metro region, holding most of South Fulton's commercially-zoned land. A 2016 study by the Urban Land Institute (in the document center below) has already concluded Old National is primed for commercial development.
"Old National Highway is just one exit away from the World's Busiest Airport — and the City of South Fulton doesn't have a single hotel here," explains Councilman khalid. "The City of College Park has 34 hotels within a few miles of the airport. College Park has made millions from them. Every day we don't take action on Old National we're giving money away. A DDA could help South Fulton build revenue-generating commercial properties like hotels, restaurants, retail & apartments at minimal cost to our taxpayers."
"Old National Highway is just one exit away from the World's Busiest Airport — and the City of South Fulton doesn't have a single hotel here," explains Councilman khalid. "The City of College Park has 34 hotels within a few miles of the airport. College Park has made millions from them. Every day we don't take action on Old National we're giving money away. A DDA could help South Fulton build revenue-generating commercial properties like hotels, restaurants, retail & apartments at minimal cost to our taxpayers."
Councilman khalid has been pushing for an Old National DDA since first introducing the idea with Georgia Municipal Association Development Authority expert Dan McRae at an Old National Economic Development Summit in July 2018. khalid & McRae have been meeting since 2018; and khalid has broached the issue with South Fulton's Mayor, Council, City Manager & Economic Development Director on numerous occasions over the past 9 months. In April he hosted a tour of 50 residents and state & city elected officials of Sandy Springs' new $235 million downtown development: City Springs. The 14-acre project includes retail, a park, performing arts center, 275 apartments & 19 townhomes. Underground parking allows a town green to unite the development with total walkability.
Help Councilman khalid make America's Blackest City Black On Purpose.
SOUTH FULTON'S 2019 BUDGET
A primary responsibility of every level of government — from Congress to your local City Council — is passing a Budget. The City Budget determines how tax dollars collected by the city are spent. The Calendar by which governments (and businesses) spend money is known as the Budget Year or Fiscal Year (FY).
The City of South Fulton's Fiscal Year begins each October 1 (just like a school calendar, where the 2020 School Year begins in Fall 2019).
The Federal Government's Fiscal Year also beings October 1.
The Fiscal Year for Fulton County begins January 1.
The Fiscal Year for Fulton County Schools begins July 1.
The Fiscal Year for the State of Georgia begins July 1.
The City of South Fulton's Fiscal Year begins each October 1 (just like a school calendar, where the 2020 School Year begins in Fall 2019).
The Federal Government's Fiscal Year also beings October 1.
The Fiscal Year for Fulton County begins January 1.
The Fiscal Year for Fulton County Schools begins July 1.
The Fiscal Year for the State of Georgia begins July 1.
Click on image above to enlarge.
After holding several Public Hearings to get citizen feedback on the 2019 Budget, South Fulton's City Council will make final decisions on the budget at a Special Council Meeting this Tuesday.
Our 2019 Budget is nearly $100 Million. This 30 percent increase comes from increased property values and the T-SPLOST Transportation Sales Tax funds. Read more about the T-SPLOST in the South Fulton 101 seciton (in the green coloumn below). View the entire Proposed FY2019 budget at the link below.
Our 2019 Budget is nearly $100 Million. This 30 percent increase comes from increased property values and the T-SPLOST Transportation Sales Tax funds. Read more about the T-SPLOST in the South Fulton 101 seciton (in the green coloumn below). View the entire Proposed FY2019 budget at the link below.
Note: Administration includes Mayor, Council, HR, IT, Facilities, Financial, Legal, Clerk salaries & expenses. Public Works includes streets, right-of-way and stormwater maintenance. Economic Development includes Planning Department salaries & services, and money collected from Hotel/Motel taxes.
Fourteen percent of the City Budget goes to service our Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) debt. This is the money the City borrowed during startup while waiting to receive property tax revenues from the state. This percentage our budget used for debt service is decreasing each year, and South Fulton is moving faster than previous new cities in balancing its budget..
Note: Administration includes Mayor, Council, HR, IT, Facilities, Financial, Legal, Clerk salaries & expenses. Public Works includes streets, right-of-way and stormwater maintenance. Economic Development includes Planning Department salaries & services, and money collected from Hotel/Motel taxes.
Fourteen percent of the City Budget goes to service our Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) debt. This is the money the City borrowed during startup while waiting to receive property tax revenues from the state. This percentage our budget used for debt service is decreasing each year, and South Fulton is moving faster than previous new cities in balancing its budget..
2019 SOUTH FULTON ELECTORAL COLLEGE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 • 9AM-6PM
Kingdom of God International Ministries
4590 Welcome All Road • South Fulton, GA • 30349
Created in 2017 by Councilman khalid, the City of South Fulton's Electoral College is an annual Day of Political Education. Each year on the First Saturday of Early Voting, citizens can take classes to learn how their city, county and state government works.
This year's Electoral College will feature Georgia candidates running for national office.
This year's Electoral College will feature Georgia candidates running for national office.
2019 ELECTORAL COLLEGE SYLLABUS
9 AM: FREE Breakfast
The Electoral College is a Debt Free Pubic College. All students are automatically enrolled in the Electoral College Meal Plan. Enjoy free breakfast on us in the Kingdom of God Fellowship Hall before our first class begins.
9.30 AM: COMMENCEMENT
Welcome & Invocation:
Pastor Warren L. Henry, Kingdom of God International Ministries
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Kingdom of God International Ministries was "ground zero for South Fulton's cityhood movement and continues to serve as a center for important community conversations like the Electoral College. A P.O.S.T.-certified South Fulton Police Officer with Firefighter training, Pastor Warren L. Henry is the Chaplain and certified hostage negotiator for the new City of South Fulton. He holds a double Masters of Divinity in Old & New Testament and Christian Education from Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological Center (I.T.C.) He is the author of several books on Christian Education and an adjunct professor of Homiletics at I.T.C. |
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Commencement Speaker:
Nsé Ufot, The New Georgia Project
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Nsé Ufot is the Executive Director of the New Georgia Project (NGP) and its affiliate, New Georgia Project Action Fund (NGP AF). The New Georgia Project is a non-partisan effort to register and engage Georgia voters. The New Georgia Project is working to change that inequality and is a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on civically engaging this growing population in Georgia. The New Georgia Project Action Fund is a 501(c)4 organization dedicated to growing political engagement in historically underrepresented communities. Nsé leads both organizations with a data-informed approach and a commitment to developing tools that leverage technology with the goal of making it easier for every voter to engage in every election. Nsé and her team are also developing Georgia’s home-grown talent by training and organizing local activists across the state. She has dedicated her life and career to working on civil, human and workers’ rights issues and leads two organizations whose complementary aim is to strengthen Georgia’s democracy. Under Nsé’s leadership, NGP has registered nearly 400,000 Georgia voters in 4 years.. |
MORNING SEMESTER
10AM: Ballot & Development 201
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City of South Fulton Attorneys, Fincher-Denmark, will explain the questions on this years ballot. Fincher-Denmark attorneys drafted the Urban Redevelopment Plan for the City of South Fulton and the language for the Resolution, which targets areas of blight throughout the City for financial improvements. Fincher-Denmark attorneys also worked on the language for the Redevelopment Powers Law which appears on the November 2019 ballot; and if approved, will allow the City of South Fulton to create Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) to help attract and finance major development projects.
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10.45 AM: Rate Hike 101
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Georgia Power is proposing to raise its Monthly Service Fee on all customers' bills from the current $10 per month to $17.95 per month by the year 2022. Every Georgia Power customer will be forced to pay this increased Service Fee regardless of how little or how much energy you use. Electoral College professors from the Partnership for Southern Equity — a nonprofit that advances institutional reforms that promote racial equity and shared prosperity — will explain the proposed rate hike and what Georgia Power customers can do to #FightTheHike. |
12 PM: Congressional Forum
Meet Candidates for U.S. Congress, GA-13 (South Fulton)
Click each Candidate's name to view their campaign website.
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WSB-TV Reporter Tyisha Fernandes will question Republican and Democrat candidates challenging Incumbent Democrat David Scott for the Georgia 13th Congressional District seat in 2020. Forum attendees will also get to question the candidates. *Congressman David Scott was invited to attend but as of today his office has not officially responded. *Libertarian Candidate Martin Cowen was invited to attend but declined due to a previously scheduled engagement. |
1.30 PM: FREE LUNCH
Keynote Speaker
New Fulton County Commissioner Joe Carn
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Former College Park City Councilman Joe Carn will be the next South Fulton County Commission District 6 (South Fulton). Though Carn won decisively with nearly 63 percent of the vote, less than 3 percent of registered voters showed up for the election. He will be the only person on the 7 seat Fulton County Commission that lives south of Atlanta.
Click to view detailed election results.
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AFTERNOON SEMESTER
3PM: U.S. Senate Forum
Meet Candidates for U.S. Senate in 2020 Primary
Click each Candidate's name to view their campaign website.
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WSB-TV Reporter Tyisha Fernandes returns to question the four leading Democratic candidates running to challenge Incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue in 2020. This will be the first time ever all four leading Democratic candidates are on stage together taking questions from voters. *Republican Senator David Perdue was also invited to attend but declined due to a previously scheduled engagement. |
2019 ELECTION QUESTIONS
CITY of SOUTH FULTON
This is where the questions on you ballot begin to look different, based on which County and City you live in. Only residents of Fulton County & the new City of South Fulton, Georgia will see these questions on your ballot. If you live on the southside of Atlanta, but are not sure if you live in the new City of South Fulton, you will know when you go to vote based on which of these questions appear on your screen or paper ballot.
South Fulton Redevelopment Powers Law
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This election, City of South Fulton residents can vote to give their City Council the power to create Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) like Atlantic Station or Camp Creek Marketplace. A TAD is an economic development tool that allows developers to build without having to pay increased property taxes on the land they develop for a period of time, usually 20-30 years. This entices developers to build in areas they normally would not; or to build more expensive buildings than they normally would.
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Voting Yes would allow City Council to create Tax Allocation Districts (TADs).
Voting No would mean South Fulton's City Council would not be allowed to create Tax Allocation Districts (TADs).
Voting No would mean South Fulton's City Council would not be allowed to create Tax Allocation Districts (TADs).
Even if voters vote Yes to give City Council the power to create Tax Allocation Districts (TADs), the Council would hold Public Hearings on any proposed TAD; and be required to seek votes of the County Commission and School Board before they would agree to forgo their portion of future taxes. Watch the video below to learn more.
Additional Homestead Exemption
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This November, citizens can vote to create a new Homestead Exemption to slow the rise of their property taxes.
South Fulton residents are likely to see a rise in their property taxes no matter how they vote; not because the City is raising taxes, but because the overall value of South Fulton homes is rising as City Council continues to make improvements to city streets, parks, police response times and other areas while attracting new economic development. However: |
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Voting Yes would create a new Homestead Exemption which would the rate at which your property taxes could increase.
Voting Yes would not eliminate or replace any existing Homestead Exemptions, but create an additional Homestead Exemption.
Voting No would keep the status quo, with no cap on how much property taxes could rise from year to year.
Voting Yes would not eliminate or replace any existing Homestead Exemptions, but create an additional Homestead Exemption.
Voting No would keep the status quo, with no cap on how much property taxes could rise from year to year.
SOUTH FULTON CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS
Old National native Corey Reeves unseats Rosie Jackson in South Fulton's first elections since cityhood.
Corey Reeves lead a crowded field of opponents to unseat Rosie Jackson Tuesday night in South Fulton's first elections since its inaugural City Council took office in 2017. Reeves joins Old National Councilman khalid as the second South Fulton councilmember born & raised in the city.
Incumbent Mayor Pro tem Mark Baker and Councilwoman Catherine Rowell handily defeated their opponents. Referenda allowing the City to create Tax Allocation Districts (TAD)s and slow the rate of increasing property taxes also passed.
Tuesday, March 17 — In response to the growing COVID-19 epidemic, South Fulton's City Council voted to declare a State of Emergency and instituted a citywide, evening curfew from 9PM to 7AM.
"The purpose of this curfew is not to declare martial law but to try and contain the spread of a deadly virus." explained South Fulton Councilman khalid in a video he released Friday (above). South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows says SFPD will focus its resources on getting businesses to comply with the curfew first. "If there is nowhere to go after 9PM, people shouldn't have a problem staying home," he says.
"The purpose of this curfew is not to declare martial law but to try and contain the spread of a deadly virus." explained South Fulton Councilman khalid in a video he released Friday (above). South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows says SFPD will focus its resources on getting businesses to comply with the curfew first. "If there is nowhere to go after 9PM, people shouldn't have a problem staying home," he says.
