Box 8, Folder 22, Document 44

Box 8, Folder 22, Document 44

ANNEXATION #1 FACTB » PLEASE

Much complaint ip pmanatdng from the Atlanta dity
Goverment over the fact thak Home mombora of jhe Bive Handy
Bprings Grolp objected to thi firepinve oF Athalike Ghky
Officials, attorneys, and achiiil supertitaridar|| ae baekeoup int
fot pro-atittexatloniat debatieath,

THE FACT OF THR HA'UTER TH that Fulloh dbuncy
Officials, although quite colifteous an helpful), herausa of tie
natura of their jobs, setviny, Att VULTON COUNTY, Arh hot Able
to take tha same partisan atitil Cliy of Atlant wiiployeas hava
adopted. |

Fulton Gounty O£F{idale fava baan prewaht ak the
dphata, to give facts, but havi nol taken @ ath efthet for at
againdt affexation. This ts i it aloud be,

If speakers for Alfanta are go 411 p:opared that (hay
have no facts at hand, then wuld Biignebt they just substitute
the City Officials aoncerned aid leat them be the debaters,
Cettainiy they will look afty~y Atlanta's interuste,

Fulton County OFF {edala OANNOT apatinad the sama
rupfonsibliity for the Save Hifdy Apringes Comiltiad pr ocher
olticens of the unitaorporatetl drei, becatde they teprebant , fant
are elected by, City of Atlatta rasddente as wall a6 colnty

reoidents outside tha city limlts.

Lait'® HAVE ‘THR FACTS |
ANNEXATION . IN| WOVEN 9 ANI'TATION

Senate Bill 107, JU5L, 1a an act to eacablinh a
mathod for providing garbage disposal systems In the
unincorporated portion of Fulton County; to authorLuve the
Commissioners of Fulton County to call on the Gity of Atlanta
to furnish facilities for the collection and disposal of
garbage and refuse, the cleaning of streets and roads and related
services in unincorporated areas of said county; to require said
city to furnish said county with an estimate of the cost thereof
and provide such services at cost; to prohibit Fulton County from
providing such services except through the City; ,..,to provide
for defraying the cost of such services by a tax or assessment
on property or property owners in garbage disposal districts,.,"'

The City of Atlanta is required by law to furnish
garbage collection, street cleaning services, and related
services, AT COST. The capital letters are ours, The statemant,
though, is the law.

Sanitation costs would not be reduced by annexation
enough to make it worth sharpening a pencil to figure, Not only
do Sandy Springs residents gat two garbage collections a week,
but Fulton County has now installed a service whereby eight
collection stations have been located near concentrations of

homes in the area. This is an even better service than the Oity
provides, because area residents do not have to drive around
piles of leaves and trash such as litter the city streets until
sanitation trucks finally make their rounds. Just a few blocks
in any direction will find the eight cubic yard containers,
which will hold everything from raw garbage to cardboard boxes,

They are located as follows; ‘

Mt. Vernon Highway at Dupree Drive :

Hammond Drive at Glenridge Drive

Spalding Drive at Roberts Drive

Northside Drive at West Garmon Road

Powers Ferry Road at Mt. Paran Road

Sandy Springs Circle at Johnson Ferry Road

Roswell Road at Dalrymple Road

Roswell Road at Hightower Trail

These refuse containers have been installed out of
necessity in spite of the 1952 Plan of inprovenetit prohibition
on Fulton County's engaging in the collection and disposal of
garbage and refuse,

Section 11, Senédta Bill 105, Georgia laws 1951,
states that the authority of Fulton County to eétablish and

maintain water, sewer and fire prevention systema ip “hereby

repealed,"
ANNEXATION ;3 SEWAGE

The Public Administration Service report states on
page 37, "Most of Atlanta's treatment plants, which, as noted
earlier, serve a much larger area than just the City, provide
only primary treatment~-- which removes only 30-35 percent of
the pollutant material before the sewage is discharged back into
streams."

The "PETITION AND PAY" plan is the only way Sandy
Springs would ever get sewer service,

City sewer service would not automatically be
extended to all homes as a result of annexation. There are many
areas within the city limits of Atlanta which do not have sewer
service.

New sewer service would cost, as set by law, $3.50
per front foot. There would be a connection fee of $80 to $120,
This means it would cost app¥oximately $420 to install sewer lines
down the average R-2A 120 foot lot,

Fulton county has plans to improve the sewer grid, as
well as does the City of Atlanta -- witness those homes in Sandy

Springs already on sewers. This was obtained under Fulton County

Government, WITHOUT "PETITION AND PAY''.
ANNEXATION ir4 INCREASED REPRESENTATION



City of Atlanta officials have made much of the fact
that Sandy Springs area residents could expect to be a new ninth
ward, and have two Aldermen elected to represent them, The
subject that no one within the City of Atlanta has brought up is
contained on page 3114, Georgia Laws 1951, in the so-called Plan
of Improvement. It reads as follows:

"The mayor and general council shall have power to make -
changes in ward lines whenever it is deemed advisable

to contract or extend them for the benefit of the
citizens thereof, provided that the ward lines, when
rearranged, shall not be more than nine wards."

The day after election of Aldermen from the new ninth
ward, the City of Atlanta's mayor and general council could,

BY LAW, do away with exclusive representation from the Sandy

Springs area.

ANNEXATION #5 PROPERTY TAX

The latest mailing from the Atlanta Team for Tomorrow
repeats the old statement "taxes would be higher, but the increase
would be largely offset...."' and gives an example of a tax

increase of $100.12 on an existing $43,000 home in the area. Now,
what this i.cest bit of figuring DOESN'T DO is to repeat the
statement made in their March 14th release, and we quote,
"Furthermore, Buckhead residents found that property values
wichin the city went up automatically" (after annexation). We
say this statement probably is true, because only by re-valuing
(or re-assessing, if you will!) a house can taxes be drastically
increased. We are sure that such increase will be just as
AUTOMATIC for residents of Sandy Springs, should the area be
annexed, as it was for Buckhead,

In addition, every set of figures we've seen keeps
DEDUCTING for fire taxes, garbage services, etc. Well, you can
bu lleve it or not, but that same amount of money is still going
out PLUS that little increase they just happen to mention.

Property taxes are assessed, by the way, pursuant
to the 1952 Plan of Improvement, by a joint City-Fulton County
board. "Operations are conducted at and from the Fulton County
Administration Building. The Tax Assessment Department is
headed by a three-member Atlanta-Fulton County Joint Board of
Assessors....Except for its appointment, the Joint Board has
little responsibility to either the City or County Government''*
*From the Public Administration Service Report.

AND DID YOU KNOW FULTON COUNTY COLLECTS ATLANTA'S

CITY TAXES FOR THEM? Check the Plan of Improvement. The law,
requires Fuiton County not only to collect Atlanta's taxes, but

to prepare tax bills and provide office space, as well.

ANNEXATION #6 FIRE PROTECTION

Much has been made of the fact that the City of
Atlanta furnishes fire protection to Fulton County residents of
the unincorporated area. Under the 1952 Plan of Improvement the
Fulton County Commissioners were forbidden BY LAW to maintain
either a fire department or furnish fire prevention facilities
except UNDER CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF ATLANTA, or another
municipality.

Senate Bill No. 105 of the plan of Improvement was
written "to authorize the commissioners of said county to enter
into contracts with one or more municipalities therein for a
fire prevention system in any unincorporated area of said county
or to call on the City of Atlanta to furnish the same at ACTUAL
COST as long as payment is made therefor; .... to prohibit
Fulton County from maintaining fire prevention systems...."

So you see, the City only can charge Fulton County
residents of the Unincorporated area for the ACTUAL COST of fire
protection, and the County CANNOT have a fire department. Since
Sandy Springs is developing a business area of its own, these

businesses should be able to contribute to lowering the cost of
fire protection to area residents. Atlanta maintains that its
downtown businesses help defray the cost of fire insurance for
jomeowners. We maintain this would be true in the Sandy
Springs area, without incurring an indebtedness of an operation
which is inefficient and poorly edasnteaks and has little
attraction for qualified personnel.

The Survey Report of the Public Administration
Service says about Atlanta's fire protection, "Manning of the
department is short of American Insurance Association standards...
Qualified recruits are increasingly hard to attract and
resignations are inoveaettie at an alarming rate".

In addition, the comment was made in this report,
"Its lowest rating (Atlanta's) in the most recent review by the
Board (in October, 1964) was in fire prevention."

To get down to the hard facts of fire protection --
Sandy Springs will never get any more fire protection than Sandy
Springs can pay for. Atlanta reportedly cannot keep enough men
on the job now to function efficiently.

Buildings over two stories in height were built
without conforming to zoning in existence when the Sandy Springs
fire classification was obtained. Inadequate fire protection is

the fault of the joint city-county zoning board, which allowed

structures not provided for in the fire prevention program. We
waintain these buildings should pay an increased fire tax to
provide for special protection NEEDED BY THEM because they were

in apparent violation of existing specifications.

ANNEXATION #7 POLICING

Under the 1952 Plan of Improvement, the unincorporated

ections of Fulton County MUST receive police protection from the

ta

City of Atianta.

In Sandy Springs, because of the limited population,
the police have been doing a more than adequate job. Women have
been safe going to shopping centers. The incidence of rape Bice
within the City of Atlanta is so high that it appears their 1.5
man per thousand population needs to be 2.5 men per thousand,
while the 1 per thousand in the Sandy Springs area seems to be
establishing a fine record for prevention of crime of this type.

Theft and housebreaking, and the more serious crimes
of violence and murder, tite almost seemed to confine themselves
to the City limits.

I€ handling offenses in the unincorporated area
through the Fulton County Criminal Court continues to hold crime
at the petty low level now maintained in Sandy Springs, we do not
feel it would be wise to swap fon City justices, city ordinances

o£ Atlanta, and city crime.
ANNEXATION iro PAVING AND LIGHTS

Streets, sidewalks, street lights and traffic lights
almost all come under the "PETITION AND PAY' plan. Exception
probably is in the traffic light area, and of the eight lights
recommended as being needed, Fulton County already has taken
note. Plans already are under way for installation of some of
chase lights.

The recommended street lights definitely will be on
a petition basis.

Atlanta could find only THREE MAJOR STREETS IN SANDY
SPRINGS BELOW STANDARD. We say this is remarkable in an Sone
roughly one-third the size of the City of Atlanta. Extension of
these figures SHOULD MEAN that Atlanta only has nine sub-standard
major streets. Is that so? By the way--paving comes under the
"PETITION AND PAY" plan in the. City of Atlanta.

To get a street paved in front of the average R-2A
lot would cost THE HOMEOWNER between $726 and $900, should he Live
in Atlanta. If he wants a sidewalk, it will cost about $192 more.
"PETITION AND PAY" again, except where increases in public safety
needs allow the city to lay a sidewalk without petition and

charge owners on a front-foot basis.

ANNEXATION #9 INCOME TAXES

City taxes are deductible items on income taxes,

- 10 =
4nyone who has vex Hgunea an income tax knows just
how much credit you will get on "Income Taxes" for the amount of
city taxes paid. And you still have to pay the city taxes!

Will the dedustien you get balance the tax you will
have to pay? eyed has yet! Also, we point out deduction does
not apply if short form return is used; only when long form 1040

is used, listing all deductions, would these taxes be deductible.

ANNEXATION #10 SCHOOLS

Atlanta schools have nothing to offer children
attending Fulton County schools.

Although Atlanta schools allegedly have received
preferential treatment from the .joint Fulton County-City of
Atlanta tax assessment board, the Fulton County schools have more
than measured up. In fact, Dr. John Letson admitted that there
was substantially no difference in the two systems. Dr. Paul West
of Fulton County added that for years the two systems’ had been
operating under a coordinating board.

The city schools offer free kindergartens. It is
interesting to note that the State of Georgia is now considering
a plan to add-free kindergartens to all state schools.

Fulton County and Atlanta both have a program for

mentally and physically handicapped children. The tuition is FREE

= jl «=
for both. . -ever, in the case of Fulton County, if the children
live too far from the school, they are TRANSPORTED. Needless to
say, this is a real help to a family which already has the extra
burden of a handicapped child.

Fulton County has school psychologists and
psychometrists. It pioneered specialists in such areas as
curriculum development and reading.

Fulton County operates a joint vocational training
program with the City of Atlanta.

If bus service is lost, Atlanta Transit Company HAS
NOT agreed to furnish transportation at ten cents a ride. And
it .2 did, it would only take some $57,000 a year to transport
those children now being transported free. Try dividing this
among the families of Sandy Springs, and see how much this NEW,
NON-DEDUCTIBLE (on your income tax) "TRANSPORTATION TAX" would
add to the cost of going into the City of Atlanta.

Since Judge Wood's decision that city schools and’
county schools must have their tax structure equalized, for the
first time in 1967 Fulton County Schools will have adequate funds.

Atlanta schools will not. Dr. John Letson says he
needs 64 MILLION DOLLARS to have adequate funds. He can borrow
only 21.5 million, because, to put it quite simply, the property

he has just won't take any bigeer first mortgage (school tax
assessment., The amount of money, that can be borrowed is
limited by the tax base (amount of property) by the State
Legislature.

SO, INSTEAD OF FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS BEING IN DIRE
NEED, IT IS IN REALITY THE CITY OF ATLANTA SCHOOLS, in’spite of
larger tax assessments, and no homestead exemption deductions,
that are IN DIRE NEED OF FUNDS.

Fulton County schools have NO CHILDREN ON DOUBLE
SESSION -- Atlanta has more than THREE THOUSAND.

Just in passing, City and County officials alike are
NOT agreed that the eventual merger of the two systems will take

plece.

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