Comments on: Why More Cities Really Means Another County

By: DC1974

DC1974 — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 23:52:21 +0000

This seems like a problem that the South in general has never been able to figure out. How to move toward greater population density and local control from an agrarian past.
If you look at the midwest that was divided up through the northwest territories act, each state is divided into counties, each county is divided into townships of regular size. And each township might have multiple cities, towns and villages. The idea was and continues to be how to offer as close to possible direct democracy. A representative shouldn’t represent more than a couple of thousand people. Now Chicago is as an extreme example with townships, library districts, counties, villages, park districts all with separate elected boards and taxing ability. But it does give the resident many opportunities to participate in the government. The Northeast which as town meetings and actual direct democracy is another form. These are questions that as a nation we’ve been wrestling with from the beginning. Atlanta is a big metro area and will continue to struggle with the growing pains and powerless feelings of local citizens that don’t feel they have access to power. These are good and proper things for a democracy to be thinking about. (We in DC have a system of ANCs with single member districts that are all subsets of our city council districts. A plan from the 1970s that attempted to offer that ideal of 2,000 residents to every representative. The city council voted not to let the ANCs meet as a total body, though, which sort of negated their purpose. That being said. I know who to call when my trash doesn’t get picked up. Or I’m upset about a new development. Or want more police presence in my neighborhood. Etc.)

By: anon

anon — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 16:58:49 +0000

I think y’all are missing an important point, our huge oversized metro county governments aren’t providing the level of municipal services that people want. How about counties go back to what they were supposed to do in GA before 1972, be vehicles for the provision of state level intitatives like the courts and transportation. Let cities do what they do better- provide municipal services!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 18:36:47 +0000

Oglethorpe is a cultural center? Really? Is there a way we can get the word out (and bring back the Original Pancake House nearby)?

Personally I don’t mind being in unincorporated DeKalb County, but then I don’t pay property taxes or have to worry about schools.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 05:49:11 +0000

Probably. I suppose the larger government would have a chance at working (maybe) with a super-strong mayor form.

But really, my philosophical standpoint is to try to find a way to Balkanize without actually Balkanizing. For certain things, there are strong reasons why greater local control is a very good thing. That’s why I like the NPU system. As Larry said to me at some point during the Manuel’s event, it’s not a perfect system, but it’s better than any of the alternatives.

We had a class at some point this semester where we looked at several case studies. The particular one I looked at began with an analysis of what powers and services were better left to local areas, and which powers and services were better left to the region. A new regional form of government was then established based on the analysis. It was good for a little while, but it turns out that politicians are greedy bastards — sooprise, sooprise! Regional government politicians began to have a hissy fit over what they couldn’t control, then passed amendments to their charter to give themselves control. The whole thing went to hell.

It doesn’t convince me that a regional form can’t work. Once an analysis is conducted and independently verified, there’s a way to codify the results so that the region won’t put its grubby little hands where it shouldn’t. I’m just not sure what that way is.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:17:38 +0000

Just look at Augusta - ever since their city and county governments combined a few years ago, absolutely nothing can get done. And it’s not like much was getting done beforehand, so you can imagine the stagnation.

I think reinstating Milton County is a good idea (for many of the same reasons Rusty already pointed out). North Fulton and south Fulton are very different places - I think it would make more sense to have people’s tax dollars go to one county or another, rather than trying to spread money (and services) all around Fulton County, from the wealthy ‘burbs in Alpharetta to the socioeconomically disadvantaged areas further south.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 00:01:23 +0000

Joe,
I see where you’re coming from philisophically, in that a regional Metro Atlanta government would probably make it easier to get something done about our awful transit situation (without DeKalb and Fulton counties, it would force everyone’s hand in figuring out a new funding mechanism for MARTA, namely from the state or from at least a more regional approach, or completely dissolving the agency in favor of a new agency).

However, there are a lot of services where a massive, sprawling monolith government would be a disaster. Every time I’ve heard of county and city governments combining (I’m thinking of an example from Texas recently, though I can’t remember the exact city and county off the top of my head), practically all government business has ground to a halt.

It’s a nice idea, but I don’t think it’s practical.

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 23:24:07 +0000

I’d go the other way around, Rusty. Is there any reason why there should be five separate counties and numerous cities to begin with? Why not have a regional Atlanta government with a neighborhood planning unit system?

Economically, whether different areas are alike doesn’t matter. We’re still part of a single metropolitan statistical area. As the southside goes, so goes the northside.

Of course, I say all this realizing that consolidation is far from politically feasible at the moment. The best chance our region has at having politicians work together is through the ARC.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 22:23:38 +0000

I agree that all these little balkanized islands are bad for regional projects like funding transportation initiatives, but isn’t the idea of a DeKalb City a little scary, considering how many unique areas there are in the county as it exists? Dunwoody really should split off, as it’s more like Cobb or North Fulton than it is DeKalb anyway.