Cityhood Update from Rep. Scott Holcomb

By Scott Holcomb

As I promised, I am providing you with an update on the three proposed cities whose boundaries overlap with those of the 81st House District. Those three are Briarcliff, Lakeside and Tucker. In November and December, the feasibility studies (performed by either the University of Georgia or Georgia State University) for all three were received by the respective cityhood organizations and shared with the public. All three proposed cities were deemed economically feasible, which means that should they become cities there would be sufficient revenue to pay for the services that they would be providing.

State law requires that a new city take over at least three of the approximately 11 services that counties must provide. With respect to the proposals for Briarcliff, Lakeside and Tucker, there are different services that each is proposing to take over. To see that information, as well as the results of the feasibility studies, here are the respective websites:

briarcliffga.org
lakesidecityalliance.org
tucker2014.com

Where do we go from here? The establishment of any new city must be approved by the Georgia General Assembly. If legislation is passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, then the citizens within the proposed city would vote in a referendum on whether to approve the proposed city. 

What about the overlapping areas? The Northlake commercial area is included in all three proposed cities as they are now drawn. In addition, some areas are included in both the proposed Briarcliff and Lakeside maps and other areas are included in both the proposed Tucker and Lakeside maps. At this time, no one knows what might happen during the legislative session, where maps can be changed. Additionally, the three cityhood groups may confer and work with each other to resolve any boundary issues. 

Is it possible there will be no new cities? Yes, it is possible. As with any bill, it's possible that a cityhood bill can be discussed in committee and on the floor of one or both chambers and not pass the legislature or be signed by the governor. Also, a city whose bill passes could be voted down by the residents. 

What can you do to be heard? Many of you have been writing to me and your other legislators. Your emails are important to me and my colleagues in the House and Senate. I want to know your thoughts so I can do my best job of representing you. You can also attend meetings of the DeKalb Delegation as well as the House and Senate committees. All meetings are open to the public. At some meetings public input is specifically requested, while at others the public attends primarily to hear the discussion. I will do my very best to keep you informed about meetings. These sometimes occur with short notice.

Very best, Scott

Scott Holcomb represents District 81 in the Georgia House of Representatives.