ATLANTA -- With the vote to give Eagle’s Landing cityhood and separate from Stockbridge less than two months away, the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is expected to hold a hearing Monday that could pull the referendum off the ballot.
A federal district judge will hear arguments from the City of Stockbridge and the lending group Capitol One Public Funding to stop the vote to create Eagle’s Landing.
Attorneys for Stockbridge argue that de-annexing parts of the city to establish Eagle’s Landing violates the Voting Rights Act and will take away much of the city’s tax base. Capitol One Public Funding owns about $11.75 million of the principal amount of bonds to the City of Stockbridge in 2005 and 2006, under the assumption that there would be a certain number of taxpayers.
If Eagle’s Landing breaks off, Stockbridge could be left paying the bonds.
Vikki Consiglio, chairman of the committee for the city of Eagles Landing, dismissed the lawsuits and told the Associated Press that proponents were pushing forward to the vote in November.
“Anybody can file a lawsuit for anything,” Consiglio said. “A lawsuit has already been filed and the courts have ruled in our favor.”
“This is all about the vote, and them trying to do everything they can to stop the vote,” Consiglio said.
Two bills signed by Gov. Nathan Deal in May helped pave the way for the city of Eagle’s Landing to be created. A portion of Eagle’s Landing would be carved out of a portion of the nearly 100-year-old city of Stockbridge, de-annexing a number of homes and about 9,000 residents to create the city. The other bill would allow Eagle’s Landing to also incorporate another part of land in unincorporated Henry County, which encompasses about 3,500 residents.
The two measures provided a referendum to put it on the November ballot for residents to decide.
Critics of the plan to establish Eagle’s Landing point to racism – currently, 29 percent of Stockbridge’s residents are white with more than 32 percent of them at voting age. 56 percent of current Stockbridge residents are black, with about 53 percent of them at voting age.
The city of Eagle's Landing would be more racially diverse. About 39 percent of the residents would be white and 44 percent would be black.
The median income of Stockbridge is about $58,000, which is slightly below the Henry County median of $60,000. The median income in the new city of Eagle's Landing would be significantly higher at more than $128,000.
Residents pushing for Eagle’s Landing to become an incorporated city said they want to secure better city services, increase property values and attract high-end businesses.
If approved by voters, the city would be formally established on January 1, 2019.
