ATLANTA -- Georgia's Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Monday that a vote to create the city Eagle's Landing can go forward. The court has yet to consider another lawsuit challenging the merits of city's challenge.
Eagle's Landing is currently part of the existing city of Stockbridge in Henry County. The decision to break away from Stockbridge will be up to local voters, but those outside the proposed city limits won't get a say.
Opponents of the town split, including the Stockbridge mayor, said creating Eagle's Landing would take away a significant amount of city revenue. The city's lending group, Capitol One Public Funding, also opposed the move because it could harm Stockbridge's ability to pay its municipal bonds.
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.
Supporters of Eagle's Landing argued creating the city would drive up property values and attract more business.
Two bills signed by Gov. Nathan Deal in May helped pave the way for the city of Eagle’s Landing to be created. A piece 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 Jan. 1, 2019.
