SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — May 1 marks six years of South Fulton becoming a city of its own. While many are celebrating this milestone, others who live in the city are pushing for it to be deannexed back into unincorporated Fulton County.
An online petition, supporting the deannexation, is targeting districts 1 and 2 in the northern part of the city. As of Monday night, it has more than 700 signatures in support.
Steve Littles is part of a group of people who voted against South Fulton becoming a city in 2016.
“We know with everything that’s going on, there’s probably more people who don’t want to be in the city," Littles said.
State Representative Roger Bruce sponsored the bill to put the cityhood question on the ballot. He said 25,000 people voted for South Fulton to become a city, and 17,000 people were against it.
“It’s growing pains, and there are people who feel like things are supposed to happen overnight," Bruce said.
One reason Littles started the petition is that property taxes have gone up.
“Our city taxes are higher than the City of Atlanta’s taxes," Littles said.
“It just was a coincidence that when the city was created, your property values changed and became more competitive, and when your property value goes up, your taxes go up," Bruce said.
Littles calls the city government dysfunctional, with the mayor and city council filing lawsuits against each other.
“You guys have reported on it. I’m not going to say who is at fault, but we’re in the news all the time about something that’s not going properly. It’s sad," Littles said.
“I think what we have is a city council and a mayor that don't see eye to eye on how things ought to be done," Bruce added.
City of South Fulton manager Tammy Sadler Jones resigned in March amid dueling accusations of creating a hostile work environment within the city government, allegations of millions in misplaced federal aid money, and implications of meddling with and undermining the city manager's authority by councilmembers.
Littles said a state legislator will write a local bill and send it to the Fulton County Delegation. If approved, the delegation would put together a deannexation referendum for residents to vote on.
“This has been an ongoing thing. We’ve not wanted to be in the city even before it was created," Littles said.
A City of South Fulton spokesperson sent 11Alive the following statement:
We are aware of recent reports indicating that a small group of citizens are seeking de-annexation from the City of South Fulton. While we cannot comment on specific actions, we want to emphasize that we are committed to serving all our residents and ensuring they receive the best possible services and amenities.
On our sixth anniversary, we believe that the City of South Fulton has a bright future, and we are constantly working to make it an even better place to live, work, and play. We understand that there may be differing opinions on certain issues, but we believe that the best way to address them is through open and honest dialogue and collaboration.
We are proud of our city and the progress that we have made since inception, and we remain committed to building a strong and vibrant community for all our residents.