Tuesday, September 9, 2008
News Buckheadites mull ‘adios’ to Atlanta
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 6:46 PM
UPDATE: The date of the sold-out event has been corrected in the post.
On Thursday, the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation will attempt to turn a longtime cocktail party topic into a campaign to sever Buckhead from the city.
The foundation will gather businesspeople, politicians and activists at the posh 103 West restaurant to determine whether they should create a formal coalition, begin raising money and hire a lobbyist.
Both inspired by the recent incorporations of Sandy Springs and John’s Creek and frustrated by Atlanta’s estimated $140 million budget shortfall, secession advocates say the city unfairly leeches off the largesse its wealthiest district. Glenn Delk, an attorney who conducted a study that’s emboldened the movement, claims the move would reduce Buckhead residents’ tax bills by 50 percent.
Secession is an ambitious endeavor to say the least. It not only would be difficult to maneuver through the state Legislature, but it would create a huge hole in Atlanta’s pocketbook. According to Delk’s calculations, Buckhead generates 45.9 percent of the city’s property and sales tax revenues.
If they do push forward with the campaign, the activists are likely to face plenty of opposition from the Buckhead establishment, as well as City Hall. Scotty Greene, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, says residents would be better served by working with the city to right wrongs.
(Photo by Matthew Miller)
Comments (4)
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As far as the City of Buckhead is concerned, I don't think it's fair that the wealthier residents of West Paces Ferry Rd. are going to have to foot the bill for all those undesirables over at East Paces Ferry Rd.
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I wonder if the city leaders will react to these defections by thinking it is motivated by bigotry or becasue Atlanta has screwed the pooch for so long administering the city.
I about burst a gut after reading this. Nearly one hundred and fifty years later and these idjits still can't come up with anything better than secession as a solution. One could hope they'd move to North Fulton and throw in their lot with the Milton County whiners. One could, but we'd be the poorer for comedy.
Please tell those dingbat, conspicuously consuming, chronicially overpaying buckheadians that if are so hell bent on saving money, they need to move to Venezuala. But don't tell them that as of yesterday, while they were oiling their muskets, as a result of the Fannie Mae debacle, their children's future tax liability increased by $14,000.00 Lehman's next. Then the Automakers, then the Newspapers. Then the fiscal conservative architects of the last eight years will get their true wish. Everyone in South, Central and North Americas will be on Donkey's, working for Pesos and selling pictures of their Donkeys drinking beer to the tourists... Vote Republican.
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