Lawmakers will consider Republican-led legislation that would allow Buckhead residents to vote this November on creating a new city separate from Atlanta.
The Buckhead City Committee is lobbying the Legislature to support the referendum. The committee says Atlanta is neglecting public safety, city services and sensible zoning.
But the Committee for a United Atlanta, City Hall leaders and others who oppose Buckhead cityhood say the secession would have detrimental implications.
A study shows Atlanta would lose an estimated $232 million in tax revenue. The overwhelmingly white city of Buckhead would strip away 20% of Atlanta’s population.
The one thing lawmakers have to do by law before they end the 2022 session is approve a balanced budget.
The state has had record tax collections for about 18 months thanks to a strong economy and huge federal spending to compensate for the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020.
Continue reading at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.