Eatonton City Council last week resolved an immediate hitch in dealing with the state’s new “de-annexation” law, but the shadow of the law’s long-term implications may have gotten a little longer.
The council had originally reached out to the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government for some legal analysis and possible guidance about the de-annexation law. However, the Institute’s staff attorney who specializes in such matters recently left the Institute to set up a private practice, and the Institute has no immediate replacement.
So, on Mayor John Reid’s recommendation and endorsement, the council last week voted to hire Ted Baggett and his new Lawrenceville- based Baggett Advisory Group to do the study. Over the past 10-15 years, Reid had worked with Baggett on a Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) committee and referred to him as “an honorable guy.”
The contract should be signed later this month or by early December, and the time frame mentioned last week was for it to be completed within four months, in other words, by late March or early April. Council members Mylle Mangum and Teresa Doster both commented on the need for urgency.
A March-April report would exactly match the General Assembly’s end-of-session rush to complete its 90-day wintertime session.
Translation: Action, if any, to modify, flesh out, or even revoke, this year’s new law would be in the hands of the state’s General Assembly. It would seem reasonable to question where the matter would stand in the pecking order of the legislature’s agenda, and even whether it would get a serious look.
That serious look would include not only some clarifications in the law. For instance, there are no deadlines and no enforcement mechanisms. But such a serious look would also consider the long-term viability of municipal governments.
Throughout the 1800s and well into the 20th century, the denser populations of towns and cities attracted new residents looking for amenities ranging from social life to businesses and offices within walking distance, from educational opportunities to fire and police protection, from water and sewer systems to sidewalks and paved streets.
However, the burst of prosperity after World War II produced not only a baby boom but also the freedoms offered by cars and paved roads. Suburbia was born. The economy shifted from agriculture to industry and then to services. People could live on a cheaper half-acre and think little of commuting 20, sometimes 50, miles to a job that was not farming.
Georgia’s Home Rule Act of 1968 gave counties the same powers as cities to offer various services. In the words of state Rep. Trey Rhodes at a meeting two weeks ago, the roles of city and county governments have since “flip-flopped” in the intervening years. Putnam County’s budget now is four, close to five, times larger than the Eatonton city budget.
So far – if council members’ comments are correct – Eatonton is the only town or city in the state where the de-annexation law is being tested. Other citizens and officials may, or may not, be watching, but certainly, no other town or city has rushed in to help. “It looks like we are the guinea pig,” council member Chip Walker said.
Two other actions came out of last week’s city council meeting:
• Approvaloftheplacementof of “musical instruments” (apparently something like chimes) along the walking trails at the Briar Patch Park on North Jefferson Avenue.
• Approval, costing about $12,000, of four radar-controlled speed indicators to be placed on North Jefferson Avenue, East Sumter Street, Martin Luther King Drive, and West Marion Street heading into town.