Commissioners update residents on city plan

Spilling out of the large room where Fulton County commissioners held a special meeting Monday night, more than 200 people attended a session to learn more about the process of creating a new city.

Residents voted last month to form the City of South Fulton, and since then, Fulton staffers have been peppered with questions about what comes next.

In a board meeting at the South Fulton Service Center, residents were able to ask the commissioners their questions directly, as they learned more about the process.

Crime reduction and improved police and fire response times were topics of importance for a number of people. Others were interested in economic development and whether the new city would have access to money voters approved to pay for road and other transportation improvements. (It will.)

There were comments about litter, the Wolf Creek Amphitheater and working with the school system. And several residents who plan to run for office introduced themselves to the crowd.

Gov. Nathan Deal will be naming a five-person transition team in the coming days to help manage the effort. Rep. Roger Bruce, D-Atlanta, said he came to the meeting from the governor’s mansion, where the list of names was being finalized.

Fulton has already formed an internal team that will help the county transition its own services to the new city, but the Deal-appointed team will help create the new city’s structure. Todd Long, Fulton’s chief operating officer, said that team would not be able to sign contracts or spend public funds. But members of that team will serve as a conduit between the county and the residents. The new city’s government will be elected in March and the city officially forms May 1.

UPCOMING

A Look at Piedmont Fayette. 10-10:45 a.m. Thursday. Free. Fayette Senior Services, The Life Enrichment Center, 4 Center Drive, Fayetteville. Join Piedmont Fayette Hospital’s CEO Michael Burnett as he gives updates on this hospital, including the newest addition, new things that are happening and what to expect. Register: 770-461-0813 or email register@ fayss.org (include name, phone number and event title). Fayss.org.

Final public meeting set for Buford Highway plan

The cities of Chamblee and Doraville along with the Atlanta Regional Commission will host a final public forum for the Buford Highway Master Plan Livable Centers Initiative 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at the I Luv Pho Restaurant, 5145 Buford Highway.

Community members are invited to provide their input at the forum.

Recommendations for the segment of Buford Highway from Oakcliff Road in Doraville to Clairmont Road in Chamblee will be discussed, including pedestrian safety, roadway landscaping, public transportation, bicycle trails, housing, retail, and park plans. The planning and community engagement process will run through February 2017.

Information: www.doravillega. us; www.buhimasterplan.com.