Annexation dispute heats up with implications for schools

Fulton County residents already agreed in November to allow annexations in the Fulton Industrial District, the last unincorporated part of the county and an area that had been off limits to annexation for 40 years.

So a unanimous Georgia Supreme Court ruling Monday that affirms Atlanta’s 2017 annexation of a piece of land it owns in the district — call- ing the 1979 constitutional amendment unconstitutional — doesn’t change the fact that both Atlanta and the city of South Fulton can woo landowners to join their respec- tive cities.

Alone, it’s a small issue. But as part of the larger annex- ation fight Atlanta has initi- ated in south Fulton County and DeKalb County, the deci- sion could have implications on where tax dollars go.

Where the ruling does make a difference is in the school systems: Whether Atlanta Public Schools or Fulton County Schools get the tax revenue from the district as it is annexed into cities.

Susan Romanick, a spokes- woman for the Fulton County Schools, said there was no material impact on the district from the single parcel. But in a Fulton County dele- gation meeting last month, representatives from the Ful- ton County Schools said they could lose more than $10 million in property tax money if Atlanta annexes the 7.5 square miles of mostly indus- trial land that runs along Ful- ton Industrial Boulevard, south of Six Flags on the Fulton side of the Chatta- hoochee River.

That’s only if Atlanta Public Schools’ boundar- ies expand, too. The Atlanta City Council voted not to expand APS’ boundaries with the annexation that was approved by the Supreme Court this week, though APS has filed suit against the city to ensure that its boundar- ies change as Atlanta’s do.

The district was not opposed to the city’s expansion, APS spokesman Ian Smith said, but it did not want to be left behind.

The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments later this year about whether the city’s expan- sion must include the school district.

The Fulton Industrial District has long been an object of desire for the city of Atlanta. Spokesperson Michael Smith said, “The City looks forward to further discussion with FID stakeholders regarding annexation in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling.”

At the same time, Rep. Roger Bruce, D-South Fulton, has introduced legislation for the third time that would put most of the unincorporated area into the city of South Fulton. Bruce said he thinks that bill will go through; it has passed the House and was referred to the Senate.