Harry Hayes Visits UGA

Today, local government authority Harry Hayes addressed a young group of journalism students at the University of Georgia concerning the ever-growing consolidation of county governments in the state.
Four new cities have been incorporated within the last three years: Sandy Springs, John’s Creek, Milton, and Chatahoochee Hills, all of which are located in Fulton County. Even more are expressing desire to consolidate.
Much of the motivation for the creation of these cities stems from issues concerning the distribution of services throughout the county, which is basically split into two sections by the city of Atlanta. In many other parts of the state, though, desire for consolidation arises from concerns that different parts of a county might have issues unique to their location, such as barrier island communities.
These consolidations can cause problems for their respective counties, though. New cities are created using county money, and these funds will continue to by utilized by the cities. Thus, county governments are often reluctant to consolidate. Such is the case of Dunwoody, another Fulton County community whose recent vote for consolidation was denied.
Hayes also discussed the basic differences between county and city governments. While cities are a product of the General Assembly and are granted authority to provide urban services, Georgia’s 159 counties were formed by the state constitution and originally served as a state service provider. Hayes maintains that the differences are now minimal, though.
“City and county governments in Georgia are really very similar,” he said.