Kemp administration raises questions about Buckhead cityhood
Governor deals blow to Buckhead split
Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration on Wednesday sent a memo to legislators raising questions about Senate Bills 113 and 114, which together would pave the way for the North Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead to break away and form their own city.
On Monday, a Senate committee approved the two bills on a 4-3 party line vote. But Dave Dove, the governor’s executive counsel, has roughly a dozen questions for Kemp’s Senate floor leaders regarding the constitutionality of Buckhead’s breakaway efforts.
“Without thoughtful consideration, these bills, together, may retailor the cloth of governance for Georgia’s municipalities in ways that will ripple into a future of unforeseen outcomes,” Dove wrote.
It is the first time the governor’s office has weighed in on the matter since the start of the 2023 legislative session — and it could be another setback for supporters of the movement. Many thought that the movement would gain steam following a turnover in legislative leadership, but Republican leaders have been trying to repair a strained relationship between the Gold Dome and City Hall.
One of the concerns raised by the governor’s office pertain to schools. Every public school in Buckhead is currently part of Atlanta Public Schools, and sponsors of the legislation have not clarified whether or not they will remain part of APS — or if students will remain at their current schools — if the split is successful.
They added: “If students are not able to remain in the Atlanta Independent School System, are Fulton County schools able and equipped to manage the influx of students that would then be added to their rolls?”
Kemp’s counsel also has questions about parks: “Senate Bill 113 would allow successor cities to purchase parks and other property owned by existing cities. What happens if successor cities choose not to purchase these assets, thereby creating, in this case, Atlanta-operated properties as islands within Buckhead? Are such properties subject to Buckhead or Atlanta policing? How will this impact public safety? How can these considerations be resolved without quarrel?”