2000's - Cityhood
The following information is from a Special Edition of the ChattAbout Newsletter dated Oct. 2017, created for the November 2017 municipal election in Chattahoochee Hills. [Download Newsletter]
The Making of Chatt Hills
During the years of 2005-2007, two citizen groups worked on an effort to incorporate the area that is now the City of Chattahoochee Hills. Early efforts were led by the Chattahoochee Hills Country Alliance (CHCA), a nonprofit that formed in 2001 as a result of major landowners in south Fulton County organizing around a common mission and vision supporting the conservation of existing greenspace, land values, and sustainable development. Later efforts were led by the Chatt Hills Organizing Committee, a nonprofit that formed in October 2006 to develop and communicate a plan so that citizens could make an informed decision about incorporating.
Prior to 2005, other efforts had been tried to seek better representation than Fulton County had provided its unincorporated areas. Most efforts focused on annexing into Coweta County, a neighboring county that still had large rural areas adjoining the future city area. The last effort came close to succeeding, but lacked the full support of the Coweta County Commission.
What motivated another attempt – and a different approach – was a change in the Georgia Legislature. In December 2005, when the north Fulton community of Sandy Springs incorporated, the law changed to allow new cities to incorporate within three miles of an existing city. However, the Georgia Municipal Association announced its intentions to change the law back to its original wording after the 2006 legislative session. This meant that proposals for new cities had to be submitted by January 2005 in order to be considered.
Jan 2006 - Senate Bill 553 to incorporate City of Chattahoochee Hill Country
In the winter of 2006, SB 553 was introduced to incorporate the City of Chattahoochee Hill Country. At the 12th hour, a state legislature decision pulled 7,000 acres of the Chattahoochee Hill Country into the new (proposed) city of South Fulton, thus removing one of three village sites in the 40,000 acre Chattahoochee Hill Country.
In March 2006, Gov. Perdue signed SB 553, allowing south Fulton residents the opportunity to vote to become the City of Chattahoochee Hill Country. The Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance held community meetings to educate the community about the referendum process:
Chatt Hills Organizing Committee
After a failed annexation attempt into the City of Palmetto, the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance reassessed its options. It decided to form a new community organization called the Chatt Hills Organizing Committee to research the viability of forming a new city and share that information with the citizens so they could make an informed decision at the polls.
On October 3, 2006 The Chatt Hills Organizing Committee held its first public meeting at the Rico Cultural Center with
70 citizens in attendance.
On December 2, 2006, the Tomlinson-Graham Group led the group through a visioning session which resulted in a mission and vision statement for the organization:
Over the next six months, the Organizing Committee recruited more than 150 citizens to help research the feasibility of forming a city. It then hosted a series of neighborhood information meetings to share its research with citizens.
On May 19, 2007, the Organizing Committee hosted a Community Information Gathering at the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home to share the May’07 feasibility study prepared for the City of Chattahoochee Hills Country by Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Study. That study showed the city could financially support the required city services with its current tax base.
In the next month, the Organizing Committee coordinated a door-to-door campaign to share this information with all registered voters in the area and inform them about the vote on June 19 to incorporate the City of Chattahoochee Hill Country.
City of Chattahoochee Hill Country is Incorporated
On June 19, 2007, nearly 50 percent of the 1,381 eligible voters cast their vote in the referendum to incorporate the City Chattahoochee Hill Country in Fulton County, Georgia. The vote carried by 569 residents voting Yes and 112 residents voting No.
During the years of 2005-2007, two citizen groups worked on an effort to incorporate the area that is now the City of Chattahoochee Hills. Early efforts were led by the Chattahoochee Hills Country Alliance (CHCA), a nonprofit that formed in 2001 as a result of major landowners in south Fulton County organizing around a common mission and vision supporting the conservation of existing greenspace, land values, and sustainable development. Later efforts were led by the Chatt Hills Organizing Committee, a nonprofit that formed in October 2006 to develop and communicate a plan so that citizens could make an informed decision about incorporating.
Prior to 2005, other efforts had been tried to seek better representation than Fulton County had provided its unincorporated areas. Most efforts focused on annexing into Coweta County, a neighboring county that still had large rural areas adjoining the future city area. The last effort came close to succeeding, but lacked the full support of the Coweta County Commission.
What motivated another attempt – and a different approach – was a change in the Georgia Legislature. In December 2005, when the north Fulton community of Sandy Springs incorporated, the law changed to allow new cities to incorporate within three miles of an existing city. However, the Georgia Municipal Association announced its intentions to change the law back to its original wording after the 2006 legislative session. This meant that proposals for new cities had to be submitted by January 2005 in order to be considered.
Jan 2006 - Senate Bill 553 to incorporate City of Chattahoochee Hill Country
In the winter of 2006, SB 553 was introduced to incorporate the City of Chattahoochee Hill Country. At the 12th hour, a state legislature decision pulled 7,000 acres of the Chattahoochee Hill Country into the new (proposed) city of South Fulton, thus removing one of three village sites in the 40,000 acre Chattahoochee Hill Country.
In March 2006, Gov. Perdue signed SB 553, allowing south Fulton residents the opportunity to vote to become the City of Chattahoochee Hill Country. The Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance held community meetings to educate the community about the referendum process:
- Community would form committees to work on the future city plan
- South Fulton registered voters would vote on the referendum in June 2007
- If the referendum passed, south Fulton registered voters would elect officials in November 2007
- The city would receive its charter in December 2007
Chatt Hills Organizing Committee
After a failed annexation attempt into the City of Palmetto, the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance reassessed its options. It decided to form a new community organization called the Chatt Hills Organizing Committee to research the viability of forming a new city and share that information with the citizens so they could make an informed decision at the polls.
On October 3, 2006 The Chatt Hills Organizing Committee held its first public meeting at the Rico Cultural Center with
70 citizens in attendance.
On December 2, 2006, the Tomlinson-Graham Group led the group through a visioning session which resulted in a mission and vision statement for the organization:
- The vision is for a locally controlled, locally protected Chattahoochee Hill Country.
- The mission is to develop a plan which outlines revenue sources, services provided and other aspects of establishing the city of Chattahoochee Hill Country and to communicate this plan to the community such that an informed electorate goes to the polls in June 2007.
Over the next six months, the Organizing Committee recruited more than 150 citizens to help research the feasibility of forming a city. It then hosted a series of neighborhood information meetings to share its research with citizens.
On May 19, 2007, the Organizing Committee hosted a Community Information Gathering at the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home to share the May’07 feasibility study prepared for the City of Chattahoochee Hills Country by Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Study. That study showed the city could financially support the required city services with its current tax base.
In the next month, the Organizing Committee coordinated a door-to-door campaign to share this information with all registered voters in the area and inform them about the vote on June 19 to incorporate the City of Chattahoochee Hill Country.
City of Chattahoochee Hill Country is Incorporated
On June 19, 2007, nearly 50 percent of the 1,381 eligible voters cast their vote in the referendum to incorporate the City Chattahoochee Hill Country in Fulton County, Georgia. The vote carried by 569 residents voting Yes and 112 residents voting No.
Chatt Hills Election HistorySince the June 19, 2007 referendum passed to incorporate the City of Chattahoochee Hills Country, Chatt Hills has had one special election to elect the first slate of candidates, and five general elections and two run-off elections. Its 6th general election is scheduled for November 2, 2021.
Initially the City Charter set the terms for the mayor and all five council seats as four-year terms expiring on the same date every four years. On January 5, 2010, the Chattahoochee Hills City Council adopted Resolution 10-01-74 to stagger the terms of the mayor and council. To facilitate that change, the terms for the positions of mayor and council members for Post 2 and 4 were reduced to two years for one time beginning with the term that started in January 2012. The four-year term for the positions of mayor and council members for Post 2 and 4 were re-established in the terms that started in January 2014.
Initially the City Charter set the terms for the mayor and all five council seats as four-year terms expiring on the same date every four years. On January 5, 2010, the Chattahoochee Hills City Council adopted Resolution 10-01-74 to stagger the terms of the mayor and council. To facilitate that change, the terms for the positions of mayor and council members for Post 2 and 4 were reduced to two years for one time beginning with the term that started in January 2012. The four-year term for the positions of mayor and council members for Post 2 and 4 were re-established in the terms that started in January 2014.
