Let's Incorporate Vinings (Mableton, Douglas: live, vs., rating)

[wxjay]

I thought Vinings condo and townhome owners (i.e., those along Paces Mill/Ferry Roads) were eligible to be members of the VHOA?

[netdragon]

wxjay: I'm pretty sure you are right because the VHOA didn't let the unfinished luxury townhomes on the corner of Atlanta Rd and Cooper Lake Dr rent out when the market crashed. They were forced into foreclosure by the HOA. Based on that, I'm pretty sure townhomes are part of the HOA.


By the way, if anyone wants to see a HOA that has a much greater chance of incorporating soon - look at the Mableton Improvement Coalition. They have turned into a very strong HOA that pretty much represent the interest of those areas near Smyrna East of Floyd and Veteran's Memorial (along with a few like Chimney Hill, Vinings Vintage and Providence West of Veteran's memorial). They have been successful in pushing a specific character and preventing further Smyrna encroachment into Mableton's high-end neighborhoods by keeping homeowners happy. However, on the downside, the Mableton Improvement Coalition does suffer from lack of funds to seriously revitalize Mableton's downtown and the TAD money is no longer there. Therefore, I wouldn't be too surprised if we see a city of Mableton incorporate soon to apply an extra tax for a revitalization of Mableton downtown if Cobb County doesn't take care of that soon.

If a township act ever passes (Title 36, Chapter 94), I imagine Mableton becoming an official township very rapidly - at least the Eastern side of Mableton.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by David1502

The major catalysts for suburban areas incorporating are:
1. Zoning - when the county allows unwanted development - particularly apartments.
2. Crime - If the county's police protection isn't perceived to be adequate and the response time too slow.
3. Taxes - if the suburban area sees little return for its taxdollars. i.e. pay a lot in property taxes with little in return for services, roads, schools, police, ets.
4. Schools - if the area public schools are low quality and the city wants to form its own school district.

Someone else please confirm this, but I do not think Georgia law will allow a new city school system to be established. The city systems currently in place have been around for decades (Atlanta, Decatur, Marietta, etc) and have a grandfather status that allows them to remain independent of their local county systems.

One of the reasons that there is a pressure to reestablish Milton County out of North Fulton is for this. The cities that have incorporated there did so for reasons 1-3 that you list, but they are still under the Fulton County School System. Their respective incorporations have not effected the county school district. Establishing Milton County would allow them to create a new school district.

In my 40+ years in Georgia, I do not know of a single city system that has been established. I know of many city systems that have been abolished and merged with their counties.

When I was growing up in Hogansville in the 70s, Troup County held the distinction of having the most school systems in the state at 4; the county had a system and the cities of LaGrange, Hogansville and West Point all had city schools. The 3 city systems have all been abolished and merged into the county system in the years since.

[netdragon]

Saintmarks: You're probably right. Parts of Smyrna share Teasly Elementary with Vinings and Nickajack and King's Spring with Mableton. Additionally, Campbell High in Smyrna is also where Vinings high school students go (at least the ones not in private school)

This may be a funding consideration. In CT where I'm from, aside from rural towns every town in CT has it's own school system. However, much funding comes from the state (there's no county governments) and there are no state property taxes, only town property taxes. Unlike that situation, I would assume that if a city in metro Atlanta decided to build its own schools, it would have to self-fund the schools vs the county funding it. I don't think that with a greater proportion of our property taxes going to a county, that a city in metro atlanta could generally keep its schools afloat. A city with enough of a tax base may be an exception.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Saintmarks: You're probably right. Parts of Smyrna share Teasly Elementary with Vinings and Nickajack and King's Spring with Mableton. Additionally, Campbell High in Smyrna is also where Vinings high school students go (at least the ones not in private school)

This may be a funding consideration. In CT where I'm from, aside from rural towns every town in CT has it's own school system. However, much funding comes from the state (there's no county governments) and there are no state property taxes, only town property taxes. Unlike that situation, I would assume that if a city in metro Atlanta decided to build its own schools, it would have to self-fund the schools vs the county funding it. I don't think that with a greater proportion of our property taxes going to a county, that a city in metro atlanta could generally keep its schools afloat. A city with enough of a tax base may be an exception.

The only times school boundary lines in Cobb have anything to do with any of the cities' limits is with Marietta. Their boundary lines determine whether one is the city system of Marietta or Cobb County Schools. School attendance zones have no regard for the city limits of any of the other incorporated cities in Cobb; Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Austell or Powder Springs.

Here in Texas, the state is completely divided into Independent School Districts. However, these are not city owned systems, even though it would appear to be when you move here. I am in McKinney, my kids go to the McKinney ISD, but the boundary lines of the ISD and the city limits are not contiguous. Three other ISDs boundary lines cross into the city limits of McKinney, so you can have a McKinney address and be in the Frisco ISD (the next suburb just west). It is very confusing.

However, I am sure that Georgia law currently only allows counties to have school systems, I do not believe any existing city that was not 'grandfathered in' some years back can establish a separate city system any longer.

Besides the three I mentioned in my earlier post, I know that Cartersville and Buford in the metro area have city systems. There are other county seats scattered around the state that have city systems separate from their counties, but they date back many decades.

[flaggship]

Incorporating Vinings would cost at least
$300,000 a year in salaries to maintain and would require some building (in this land locked area) to run it from{another $120,000}.

This town has the proprietary feel of the big city- with the ambiance of the history that has built it

In Hardy Pace's time, many people came here to seek refuge after the invasion of Atlanta. Vinings borders have only grown to facilitate "spec homes" in other "incorporated" cities.

Let's keep Vinings as is...EXPENSIVE ENOUGH TO LIVE IN!

[netdragon]

Very small cities incorporating are a common cause of urban decay during extended bad economies. You can see this in a lot of major metro areas. Services just become too expensive. It would not be in Vinings best interest to incorporate if it wanted to weather storms indefinately, at least until Cumberland has enough residential that it would agree to incorporate with Vinings.

Smyrna, along with unwillingness of the Vinings HOA to extend borders giving Smyrna more land to annex, has pretty much permanently prevented Vinings, sans Cumberland, from ever becoming its own city. In fact, Smyrna will most likely someday annex everything up to I-285 it hasn't already annexed, aside from the Home Depot HQ and a few other large companies and apartment complexes right along I-285 that can shirk off Smyrna. The community of Spring Hill, for instance, along with "West Vinings" will most likely someday be Smyrna if Vinings doesn't move soon to extend its borders OTP. The richest citizens in Vinings probably don't care about that. They don't have aspirations of Vinings being a real city and like its status quo small town feel.

I see Mableton incorporating far before anything ever happens with Vinings.

[Tryska]

to the OP are you from Vinings originally? or have oyu recently moved there and trying to make it into somethingit's not?

Vinings isn't a City - it's a neighborhood, a culturally and historically exclusive neighborhood, that does just fine without have to provide it's own municipal services. it's not that Vinings residents are apathetic - they just don't have any need for incorporation. There is no pain there.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Tryska

Vinings isn't a City - it's a neighborhood, a culturally and historically exclusive neighborhood, that does just fine without have to provide it's own municipal services. it's not that Vinings residents are apathetic - they just don't have any need for incorporation. There is no pain there.

Exactly, but you're not taking into account the seemingly obsessive need by some posters here to advocate for mega-cities, all under one uber-administration. They fear unicorporated areas of counties, and some seem to also fear small city (such as Dunwoody) incorporation, in favor of extending the Atlanta city limits far and wide. Small house, high rise living, and transit for all, whether residents want it or not.

I don't get it, but it does seem to be the mantra, so this thread was probably more of that same.

[Tryska]

Hi Neil - very true - plus i find it striking, because it's obvious the poster doesn't really KNOW Vinings or it's history. Vinings wouldn't want parts of Smyrna included just to warrant incorporation. That would defeat the purpose fo being an enclave.