Published Wednesday, August 06, 2008
County delays ARC decision
The Times-Herald
Coweta's commissioners will likely vote on whether or not to join the Atlanta Regional Commission at their first meeting in September.
The commissioners discussed the issue at length during Tuesday night's meeting.
Commissioner Randolph Collins, possibly the swing vote in the issue, said he wasn't prepared to make a decision.
The commissioners discussed the issue three years ago, and ultimately made the decision to stick with the Chattahoochee Flint Regional Development Center.
But the RDCs could soon be no more. A bill that was approved this spring by the Georgia General Assembly consolidates the RDCs into larger regional commissions.
Chatt-Flint would likely combine with the McIntosh Trail RDC to create a new regional commission. The new commission would include Griffin and Carrollton, cities similar in size to Newnan. The RC would include a total of 10 counties.
A committee formed to explore the issue met with representatives of the ARC, Chatt-Flint, and McIntosh Trail, said County Commission Chairman Tim Higgins.
The new regional commission might be better positioned to meet Coweta's needs, Higgins suggested. Coweta would have clout as the largest member and could always choose to go to the ARC at a later date.
If Coweta makes the move to the ARC, it's there to stay.
In the ARC, the county would be represented by the commission chairman, a mayor, and a citizen representative. But "because of our size, we'll probably have to share a citizen representative with Fayette or Douglas," Higgins said.
Without active participation by the chairman, "we may miss out on some of the advantages" of being in the ARC, Higgins said. A new Coweta staff member would have to be hired to interact with the ARC, and new development and engineering staff may need to be added as well.
The county has three options, Higgins said. Do nothing, encourage the merging of Chatt-Flint and McIntosh Trail, or move to the ARC.
Coweta is already a part of the ARC when it comes to traffic planning, and that's because Coweta is part of the non-attainment area for air quality.
Commissioner Leigh Schlumper said she didn't want the decision to be made based solely on the chairmanship issue.
"Let's face it. The city of Atlanta calls the shots," said Commissioner Paul Poole.
"Not up there, they don't," Higgins said. He said the Fayette Commission chairman "does a good bit of work."
"Tim -- the city of Atlanta calls the shots," Poole said.
"Have you been to one meeting of the ARC?" Schlumper asked.
No, Poole said. But "the city of Atlanta is the engine that makes it run."
Higgins disagreed. He said Coweta has as much say on the transportation coordinating committee as Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
"You may feel that way," Poole said, but "it is not reality."
He said the mayor of Turin contacted him and wanted to stay with Chatt-Flint.
Another concern is, "if we go into this, we can't get out of it."
Poole said he'd like to wait and see how the new regional commissions work out. Plus, there will be at least two and possibly three new commissioners in January.
Schlumper asked her successor, Rodney Brooks, what his thoughts were. He said he would reserve comment until a later date.
Commissioner Tim Lassetter said he feels Coweta would benefit from the combined RDCs. If he were chairman, he said, he doesn't think he would be able to attend all the ARC meetings.
"You decide if you are able to be chairman or not," Schlumper said.
Collins said he would have the same work constraints as Lassetter. But it's getting time that Coweta needs a full-time chairman.
Lassetter said he would suggest that all the commissioners try to talk to as many county staffers as possible and get their opinions on the issue.
"I think we've done a pretty good job," Poole said. "I just don't see where it's broke."