11 replies to this topic

[aboutmetro]

The ACCG (Association of County and City Governments of Georgia) has a standing policy to support the consolidation of some of Georgia’s counties.  Anecdotally, the legislature diminished the size of Georgia’s counties so that the farmer traveling in horse drawn carriages could reach the county seat and get back home on the same day.

With 59,441 square miles, Georgia has 159 counties while Alabama has just 67 dividing up its 52,423 square miles. South Carolina has 31,189 with 46 counties while North Carolina has 100 counties and 48,710 sq. miles; Florida 58,560 and 67 counties; Tennessee 42,146 and 95 counties.

There are, in fact, 32 counties in Georgia with fewer than 10,000 in population.  If Georgia just took the average land area per county of all of our neighbors, we would end up with just 91 counties. It’s unlikely that any consolidation effort would reduce the number of counties by half. Yet, already a number of counties have consolidated the city and county government functions because the sizes of the cities within the counties no longer justified separate governments.  The justification most proponents use is that it would save GE taxpayers overall by consolidating county 'front office' management functions, possibly better deals on bulk items like asphalt, etc.  For example, the consolidated City-County Government of Columbus-Muscogee consistently ranks as in the top 3 least costly governments to operate of its size in the southeast. So some economies must be available by consolidating.

So, the question is, as Georgia’s population continues to grow by double digits, should the legislature consider consolidating some of these counties?  If so, how should it be accomplished?... by census, by historical boundaries?  Or should we leave well enough alone, unless a county goes bankrupt?

Edited by aboutmetro, 29 December 2008 - 01:04 PM.

[Columbus1984]

aboutmetro, on Dec 29 2008, 01:52 PM, said:

The ACCG (Association of County and City Governments of Georgia) has a standing policy to support the consolidation of some of Georgia's counties. Anecdotally, the legislature diminished the size of Georgia's counties so that the farmer traveling in horse drawn carriages could reach the county seat and get back home on the same day.

With 59,441 square miles, Georgia has 159 counties while Alabama has just 67 dividing up its 52,423 square miles. South Carolina has 31,189 with 46 counties while North Carolina has 100 counties and 48,710 sq. miles; Florida 58,560 and 67 counties; Tennessee 42,146 and 95 counties.

There are, in fact, 32 counties in Georgia with fewer than 10,000 in population. If Georgia just took the average land area per county of all of our neighbors, we would end up with just 91 counties. It's unlikely that any consolidation effort would reduce the number of counties by half. Yet, already a number of counties have consolidated the city and county government functions because the sizes of the cities within the counties no longer justified separate governments. The justification most proponents use is that it would save GE taxpayers overall by consolidating county 'front office' management functions, possibly better deals on bulk items like asphalt, etc. For example, the consolidated City-County Government of Columbus-Muscogee consistently ranks as in the top 3 least costly governments to operate of its size in the southeast. So some economies must be available by consolidating.

So, the question is, as Georgia's population continues to grow by double digits, should the legislature consider consolidating some of these counties? If so, how should it be accomplished?... by census, by historical boundaries? Or should we leave well enough alone, unless a county goes bankrupt?

Consolidation for Columbus has been great. Just look at what the city has been able to accomplish compared to other 2nd tier cities in Georgia.

[MarcusJY]

I totally agree about consolidating counties. There are just to many GA has more counties than any state in union except for Texas. Not only that, I support only having on public school system per county. That's a mandate in Florida as well.

Edited by MarcusJY, 07 January 2009 - 08:24 PM.

[j.midtown]

Unfortunately, the trend in this state seems to be MORE government entities/jurisdictions rather than less as we've seen several new cities created in metro Atlanta in the last few years. Add to that the continued drumbeat from some of those same people to add another county by splitting North Fulton into a separate county.  Of course, some of those new cities' plans looked a lot better when we weren't in a recession and now they are finding things a little more challenging.

[Spartan]

If they can figure out how to do it equitably I think that county consolidation would be a good thing. Having 152 counties is just.... unnecessary in this day and age.

[Lady Celeste]

I think that county consolidation in many counties throughout the state would be beneficial. Several counties come to mind. Greene and Taliffero could merge. Hancock and Putnam...and I'm sure there are countless counties in southern Georgia with populations less than 50,000 that could merge. Because of the rural nature of the counties, it's not like the cost of services would increase...but the duplication of county governments could save the local taxpayers money.

That's my thinking anyway....

[andremurra]

I doubt that it would be beneficial for many South Georgia counties to consolidate.  There are a few clusters of small counties (in Southwest and CSRA), but mostly the counties in SG are very large. I do like living in a large county though and even though Bulloch is 685 sq miles, its county seat works very closely with the Commissioners and even neighboring communities. I can actually see Statesboro and Bulloch becoming a consolidated government in the future simply because many of the city and county agencies have already merged and work together for the overall good. If that does occur, the census would however, misrepresent the spatial population geography, only because the vast majority of the population are located in the county seat and its nearby bedroom community, Brooklet. I think Toombs and Montgomery could merge, and I also can see Bulloch and Candler merging (if merging were to happen), mainly because Candler was cut out of Southwestern Bulloch. Several of the counties between Macon and Augusta could merge, but Southeast Ga counties are too large to consider it.

[j.midtown]

andremurra, on Feb 22 2009, 03:06 PM, said:

I doubt that it would be beneficial for many South Georgia counties to consolidate.  There are a few clusters of small counties (in Southwest and CSRA), but mostly the counties in SG are very large. I do like living in a large county though and even though Bulloch is 685 sq miles, its county seat works very closely with the Commissioners and even neighboring communities. I can actually see Statesboro and Bulloch becoming a consolidated government in the future simply because many of the city and county agencies have already merged and work together for the overall good. If that does occur, the census would however, misrepresent the spatial population geography, only because the vast majority of the population are located in the county seat and its nearby bedroom community, Brooklet. I think Toombs and Montgomery could merge, and I also can see Bulloch and Candler merging (if merging were to happen), mainly because Candler was cut out of Southwestern Bulloch. Several of the counties between Macon and Augusta could merge, but Southeast Ga counties are too large to consider it.

When you say large, you seem to be indicating geographically (as clearly metro Atlanta counties dwarf south Georgia counties in population), but there are only four counties in Georgia larger than 800 square miles with Ware topping the list at 903 sq.miles.  That is but a fraction of the size of Texas' Brewster County at 6,193 sq.mi. - in fact Texas has a dozen counties that are at least twice the size of Ware. Florida has four counties over twice as large as Ware, including Miami-Dade at 1,945 sq.mi. and a county population of over 3.4 million.  

The idea of small counties in Georgia is said to have been driven by a requirement to be able to travel by horse or horse-drawn wagon to the county seat/courthouse, conduct business, and get home in a day. Clearly that requirement is as obsolete as the horse and buggy itself; the car radically changed the speed of transportation to the county seat, if one even needs to go to the courthouse - a proposition reduced daily by the move to e-government and web-based services. Many of Georgia's counties governments could (and probably should) be consolidated and some city-county consolidations would make sense (or would have before additional cities were created). The current duplication of services and functions is wasteful of taxpayer dollars.

Edited by j.midtown, 24 February 2009 - 11:42 PM.

[912]

MarcusJY, on Jan 7 2009, 09:23 PM, said:

I totally agree about consolidating counties. There are just to many GA has more counties than any state in union except for Texas. Not only that, I support only having on public school system per county. That's a mandate in Florida as well.

I disagree with that entirely!  Why should taxpayers living in an unincorporated part of a county subject their children to typically poor performing "city schools"?

Let those who live in their own jurisdictions decide how their children should be taught!

Edited by fromsc2tx, 25 February 2009 - 01:47 PM.

[j.midtown]

fromsc2tx, on Feb 25 2009, 03:29 PM, said:

I disagree with that entirely!  Why should taxpayers living in an unincorporated part of a county subject their children to typically poor performing "city schools"?

Let those who live in their own jurisdictions decide how their children should be taught!

Ahem.. stereotype much?  In my experience, schools in rural counties are just as typically poorly performing as city schools.

[Spartan]

Lets keep this about county consolidation, not school district performance.

[aboutmetro]

Spartan, on Feb 27 2009, 06:24 PM, said:

Lets keep this about county consolidation, not school district performance.

Spartan - Thanks for helping keep things on track.