It was an event designed to present what Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards calls a little-referenced third option to the questions surrounding the future of south Fulton County. A town hall meeting Nov. 9 at Georgia International Convention Center provided the venue to Edwards to advocate for South Fulton remaining unincorporated.

Addressing the 160 in attendance, Edwards outlined reasons why unincorporated residents should choose to forego voting in June 2007 to form the cities of South Fulton and Chattahoochee Hills. He said the county’s superlative credit rating and its financial health were among the reasons for residents to opt out on the new cities.

Edwards has been outspoken in his opposition to the recent annexations of more than 13,000 acres by existing South Fulton cities, calling the moves predatory annexation. He is also opposed to the move to form the new cities.

Edwards used the town hall meeting to address what he said were rumors regarding the capability of Fulton County to continue to effectively administer government operations in the unincorporated areas. Rumors that fire and police services will disappear if the area remains unincorporated are patently untrue, Edwards said, as are claims that public works and parks will disappear. Edwards took issue with claims that taxes will increase and rumors that Fulton County is going out of business.

“The county’s got all the assets,” Edwards said. “We’ve got fire, parks, police, sewer capability, a stormwater drainage and employee benefits. Are you willing to give them up?”

Edwards openly took issue with existing cities that he claimed had intentionally misled residents about their annexation efforts. Edwards was not the only one to do so. A number of audience members questioned the tactics of existing cities, stating they had not been given full information on the options available to them in making an informed decision about their future.

While at odds in their view of South Fulton’s future, Edwards hailed the efforts of South Fulton Concerned Citizens and the organization’s litigation efforts in Fulton County Superior Court to have the annexations inside the legislatively-established city limits of the city of South Fulton overturned.

“We don’t agree about the city of South Fulton, but I’m proud that for the first time citizens stood up for themselves,” Edwards said.

Later in the meeting, Edwards said he head received a call from U.S. Dept. of Justice asking whether voters in the city of South Fulton had been disenfranchised by the annexations.

Addressing concerns by several in the audience, Edwards said additional meetings would be held to present all options to unincorporated residents.

In all, Edwards stayed with his position that residents of the two new cities should opt to remain in unincorporated south Fulton.

“My vision is to get us where we need to be. I don’t have time for things that kill my spirit,” Edwards said. “I’ve only got time for the good things.”