Fairburn City Council May 22 voted to increase water rates in response to the 11 percent price hike announced by the city of Atlanta. Fairburn’s increase will only affect water usage in excess of 2,000 gallons.

Two annexation requests totaling 8.74 acres became Union City’s first stab at increasing its size by 7,000 acres prior to the Oct. 30 state-mandated deadline.

Everybody loves a parade. And barbecue. And pony rides.

There are times when people need a good reason to get out, enjoy visiting with family, friends and neighbors, and just have a good time. Christian City in Union City provides all this, thanks to a group of volunteers who, three years ago, formed “The Arts Alliance of Christian City.”

The summer of annexation really begins in the spring. Study plans and annexation efforts by cities in South Fulton County geared to a legislatively-imposed Oct. 30 deadline for annexation are largely under way. At stake are more than 11,000 acres adjacent to Palmetto, Fairburn and Union City and identified for possible annexation by those cities by October.

There is a real variety of fresh, farm grown fruits and vegetables each Saturday morning at Fairburn Farmer’s Market in front of the Old Freight Depot in downtown Fairburn.

For 40 years Christian City has amassed a rich history of providing care for children. Now poised to embark on its next four decades of service, the organization and the ministry stands at the threshold of providing those services in a way that may impact communities far beyond its campus in Union City. Joining the ministry to help meet those challenges is Special Assistant for Program Development Philip Kouns.

In a recurring series of appearances over the past few months, another High Point Road resident expressed her concerns May 16 to the Union City Council. Sylvia Floyd said she was concerned about Union City’s lack of community activities, especially the absence of recreational activities for youth. That concern were paired with others, including area crime and fast moving vehicles along High Point Road.

The anticipation of securing additional sewer capacity from Fulton County resulted in a May 16 vote by Union City Council not the extend the sewer moratorium on residential annexation, residential rezoning requests and preliminary plat approvals in existence since 2003.

The Fairburn City Council held its first discussion on potential annexation plans into unincorporated South Fulton County May 8. Perhaps minor compared to the expansion plans of other South Fulton cities, Fairburn was the first city to map out its tentative plans in a public meeting.

The South Fulton Municipal/Regional Water and Sewer Authority is moving forward with plans to construct Bear Creek Reservoir, a project that would supply future drinking water to Union City, Palmetto and Fairburn. A May 9 presentation of the Regulatory Task Schedule related to mitigation plans involving property purchased from a single land owner or from multiple land owners was the only issue addressed in open session.

Leslie Hamrick comes to the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce by way of Michigan, California and North Carolina. And as the chamber’s new President and CEO, Hamrick draws on the knowledge gained in chamber efforts around America and her experience with a family-owned business to help take South Fulton into a successful future.

On May 8, Fairburn council members unanimously adopted amendments that expand the areas in which day care centers can be located and provide clarification and a permit requirement for fencing.

It is a time for learning, a time for building self-confidence, a time for fun. All that and much more is what South Fulton youngsters will get at the Summer Reading and Mathematics Camp beginning in early June at Campbell Elementary School in Fairburn.

Members of the new Fairburn Fire Department take a break from last week’s fund-raising activities.

A Palmetto man is facing murder charges in the May 2 shooting of 26 year-old Coweta County resident Bradley Alan Mitchum. The early morning shooting occurred along Ridley Road in Coweta County near Palmetto. Mitchum was transported to Atlanta Medical Center where surgery was performed for a gunshot wound to the head. Mitchum died Wednesday.

Union City is looking to redevelop targeted areas of the city with a focus on commercial areas such as Shannon Mall. Setting the stage for that redevelopment was an April 18 vote to put a measure on the November ballot authorizing the city to create a Tax Allocation District.

Monday’s meeting of the Palmetto City Council was one of the shortest in recent history. But sometimes the duraton of a meeting is not the most important factor. A question posed by a resident related to the city’s proposed annexation plans helped illuminate the issues surrounding the move.

A May 2 recommendation by the Fairburn Planning & Zoning Commission might make it easier to locate day care facilities in more appropriate areas of the city.

Palmetto Police are seeking the person or persons involved in two burglaries that occurred April 25 at residences on Sabal Drive and Tiffany Lane. The similarities in the burglaries was noticeable.

Local farmers and artisans from Bear Creek Farms, Fairy Wood Thicket, Jane Storey’s Knitting and Woodcrafts, Puck’s Farm, Scharko Farms and Titania’s Soaps will feature the fruits of their labors at the Fairburn Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. beginning May 6 and running through Oct. 28 at the city’s Historic Freight Depot located at 30 West Broad Street.

Business association sets next meeting

The next meeting of the newly formed Fairburn Business Association takes place on May 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fairburn Annex, located at 40 Washington Street. Capt. J.T. Rogers from the Fairburn Police Department will be the featured speaker. His presentation, Problem Solving Policing, will bring the group up to date on programs and activities designed to increase public safety throughout Fairburn.

Fulton County Board of Education District 4 member Linda Bryant will hold a community meeting at Liberty Point Elementary School in Union City May 8 at 6 p.m.

Fulton County continues its trend of high scores on state testing with 93 percent of eighth grade students scoring “On Target” or at the “Exceeds Target” level on the Middle Grades Writing Assessment. For the seventh consecutive year Fulton County has scored above the state and metro Atlanta average.

Palmetto has become the first South Fulton County city to publicly discuss facets of its annexation plans. Those plans were discussed at the April 27 council work session. Plans call for more than doubling the size of the city, a transition, said Mayor Clark Boddie, that can be accomplished without raising taxes or borrowing money while immediately providing fire, police and trash pick up services to those annexed.

Members of Palmetto and Fairburn city councils, Fulton County Board of Education and parents joined Creekside Principal Michael Robinson April 25 for the dedication of the school’s new wing of 27 classrooms and labs.

A wealth of questions about the June 2007 vote to accept the charter and form the city of Chattahoochee Hills were addressed April 25 at a public meeting at the Rico Cultural Center. A group of more than 200 residents heard presentations and posed questions to moderator Rodney Peek, Georgia State University’s Dr. Robert Eger, lobbyist Lewis Massey, Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance Chairman Mark Hennessy, Commissioner Bill Edwards. South Fulton Concerned Citizens board member Chuck Miller and others involved since the idea of incorporation surfaced last year. Though the group is currently centering its efforts on the annexation attempt by the city of Palmetto to more than double its size, most questions and comments were geared toward issues of possible city-hood.

Union City officials are concerned that current and upcoming residential development will result in a need for greater wastewater treatment capacity. Responding to that concern, the City Council April 18 approved a measure aimed at increasing sewer capacity at the county’s Camp Creek Wastewater Treatment plant.