Perhaps one of the fiercest fights during the 2018 legislative session was over SB 263, a bill which would look to authorize the creation of a new city, Eagle’s Landing, within what are now the Stockbridge city limits.
The bill went through multiple rounds of voting in both the House and Senate as issues such as a homestead exemption were debated, (it was eventually removed) before finally passing on Sine Die. It passed the Senate 33 to 19, almost uniformly along party lines. Currently the legislation rests on Governor Nathan Deal’s desk, where his signature would mean a vote to create the new city would go before voters as soon as November of this year.
Critics of the bill such as Stockbridge’s state Sen. Emanuel Jones have urged the governor to veto the legislation, warning that Eagle’s Landing would cripple Stockbridge by removing its wealthiest residential areas that provide the lion’s share of the city’s property tax base. They have also argued that the de-annexation is racially motivated, though proponents point out that the new city would be 47% black to 39% white.
Following the bill’s passage Jones pleaded with Deal to veto the legislation; “My message to the governor is quite simple. Your name may not be on the ballot, governor, but your legacy is on the ballot, and I pray that this governor will do the right thing and veto this legislation.”
The bill, along with its sister legislation in SB 262, was originally sponsored by Henry County Sen. Rick Jeffares, (now running for Lt. Governor) and later carried by his successor, Brian Strickland. Strickland, a Republican, is a close ally of the governor, which may give an indication as to whether Deal is intending on signing the bill into law and allowing an Eagle’s Landing vote to take place. Considering only Stockbridge and unincorporated Henry County residents within the boundaries of what would become Eagle’s Landing would be allowed to vote, it seems likely that any cityhood referendum would pass.
Should the process move forward Stockbridge officials have already stated their intention to go down swinging. Said Stockbridge Mayor Anthony Ford at a press conference last week, “I’ve got a haymaker ready to go.” Ford claimed that he had law firms preparing to fight the (potential) decision in court, though overturning legislation passed by both houses and signed by the governor would undoubtedly be an uphill battle.
