Committee for Sandy Springs

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The Committee for Sandy Springs was a nonprofit, nonpartisan voluntary association of citizens. It was formed in 1975 after the City of Atlanta attempted to annex Sandy Springs, Georgia. Thirty members of the community formed the organization to promote the incorporation of the area as a city. Its mission was to allow a referendum on the incorporation of Sandy Springs.

[edit] Legislative Action

Since 1989 the Committee for Sandy Springs successfully found elected officials to introduce bills in the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) to authorize a referendum on incorporation. Legislators representing the city of Atlanta and southwestern Fulton County feared the loss of tax revenue. They used the legislative requirement that all local legislation be approved first by a delegation of representatives from the affected area to block the bills. The bills passed the Georgia Senate several times, but died in the House of Representatives every year.

[edit] Judicial Action

On 2 February 2000 the committee filed suit in Federal Court, challenging the procedures used to block the referendum bill in the Georgia General Assembly as unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.