When was

the last time you saw a group of residents wildly

cheering about being taxed?

It happened

Tuesday night as nearly 100 residents from south Fulton

County packed the Coweta County Commission chamber and

cheered lustily about having a special tax district

created for them in case they are annexed into Coweta

County.

During a

lengthy discussion of annexing nearly 17,000 acres into

the county, the commissioners wondered about creating a

fire tax district to help pay for services the new

residents would need.

The

residents are already paying a fire tax in Fulton County

and applauded loudly in favor of a tax district in Coweta

County.

"Do

whatever you have to do. We just want to be in Coweta

County," said Bill Creel, who represented many of

the disgruntled Fulton residents.

The Fulton

County and Coweta County grand juries have voted to allow

the residents to join the county. The final step is up to

the commissioners, who reiterated they won't vote on the

issue until they have received all the facts and figures

about the annexation.

Creel said

the 400 residents would bring a tax base of nearly $55

million and some of the "prettiest land around"

into the county.

One of the

overriding concerns of many of the commissioners is

water. Many residents in Coweta County have not been

connected to the water system yet, and Commission

Chairman Vernon "Mutt" Hunter wants it made

clear that Fulton residents would be at the back of the

line.

"We've

been in Fulton County for 62 years and never demanded

water, so I don't think that's a problem," Creel

said.

John

Folsom, who also represented the homeowners, said it is a

simple question to resolve.

"We

just want to return the land that was Coweta County's

until 1875," he said.

The

commission members said they plan a comprehensive study

of the issue before any decision is reached.