South Fulton

residents wanting to call Coweta County home probably won't know their

fate until next spring.

The Coweta

County Commission Tuesday afternoon heard a report from Administrator

Theron Gay about the annexation efforts.

Gay confirmed

this week that residents in South Fulton have brought their petition for

annexation back to the Fulton County Grand Jury in November.

The Grand Jury

passed the annexation proposal, but the Fulton County commissioners have

not acted on it yet, Gay said.

If the Fulton

County Commission approves the petition, the soonest the Coweta County

Grand Jury could hear it would be in March, he added.

Residents had

gotten the backing of the grand juries In Coweta and Fulton County earlier

this year, but the map submitted for annexation showed some parcels that

would not be part of the annexation.

Four fed-up

South Fulton residents started the ball rolling earlier this year by asking

Coweta County to annex them.

The South Fulton

folks had tried the annexation route in 1993, but were rebuffed when Fulton

County asked for several million dollars from Coweta County for the water

lines and structures Coweta would be receiving.

Currently,

the residents, living near Rico in South Fulton, are disgusted with the

level of service they're receiving from Fulton County, said resident Dave

McMurrain at a Coweta County Commission meeting earlier this year.

The residents

currently do most of their shopping in Coweta and are eager to send their

property tax money to Newnan, McMurrain added.

Late in the

spring, the Coweta County Grand Jury in Newnan approved the South Fulton

residents' request for annexation into the county.

But before

the Coweta County Commission approves it, Chairman Vernon "Mutt"

Hunter wants some issues addressed.

"Nobody's

looked at the mechanics of this. I want questions answered about schools,

fire protection and taxes," said Hunter.

Hunter also

added that he wanted a document from the possible new residents stating

that they didn't expect Coweta County to run water lines to them.

The area proposed

for annexation is 1,700 acres near the community of Goodes. The land is

rolling hills and meadows and the commissioners want to see it kept that

way if it joins Coweta County.

The commissioners

suggested that a 10-year moratorium be placed on any development in the

area and asked County Attorney Mitch Powell to look into the feasibility

of imposing a moratorium.

"I want

it to stay rural," said Commissioner Jim McGuffey.

The Coweta

County Commission will consider the annexation after it passes both grand

juries and receives the blessing of the Fulton County Commission.