On Nov. 5,

Cobb County voters will have an opportunity to decide whether to adopt

the "Redevelopment Powers Act" through the use of tax allocation

districts in various parts of the county. One of those targeted areas

is Veterans Memorial Highway (Bankhead Highway to most folks), where it

crosses the river...and just over the border of Fulton County.

This is a good

idea and certainly should be passed by the Cobb citizens that want to

address areas long forgotten. It is not new, but it is proactive. These

selected areas would get a tax-assisted clean up, improve existing buildings,

and possibly help develop vacant/blighted pieces of property.

Well, enough

about Cobb County. My purpose in writing is to urge ... no, strongly

urge ... Fulton County government officials to look at this methodology

in addressing the Fulton Industrial Business District. Specifically, I

am advocating the establishment of a tax allocation district within the

Fulton Industrial Business District.

It is a fact

that this business district is the largest single tax base in Fulton County.

It is a fact that it is the home of in excess of 1,000 businesses. It

is a fact that it is the largest contiguous industrial area east of the

Mississippi River. It is a fact that it has long been neglected. Enough

of the past. Let us look forward.

I do not favor

within the Fulton Industrial Business District creating an overlay district

that grandfathers in existing businesses that are out of code or non-compliant

with current county policy and procedures. Nor, do I favor creating a

community improvement district that seeks to further tax the businesses

that are currently paying plenty of tax dollars to the county, with the

future hopes of attracting additional federal dollars to further goals.

Nor am I in favor of long term studies that purport to tell this district

what we should stand for to make it "liveable" in the future.

These methodologies may be fine for other places in the metro Atlanta

area, but not in an area contributing as much of the tax base as this

district curently provides.

Since I became

the first executive director of this business district in 1999, believe

me, I am quite familiar with nearly all the problems as well as the jewels.

I just believe that it is time to grow up and take greater responsibility

of our own destiny.

After considerable

thought, I have come to the conclusion that the area could best be served,

for the beterment of the entire Fulton County and metro Atlanta region,

of a tax allocation from I-285/Bankhead Highway west toward the Chattahoochee

River and south from Bankhead Highway along Fulton Industrial Boulevard

(past Fulton County Airport, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and the

I-20 interchange) to Commerce Drive. The western border would be the River

and the eastern border would be I-285.

This "targeted"

tax allocation district would serve as a spark plug to future development

in the district around the Fulton County Airport expansion plans, the

proposed MARTA rail line expansion, and serve as a source of hope for

the 30,000 employees working daily on this 8-mile road in unincorporated

Fulton County.

This TAD also

would enable increases in property tax revenue that normally is returned

to the Fulton County general fund or special services district fund for

usage by the county (since the Fulton Industrial Business District's creation)

in places other than the Fulton Indsutrial area to be used " solely

within the Fulton Industrial Business District ." This would enable

these business and property owners to directly work with the county to

allocate their tax dollars and make this district even more productive

and essential to the county's bottom line.

In essence,

it is time for the county's largest tax base to quick sharing it's wealth

(reassessed property value increases) with other areas and instead, clean

up its own yard and play a proactive role in how the substantial tax dollars

collected from this area are spent. The TAD would work by returning any

increase in property taxes in the area to the area.

Imagine the

possibilities within this targeted area: a tool to address blighted property;

increase public safety official's visibility in the area; improve lighting;

widen roads; add sidewalks; clean up right-of-way and the median; make

the exit off Bankhead/I-285 as inviting as the exits off of Paces Ferry

or Cascade; improve or redevelop existing buildings; and a host of other

things that are necessary for improving this area. Nothing grand just

concentrating on smaller projects one area at a time.

This is not

an area being selfish...it is merely getting it's own house in order for

the benefit of the entire metro Atlanta region. thinking regionally, not

selfishly. We are not a TAD late; we are raring to get started.

[Patrick Stafford

is executive director of the Fulton Industrial Business Association.]