Transportation was one of the

key issues Fulton County Commissioners discussed in 2002.

Early in the spring, Fulton

County unanimously voted to get on the Georgia Regional Transportation

Authority's bus program Tuesday and became the 11th county to sign up

for the deal.

GRTA's proposal calls for Fulton

County to receive $31 million in roadwork for a one-time payment of $2.45

million to help support the bus system.

Another big issue in 2002 was

the county's election. Early in the summer with a federal judge's swipe

of the pen, South Fulton County's County Commission district grew by a

few hundred residents.

The judge was called in because

there was a controversy concerning some of the districts, said South Fulton's

Commissioner Bill Edwards.

Many of the problems were in

the Fifth District, but Edwards was happy to see his district grow.

Now, the Seventh District reaches

up to Benjamin E. Mays drive and some of Cascade Road, he added.

"We also now have some

of the Neighborhood Planning Units in the city of Atlanta," he said.

The ruling came right before

qualifying for the Fulton County Commission posts.

In November, Edwards was reelected

to his post with no opposition.

Edwards won a special election

in 2000, after former Commissioner Mike Hightower was convicted on bribery

charges.

One of the biggest stories

in 2002 was Williams Power Company deciding not to build a huge power

plant in South Fulton County.

The power company formally

withdrew its request to rezone 162.59 acres on Peters Road, part of a

larger parcel that extends into Union City, for a power plant.

Dillard & Gallaway, LLC,

acting on behalf of the Williams Company's Fulton Energy Center, LLC,

informed the Fulton County Department of Environmental Community Development

via letter June 11 of their intention. The company had been deferring

the rezoning request from month to month.

Early last year when word first

became public that the company intended to build a power plant in their

neighborhood, individuals from South Fulton and North Fayette County began

organizing and spreading the word. They contacted elected officials, involved

local businesses and banded together to form Safeguard South Metro,Inc.

Bob Crutchfield, President

and CEO of Christian City, became involved once he discovered the close

proximity the proposed plant would have to Christian City, a thriving

senior retirement community. Crutchfield contacted Richard Ficken, Group

Director for Power Development, upon hearing the rezoning was being pulled

and was told, "the matter was not on the table for consideration"

and that "at this time, they have no immediate plans to move forward

on this matter."

Ficken further assured Crutchfield

that he would be contacted in advance if anything changed in this regard.