Court Opinion

ID: 9850352
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 04:55:57.168626+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:20:35.742883
License: Public Domain

Duckworth, Chief Justice,
concurring. It is not debatable that under the Constitution, the General Assembly can extend corporate limits of a municipality. Nor is it questionable that they cannot delegate this exclusive legislative power without first expressing a desire and authorize others to act within specified limits to implement or effectuate the expressed legislative intent. The Act here does not even hint a legislative desire that the corporate limits be extended. Therefore, when the property owners or the city extends it a court cannot honestly say the legislative will is effectuated.
Facing honestly the situation of Atlanta, Georgia’s capital, it seems to me that all those including myself, who live beyond the city, but whose property and whose businesses are benefited by the city, should be incorporated into the city where they will support it with their taxes. Furthermore, all Georgians should want their capital strong. But unfortunately, the people of Fulton County have failed to elect as their representatives men who would and could constitutionally extend by a simple legislative Act the corporate limits. They should demand of them actions to extend corporate limits. The judiciary cannot uphold an invalid delegation of legislative power, but we will uphold a valid exercise of that power by the legislature. Atlanta’s hope for such extension lies exclusively in the hands of her chosen members of the General Assembly. It lies within their power to have the corporate limits extended but not within ours.