Sandy Springs council approves resolution requiring Fulton County Development Authority to consult mayor before inducements

The Sandy Springs City Council on Jan. 6 approved a resolution that requires the Fulton County Development Authority to consult with the mayor and secure preliminary agreements before offering inducements within the city's jurisdictional limits.

City Attorney Dan Lee told council the action implements House Bill 155 as codified at O.C.G.A. 36-62-4.1, which permits municipalities in majority-municipalized counties to require such consultation. Lee said the resolution fulfills the city's legislative charter obligations and is intended to restore what city officials described as a previously informal consultation practice that has lapsed.

During discussion council members cited multiple instances where projects moved without timely notification to city officials. Council members asked whether the resolution should explicitly identify a point of contact for initial notice and whether any inducement opportunities are already in process; staff said they had received no communication from the Development Authority about current inducement projects. A resident who is also a Fulton County Development Authority board member, Laura Kurlander, told council she seeks collaboration and said Develop Fulton typically seeks to partner with local cities.

Council voted to approve the resolution. The action does not itself change zoning authority—council members reiterated that zoning remains a municipal power—but it requires preliminary consultation with the mayor and counsel before the Authority offers inducements within Sandy Springs.

Council members said the resolution is intended to protect the city's land-use interests and to ensure collaboration on inducements that could affect local development patterns. The resolution was approved by voice vote.

Next steps: staff said they will consult with the mayor and counsel on implementation details, and council indicated willingness to consider specifying district-level notification in subsequent language if members request it.