Smyrna Annexation Could Increase Population By 65 Percent: Study

SMYRNA, GA — Smyrna could increase drastically in population if the Cobb County city annexes all the areas identified by a new study. The population would increase by 65 percent, or more than 36,000 additional residents.

According to the study conducted by Georgia State University’s Center for State & Local Finance, the proposed annexation would add nearly 10 square miles to the city boundaries. The current population is 56,685.

The potential annexation would include unincorporated areas and land that would expand Smyrna eastwards toward to I-285 and the Chattahoochee River, west to Nickajack Creek and south to Highway 78.

The recommended annexation areas are financially sustainable, according to the study. The budget is primarily drawn from the city's Fiscal Year 2018 budget.

Smyrna’s city council approved the study last August at a cost of $45,000.

The city is examining annexation options for several reasons. Unincorporated areas in Cobb County near Smyrna have expressed interest in the formation of new cities over the last several years. In 2017, residents in the eastern portion of the county formed a group to explore the creation of a new city, including paying for a feasibility study. The proposed location of the City of East Cobb would be to the north and east of Smyrna.

According to the report, “demographically these annex areas are similar to the City of Smyrna.”

By law, there are three primary ways for property to annexed in Georgia. All three require the consent of a majority of the persons living in an area to be annexed into a city.

The 100 percent method: Property owners of all the land in an area may seek to have their property annexed into an adjacent city by signing a petition.

The 60 percent method: Petitioners owning at least 60 percent of the property in the area to be annexed, and at least 60 percent of the voters in an area, may seek to have their property annexed into an adjacent city.

The Resolution and Referendum method: An election may be held in the area proposed for annexation to determine if the area should be annexed. This method requires that an agreement between all the local governments providing services in that area be reached and that a majority of voters in the area to be annexed vote in favor of the annexation.

Two more methods exist: 1) annexations by the General Assembly through local legislation; and 2) the annexation of unincorporated islands totally surrounded by a city.

“You’ve got to have a pulse on your constituents,” Peter Bluestein, who conducted the study and presented it to Smyrna’s city council in April tells the Cobb County Courier. “It’s a tough call, but these opportunities for annexation don’t come up that often for these larger areas. Those are things the council will have to weigh.”

Residents in the southern portion of the county, including the community of Mableton, have also shown interest in becoming a city. An exploratory study group has been formed and has created a website which has maps showing the boundaries of a potential new city. Based on these maps, a new City of South Cobb would share borders with the current City of Smyrna and would include some of the areas of annexation in the southern and eastern areas analyzed in this report.