Editing Sandy Springs, Georgia (section)

==History==
Human settlement in the area can be traced back to approximately 400 CE, when Native Americans forged three trails to better access the area's freshwater springs.<ref name="history2" /> In the 16th century, the [[Muscogee|Creek Muskogee]] tribe settled the area, where they remained until the early 1800s, when they were forced out of the area due to the discovery of [[gold]].<ref name="history2" />

In 1821, the federal government held a number of land lotteries in the area, resulting in the purchase of land in present-day Sandy Springs and its subsequent settlement.<ref name="history2" /> The Austin-Johnson House, the oldest existing unaltered house, was built in 1842 on what is now Johnson Ferry Road.<ref name="history2">{{cite web|title=Sandy Springs GA History|url=http://www.sandysprings.com/history.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729135902/http://www.sandysprings.com/history.aspx|archive-date=2010-07-29|access-date=2020-06-14|work=SandySprings.com}}</ref> In 1851, Wilson Spruill donated {{convert|5|acre}} of land for the founding of Sandy Springs [[United Methodist Church]], near the natural spring for which the city is named.<ref name="history2b">{{cite web |title=Sandy Springs GA History |url=https://www.visitsandysprings.org/why-sandy-springs/history/Visit |access-date=2022-03-03 |work=visitsandysprings.org}}</ref> In 1905, the Hammond School was built at [[Historic ferries of the Atlanta area|Johnson Ferry]] Road and Mt. Vernon Highway, across the street from the church.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

=== 20th century ===

In 1950, the state legislature blocked Atlanta from annexing the community, which remained rural until the Interstate Highway System was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. In 1959, after a fire at Hammond Elementary School, [[William Hartsfield]], the mayor of Atlanta, urged residents to support annexation so that the area would have better firefighting protection. Community opposition killed the proposal. In the early 1960s, [[Georgia 400]] and [[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|Interstate 285]] were constructed, connecting Sandy Springs to [[metro Atlanta]] and initiating a housing boom that brought new residents and major [[land development]] as part of the [[white flight]] from Atlanta after the [[Civil rights movement|Civil Rights Movement]] won greater racial integration within Atlanta.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |title=White flight : Atlanta and the making of modern conservatism |last=Kruse |first=Kevin Michael |date=2007 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9781400848973 |location=Princeton, N.J. |oclc=852159650}}</ref>

In 1965, Hartsfield once again proposed the annexation of the Sandy Springs area. Spokesmen for Sandy Springs promised residents to "build up a city separate from Atlanta and your Negroes and forbid any Negroes to buy, or own, or live within our limits" should they reject annexation.<ref name=":5" /> In 1966, annexation by Atlanta was defeated in a referendum, with two-thirds voting against.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Efforts to incorporate Sandy Springs began in 1966 in response to attempts by the city of Atlanta to annex this unincorporated area of north [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=City History |url=https://www.sandyspringsga.gov/city-history/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=www.sandyspringsga.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the early 1970s, the city of Atlanta attempted to use a state law to force [[annexation]] of Sandy Springs, which failed after the [[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Supreme Court of Georgia]] ruled that the law was [[constitutionality|unconstitutional]]. In response, a group of residents formed the Committee for Sandy Springs 1975 to lobby for the incorporation of Sandy Springs.<ref name="history2" />

During this time, proponents for an incorporated Sandy Springs argued that their taxes were disproportionately going to other, largely non-white, communities in Fulton County.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Rosen|first=Sam|date=2017-04-26|title=Atlanta's Controversial 'Cityhood' Movement|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/the-border-battles-of-atlanta/523884/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614220951/https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/the-border-battles-of-atlanta/523884/|archive-date=2020-06-14|issn=1072-7825}}</ref> In every legislative session, state legislators representing the area introduced a bill in the [[Georgia General Assembly]] to authorize a referendum on incorporation.<ref name="history2" /> Legislators representing Atlanta and southwestern Fulton County, who feared that tax revenue would be lost from incorporation, blocked the bills,<ref name="history2" /> using the procedural requirement that all [[local legislation]] be approved first by a delegation of representatives from the affected area.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

In 1991, the Georgia state government determined that Sandy Springs, along with other wealthier, and predominantly white, communities in Fulton County was being taxed below statewide minimums, resulting in an increase in taxes for the area.<ref name=":6" /> Some Sandy Springs residents, including [[Mitch Skandalakis]], launched a number of campaigns against the taxes, and launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against the state.<ref name=":6" />

On January 16, 1997, [[Eric Rudolph]] bombed an abortion clinic in Sandy Springs.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bragg|first=Rick|date=1997-01-17|title=2 Bomb Blasts Rock Abortion Clinic at Atlanta; 6 Are Injured|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/17/us/2-bomb-blasts-rock-abortion-clinic-at-atlanta-6-are-injured.html|access-date=2020-06-12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bonvillian|first=Crystal|date=2018-03-19|title=Serial bomber Eric Rudolph targeted Olympics, gay club, abortion clinics|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/national/serial-bomber-eric-rudolph-targeted-olympics-gay-clubs-abortion-clinics/2Pm8Uoj3XucMLRowsheGtL/|access-date=2020-06-12|website=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|language=en}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
When the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] gained a majority in both houses of the [[Georgia General Assembly]] in 2005, the procedural rules previously used to prevent a vote by the full chamber were changed so that the bill was handled as a state bill and not as a local bill.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} The assembly also repealed the requirement that new cities must be at least {{convert|3|mi}} from existing cities that had stymied previous attempts to incorporate due to Sandy Springs directly bordering both [[Roswell, Georgia|Roswell]] and Atlanta.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} The bill allowing for a referendum on incorporation was introduced and passed as HB 37.<ref name="hb37">{{cite web |url=http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/fulltext/hb37.htm |title=Georgia General Assembly - House Bill 37 |access-date=July 27, 2010 |publisher=Georgia General Assembly |author1=Wilkinson, Joe |author2=Willard, Wendell |author3=Geisinger, Harry |author4=Lindsey, Edward |year=2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730033709/http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/fulltext/hb37.htm |archive-date=July 30, 2010 }}</ref> The referendum initiative was approved by the Assembly and signed by Governor [[Sonny Perdue]].

A referendum was held on June 21, 2005, and residents voted 94% in favor of incorporation.<ref name="history2" /> In November 2005, voters returned to the polls to elect a [[mayor]] and six [[city council]] members.

Formal incorporation occurred on December 1, making Sandy Springs the third-largest city ever to incorporate in the U.S.<ref name="history1" /> The city's police force and fire department began service in 2006. Upon incorporation, Sandy Springs initiated a nontraditional approach by operating as a [[Public–private partnership|public-private partnership]] (PPP), with all but six full-time employees being contracted.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Paterson|first=Blake|date=2019-09-19|title=Why Sandy Springs, Georgia &ndash; once a model for St. George &ndash; has abandoned privatization|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_f979bb02-db0d-11e9-a663-4f9805a3c075.html|access-date=2020-06-12|website=The Advocate|language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, the city undertook a procurement process to rebid all general city services, which was won by [[CH2M Hill]].<ref name=":0" /> The timing of this contract, during the [[Great Recession]], allowed the city to leverage a cheaper contract due to the economic downturn.<ref name=":0" />

In 2010, the city became the first jurisdiction in Georgia to successfully "bail out" from the preclearance requirements of [[Voting Rights Act of 1965#Section 5 - Preclearance|Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act]].<ref>{{cite web|date=September 22, 2010|title=U.S. Reaches Agreements with Kings Mountain, N.C., and Sandy Springs, Ga., to Terminate Coverage from Preclearance of the Voting Rights Act|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/September/10-crt-1067.html|access-date=December 18, 2012|work=Justice.gov}}</ref>

In 2019, the Sandy Springs City Council moved to scale back the PPP model, directly hiring 183 contract employees, leaving only 15 outsourced full-time workers by the end of 2019.<ref name=":1" /> The city will still outsource a number of services, including the city attorney's office, as well as security, street sweeping and ambulance services.<ref name=":1" /> The move was expected to save $2.7 million in the next year and more than $14 million over 5 years.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/sandy-springs-first-cityhood-changes-how-does-business/cRX2YPFDVzWgUtNE7c4h9L/|title=Sandy Springs, First in Cityhood, Changes How it Does Business|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=May 17, 2019|author=Arielle Kass, Ben Brasch|access-date=May 22, 2019}}</ref>