It was expected to be business as usual in Sandy Springs on Dec. 1, the sixth anniversary of the city’s incorporation.
Last year, the city celebrated five years of cityhood. This year the city’s leaders acknowledged the event with little fanfare. Much has been accomplished, they said. But there is still much to do.
Outside groups look to Sandy Springs for advice on its form of government, a public-private partnership that outsources many of the city’s functions to private contractors. This year the city rebid its contracts, parting ways with CH2MHILL and achieving $7 million in savings. The contractor had been with the city since the beginning.
“Bringing in new contractors this year I think has affected us very positively because it has allowed us to get new and fresh ideas about how we do things and how we handle things,” Councilman Tibby DeJulio said.
Mayor Eva Galambos said, “Not a week goes by without some resident stopping me to say, ‘It feels so good to be part of this city.’”
“This city is not standing still and the best is yet to come,” she said.
Councilman Chip Collins noted the domino effect the formation of Sandy Springs had on the rest of the state, with new cities popping up everywhere, including the city of Dunwoody. Now residents in Brookhaven are considering forming their own city.
Most of the council members marveled at how quickly the city has progressed.
“Boy, it has gone by so quickly,” Councilwoman Karen Meinzen McEnerny said. “It’s amazing that we’ve accomplished so much in this time and I’m looking forward to the rest of the two years of my term. I can hardly believe it.”
Councilman John Paulson said, “We’ve approached government differently, and I think the last six years have been a testament to this approach.”
There are no officially planned celebrations, which disappoints Councilwoman Dianne Fries.
“I’m going to plan something for next year. I just can’t let it go by because I’m so proud we’re a city,” Fries said.
Councilman Gabriel Sterling said it has been a good time for Sandy Springs, but its sixth year isn’t considered special, as far as anniversaries go.
“It’s kind of like me. I just turned 41. Those odd number years are not as big a deal,” Sterling said. “Year one is a big deal. Year five is a big deal. Year six, not so much. It’s kind of business as usual.”
