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I BUCKHEAD �IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN INCORRECT RUMORS CIRCULATING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN BUCKHEAD AFTER IT BECAME PART OF AT LANT A . AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTS WILL CLARI FY MANY OF THESE MISCONCEPTIONS . Rumor . boxes have been installed and the entire alarm system improved . In addition, Buckhead has had the services of all city fire inspectors since 1952 . As a result of these improvements, fire insurance rates in some portions of Buckhead were lowered from Class 6 to Class 3 within a few months after Buckhead ' s joining the city, and the entire annexed area had been brought up to Class 3 standards, with resulting fire insurance reduc tions, within 18 months . . Propertytaxes were doubled or tripled after Buckhead joined Atlanta . Fact . . . . By a legislati ve act in 1951, the Georgia General Assembly d ir ected that Fulton County make a reappraisal of a 11 property in the county and the City of Atlanta, including that portion of Atlanta in DeKalb County . The same act required that Fu Iton County pay the cost of the reappraisal program in Fulton and that a one-mill tax be levied on all property in Fulton County for one year to cover the cost of reappraisal. (Atlanta paid the county $15,000 for the cost of reappraisal in the DeKalb County portion of the c ity . ) As provided by the act, the findings of the reappri::I i sa I program were submitted in 1955 and put into effect on January 1, 1956 . The result was that property taxes were EQUALIZED THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND COUNTY. Some property taxes did go up as a result of the equalization,but the taxes on many properties were LOWERED . Rumor . Buckhead property values have gone down . Fact .. Since 1952 Buckhead has experienced a tremendous rise in property values, due in part to Atlanta ' s strictly enforced zol")ing standards and classifications . Buckhead is now considered to be one of Atlanta ' s finest residential areas, including eight new subdivisions already bu il t, with others in the planning stage. Furthermore, the new governor ' s mansion will be located in Buckhead . Rumor . . . No changes were made in Buckhead's fire protection and prevention facilities. Fact . . . . Four new fire stations have been constructed to serve the annexed area since 1951, one of them a short fime after the Plan of Imp roveme nt went into effect . Twenty new alarm Rumor . . Buckhead has inadequate parks and recreat ional and serv ice foci lities . Fact . .. . The city has bui It Bagley Park, one of the best smal I sports parks in Atlanta . It has bui It baseball d iamonds lighted for n ight use, built numerous tennis courts, enlarged and improved Ida Wi Iii ams Library, and developed Chasta in Amph itheater as one of the South ' s outstand ing outdoor entertainment centers , In the way of services, the c ity has added a $1,000,000watertank and $300,000 in new water mains in the Buckhead Area to guarantee a h igh le vel of f ire protection as well as to meet the other water needs of c itize ns . Rumor . Buckhead has had no v o ice in its own government since entering the city . Fact .. The two aldermen from the Buckhead Area serve on a tot a I of 13 different alderman ic comm ittees, and they serve as chairman or vice chairman of several of these committees, including the Zan ing Comm ittee, the Urban Renewa I Pol icy Comm itt ee , the Planning and Development Comm ittee, and the Parks Comm ittee . Additionally, Buck head c itizens have the satisfaction of knowing they pro vi de a high percentage of Atlanta ' s top leadership , . . in cluding its Mayor . WHAT HAPPENED IN BUCKHEAD CAN HAPPEN IN SANDY SPRINGS UNLESS SANDY SPRINGS DECIDES TO GO IT ALONE. V OT E "Y E S" MA Y 11 �Howard Starks & Mat~ Connor, Co-Chairmen 6125 Roswell Road, N.E. / Phone: 252-2324 J [ SandJ Springs / Atlanta Team for Tomorrow II ,, �