South Fulton City Council Work Session: Legislative Agenda Votes and State of City, January 13, 2026

Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs convened the South Fulton City Council work session at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. All seven councilmembers were present, establishing a quorum. The meeting included the City Manager's State of the City Administration presentation and the 2026 State Legislative Agenda, with council voting on each legislative priority. The meeting was adjourned at 5:56 PM.

State of the City Administration

• City Manager Sharon D. Subadan described challenges she faced when she joined 2 years, 8 months, and 12 days earlier: undiversified city funds, 20 months of unreconciled financial records, a $14 million ARPA plan that was only 5% executed, stalled rent and mortgage assistance, staff vacancies, mold, disinvested facilities, and delayed transportation projects.
• She reported that the city has since diversified funds across four financial institutions and earned $18.1 million in interest through November 2025; grown staff from 484 to 802 employees; implemented the pay study; presented audits for FY21-FY23 with FY24 underway; rescued CDBG funding; and implemented the ARPA plan by the federal deadline.
• Land and building acquisitions now total 231 acres, plus 367 acres transferred from Fulton County, for a combined 598 acres at a cost of $18.7 million.
• Subadan reported a 6.73% reduction in part one crimes; expanded police, fire, and EMT staffing; approximately $2 million in fire apparatus; $24.6 million in completed public works projects and $100 million under construction; 500 new streetlights; and signed contracts for police and fire headquarters and training facility, with bond interest reduced by 20 basis points for $2.3 million in savings.
• Other 2025 accomplishments cited included 92% P-Card compliance, Tyler ERP implementation, recovery of over $4 million in LMIG funding, 27 electric vehicles, and facility renovations including City Hall, Creel Park, Southwest Arts Center, and Station 6.

Council Q&A and Discussion

• Councilmember Willis asked about the long-delayed Welcome Center and the Wolf Creek flooring restoration. The City Manager said the Welcome Center bid drew no bidders and pricing came back at roughly twice the budget, and she agreed to discuss next steps with the mayor the following week.
• Councilmember Williams-Brown asked for charter-required quarterly internal auditor reports to council and the public. The City Manager said a contractor, Bambo Sanoiki, was brought in to jump-start the internal audit program after recruitment struggles, and recruitment for a permanent employee would continue.
• Councilmember Sebastian asked what council could do to help move priorities forward. The City Manager said negative media coverage and public discord had made executive recruitment difficult, citing failed searches for an HR director and economic development director.
• Several councilmembers, including Willis, Pritchett, and Rowell, raised communication, branding, customer service, code enforcement, unpaved subdivisions, litter, and follow-through on resident requests. The City Manager said the city is working on infrastructure turnover processes and can provide records of code enforcement notifications.

2026 State Legislative Agenda

• Andrew Long of A.R. Long and Company presented the agenda and legislative timeline. He noted the 2026 session began the prior day, Crossover Day is March 6, Sine Die is April 2, and qualifying week is March 2-6.
• Council voted on the proposed items as follows:
  • Development Authority Independence: held, 7-0.
  • Establish South Fulton Senate Delegation: approved, 7-0.
  • Squatters Loophole Legislative Fix: approved, 7-0.
  • Recidivism Resources for the City: approved, 6-1 in the official minutes, with Councilmember Pritchett voting no (transcript says 6-0; minutes are the official tally).
  • Trucking Restrictions: approved, 7-0.
  • Camelot Crisis - State of Emergency: approved, 7-0.
  • Charter Amendment - City Judges to be Full Time: approved, 5-2, with Councilmembers Bell and Pritchett voting no.
  • Charter Amendment - Mayor Pro-Tem Salary: held, 7-0.
  • Charter Amendment - Clarification of Roles: approved, 7-0.
  • Charter Amendment - Powers of the City Manager: held, 6-1, with Councilmember Pritchett voting no.
  • Constitutional Amendment - Hospital Definition: approved, 7-0.
  • Strengthen Candidate Residency Requirements: approved, 6-1, with Councilmember Pritchett voting no.
  • Added item - Ambulance and EMS Priority Transport License: approved, 7-0.
• During discussion, Councilmember Pritchett expressed professional skepticism about the squatter loophole and asked for law enforcement input. Councilmember Willis recommended pursuing an MOU with the Fulton County Development Authority rather than state legislation. Councilmember Willis also argued that any mayor pro-tem salary change should be considered holistically. City Clerk Corey Adams supported strengthening residency requirements, noting state law limits documentation requirements and depends on post-qualifying challenges. Interim City Attorney Sara Kelly supported the squatter fix and raised the status of prior Charter Commission recommendations; Councilmember Williams-Brown noted the charter does not provide for a recurring charter commission.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the 2026 Legislative Agenda Packet as amended by a 7-0 vote.
• Mayor Gumbs, Assistant City Attorney Sara Kelly, and City Manager Sharon Subadan were recorded as not voting on the itemized legislative agenda motions.
• The work session was adjourned at 5:56 PM.