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South Fulton city manager outlines land buys, parks and public-safety gains in 2024 "state of the city"
Summary
City Manager Sharon D. Subadan told the City Council the administration closed on major land purchases, completed park and infrastructure projects, opened an upgraded civic center and moved to in‑house AV streaming as part of 2024 accomplishments; she also highlighted financial results, ARPA spending and public‑safety investments.
City Manager Sharon D. Subadan told the City of South Fulton City Council on Jan. 14 that the administration’s “state of the city” review shows major land acquisitions, completed park renovations, public‑safety investments and steps to expand in‑house services.
Subadan said the city acquired a total of 371.31 acres in 2024 for $18,300,000, and that those parcels will be used for parks, municipal facilities and strategic growth. “I'm pleased to present the state of the city administration, which highlights the work of the city of South Fulton and our remarkable progress in 2024,” Subadan said during her presentation.
The presentation identified several headline accomplishments: the city closed on 4715 Frederick Drive for city administration functions; a headquarters and fire‑rescue training facility RFQ was released in December; the city closed last week on 7335 Old National Highway to renovate and remove blight; and a site on Campbellton was closed for a future fire station. Subadan said 40 additional acres are currently under contract for future development.
Why it matters: the purchases and capital work are intended to expand municipal buildings, improve emergency response capacity and address deferred maintenance across the city’s parks and facilities. Subadan said no debt service was used for the land buys announced for 2024.
Major capital and facilities work Subadan highlighted park renovations at Trammell Crow, Sandtown, Clifton Dale, Creel, Southwest Arts and Wolf Creek, and described the Welcome All Natatorium project as a nearly four‑year renovation that invested more than $7 million. “This 4 year long project...we replaced major components,” she said; the natatorium was scheduled to open the week after the meeting.
The city completed renovations to the council chambers and other municipal spaces in the building, added in‑house audio‑visual streaming equipment to record meetings and said the municipal court now has leased space at Crestwood in the Old National corridor.
Finance, ARPA and procurement highlights Subadan reported strong interest earnings—$9,940,000 in 2024 and $12,540,000 since a 2023 initiative—and said the city met the obligation deadline for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which had to be fully obligated by Dec. 31, 2024. She listed three major ARPA categories: community recovery (food security, small business grants, rent/mortgage assistance and outreach), infrastructure (sidewalks, facility security) and government operations (premium pay, HVAC, land acquisition, revenue loss and interest earned on the funds).
On infrastructure, Subadan said the city had about $140,000,000 in projects under way in 2024 using federal, state and local dollars; she added that 35% of the city’s portion of infrastructure contracts—about $26.2 million—were awarded to minority, female and veteran‑owned businesses.
Public safety and emergency services The city manager recounted public‑safety steps taken in 2024: implementation of a fire pay study and a collective‑bargaining agreement that increased firefighter pay, addition of two transport‑capable rescue units (which staff said saved six critical patients, including a 10‑month‑old) and completion of an ISO station location and equipment study. Subadan also said part‑1 crime offenses fell by 26%—from 3,374 in 2023 to 2,487 in 2024—while noting that the city still has work to do on response times and dispatch, which is handled by Fulton County.
Questions and follow up Council members asked about specific programs and sites. Subadan said she and staff are working with Fulton County and the county attorney’s office on the transfer of Wolf Creek Amphitheater and surrounding properties; she said Fulton County has asked the city to execute a lease as a condition of the transfer. She also said the city will present a fire‑station location plan and expects to complete the design phase of a headquarters and fire‑training center project in 2025.
What’s next Subadan said the city will present a strategic plan update in March, start a comprehensive plan kickoff (with expected completion in November), continue park projects and move ahead on codifying standard operating procedures for departments. She closed her presentation and opened the floor for council questions.
Ending Council members used the presentation as the basis for follow‑up questions; Subadan closed by thanking staff and council for their work and said the administration would provide the full presentation and supporting documents to the council and public.
