Introduction

The city of Columbus, Georgia is located on the Chattahoochee River in western-central Georgia and is the county seat of Muscogee County. In 1971 the city and county consolidated governments, making it the first consolidated city-county government in the state.

Indian occupation

Moundbuilders inhabited the area near Columbus and controlled the entire length of the Chattahoochee River. Before 1700 two independent factions of the Creek lived near the site of present-day Columbus, the Cusettas and the Cowetas, both members of the Creek Confederacy. The federal government negotiated the treaty which moved the Creek west in 1827.

Columbus Founded

On December 24, 1827, Governor John Forsyth signed the bill creating a "trading town" below the great falls (Coweta Falls) of the Chattahoochee along the Old Federal Highway comprised of 1200 acres of land. Ignatius Few, Elias Beall, Philip H. Alston, James Hallam and E. L. deGraffenried were named as commissioners to select the site and oversee an auction of lots for the new city. Settlers poured into the city even before the acreage was to be sold. The weekly Columbus Enquirer newspaper was started by Mirabeau B. Lamar in May, 1828. The auction for city lots began on July 10 and continued through July 23, 1828.

By 1831 the town had its first bank (Farmer's Bank of Chattahoochee), daily mail service, and a fourteen man fire company. In 1836 the federal government removed the Creek Indians living immediately west of the city in Alabama. Columbus was added to Georgia's expanding telegraph grid in 1847.

Civil War

During the Civil War Columbus served as a shipbuilding facility for the Confederate government. By 1864, however, production at the shipyard and other facilities was slowed by a lack of raw material. After the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox,

Consolidation

The movement towards the consolidation of the city and county governments began when the health departments consolidated in 1940. Ten years later the city and county school systems were consolidated. It was the success of these consolidations in saving money while increasing services to the vast majority of the people served over a twenty year period that convinced local politicians of the need to consolidate city and county operations. In 1961 former Chamber of Commerce president James Woodruff, Jr. began pushing the idea of city-county consolidation. Based on his idea, the city of Columbus and Muscogee County, Georgia created a joint 21-member Consolidation Study Committee that was seated in June 1961. In November, 1961 the committee's non-binding recommendation was accepted. It called for the abolishment of both the city and county government, and the formation of a six-commissioner board with a mayor handling executive duties of the combined government. The Georgia General Assembly approved the merger in 1962.

Later in 1962 the first referendum on the subject failed at both the city and county level, although the city referendum lost by less than 500 votes out of 11,594 votes cast. In 1965 the city changed to an elected mayor. A similar vote in 1966 produced votes granted the city and county permission to consolidate, but did not give specific approval for details. In 1967 a second Consolidation Study Committee recommended the creation of an independent Charter Commission. In November, 1968, the voters of Columbus and Muscogee County approved the commission.

The creation of the commission proved to be politically astute. The charter proposed by this commission would go directly to the people for approval. By moving it away from the county and city commissions the Consolidation Study Committee avoided potential defeat since opponents would only need three votes in either commission to avoid consolidation. Furthermore, the study committee also avoided a high negative vote by exempting Bibb City, an independent city in the county that did not want to join the consolidation. During the 1968-1969 legislative session the state of Georgia approved the creation of the charter commission and it was signed into law by Governor Lester Maddox in April, 1969.

Led by Columbus College president Dr. Thomas Y. Whitley the charter commission immediately began work on the new charter, setting a target date of April 1, 1970 for completion of its work. In October a series of four meeting designed for public input was held. It was at this public input hearing that the charter commission found a glaring hole in its composition. A community leader pointed out that although blacks made up one-third of the consolidated population there were no blacks on the commission. Dr. Whitley took the recommendation very seriously, acknowledged the "unfortunate ommission," and appointed four blacks in an advisory role, since he did not have the power to change the appointed commission.


On May 27, 1970, the citizens of Columbus and Muscogee County, Georgia voted to become the first consolidated city-county governments in the state, and among the first in the nation behind Nashville, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida. On November 10, 1970, voters selected the new mayor and 10 council members (6 elected at-large and 4 elected by district, one of whom was black). The organization of the consolidation was officially completed on January 1, 1971, and the following day all former city and county employees reported to their respective Columbus-Muscogee County government offices.