The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association’s charter committee has finished its work and turned its recommended charter provisions over to the legislature for action, says District 51 State Representative Tom Rice.

The next step is the U.S. Justice Department, where the charter provisions that govern elections and representation must pass pre-clearance review.

“When that effort is concluded, the charter bill will be drawn and moved through the legislative process and hopefully signed by the governor,” Rice says.

If all goes as planned, there will be a referendum in November. If it passes, a vote on representation of Peachtree Corners will take place at the 2012 Presidential Primary.

And so the journey to cityhood moves along for Peachtree Corners. At the present time,  “there are no known roadblocks to stop the process.”

Personally, Rice supports cityhood for Peachtree Corners. “I believe it would be advantageous for Peachtree Corners to be governed in a fashion that allows maximum ability to control its own destiny now and in years to come.”        

The big question is, will the residents support the move to cityhood?

Rice thinks so. He has attended several open forums on the topic and the reaction from residents seems to be nothing but positive.

Sure, there are questions. One is the financial viability of cityhood. But a study conducted last year by the Governmental Research and Services Division of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia concluded that the incorporation of Peachtree Corners would be “fiscally viable.”

What makes cityhood fiscally viable? If it can support the services it wants to provide — in this case planning and zoning, code enforcement, and sanitation — by the expected revenue stream.

Part of that revenue stream will come through a small increase in property taxes. And that’s where the opposition comes in, because some residents “don’t want to pay another dime” in taxes.

But for the most part, homeowners in Peachtree Corners will not mind the small increase to protect the area from potential problems such as annexation or questionable zoning decisions, Rice says.

For an extra $120 a year, “many people might find it to be good home value insurance.”

Between now and the referendum,  Rice asks residents is to “be informed.”

Go to the UPCCA website and read the feasibility study. And attend the UPCCA meetings to voice an opinion and ask questions.

“My commitment to the voters of Peachtree Corners is that I will aid them in their quest to present the people with the opportunity to vote on cityhood and that they will have all the information they need to make an informed decision,” Rice says.

Meanwhile, the UPCCA will soon put together a persuasive and comprehensive campaign to educate residents on why Peachtree Corners should become a city, says Mike Mason, UPCCA president.

In addition, the UPCCA wants to bring more members into its fold. Currently, there are around 33 subdivisions in Peachtree Corners, and most are members of UPCCA. “But there are a lot of townhomes and other subdivisions out there that we want as our members.”