Politics & Government

Voters Divided on Issue of Cityhood for Peachtree Corners

The referendum vote that has long been discussed, will be decided in a few short hours.

It's been a hot topic for months, dividing neighbor against neighbor on whether the community of Peachtree Corners should become a city.

Sign wars have ensued, heated discussions have taken place, but tonight after the votes have been counted, the issue will be settled at long last.

If voter turnout is any indication of just how important this issue is, then the increased numbers of voters heading to the polls today was a good indication.

Find out what's happening in Peachtree Cornerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the Jones Bridge Park polling station, the number of voters who had already shown up by early afternoon had surprised Poll Manager Michelle Pendergrass. "We've had close to 500 already," said Pendergrass who recalls the January special election had brought only 100 to the polls.

Peachtree Corners resident Amelia Butts, who lives on W. Jones Bridge Road, had stopped by in the early afternoon to cast her vote. "I voted "Yes" for both cityhood and e-SPLOST, she said. I think it's important to support the Gwinnett public schools.

Find out what's happening in Peachtree Cornerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One the issue of cityhood, Butts admitted she "thought about it for awhile" before deciding to vote in favor of passing the referendum, but ultimately felt that the ability to control zoning and the increase in property values would offset the extra city taxes.

Another voter who chose not to provide her name said she had voted for both cityhood and e-SPLOST saying she felt both were important to the community.

We traveled outside the heart of what most consider Peachtree Corners to talk with a few voters at Pinckneyville Community Center and caught up with Julian and Wendy Buckmaster who had just cast their votes.

"We voted "No" for the city, said Julian Buckmaster. "We have a Duluth address, our kids go to Duluth schools."

The Buckmasters live off of Lou Ivy Road and said he and his wife were "stunned" when they first learned just a few weeks ago of the upcoming vote. "We've never thought of ourselves as Peachtree Corners," he said. They did vote in favor of e-SPLOST.

Jan Gilliam, the Poll Manager for the Pinckneyville precinct, said that there had been a steady stream of voters all day as more than 400 had showed up by late afternoon.

Polls close at 7 p.m. tonight; the final results are expected around 10 p.m. according to Gwinnett County election office. Stay tuned, we'll have the final results posted as soon as they're released.


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