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Health & Fitness

The Eleventh Hour

After a lot of vigorous debate, the big vote comes tomorrow. Will Peachtree Corners become an official city? We will finally find out soon.

Tomorrow is the day that this community will find out if it would like to become an official city. The town halls were held. The signs were plastered all over the area. The caterwauling on both sides of the fence played out online and in the media. Whether the referendum passes or not, there was an interesting discourse. Would Peachtree Corners become a new layer of government or a better government that’s closer to the people? The debate created fissures in the community.

It’s true that this proposed community would be a light city with a weak mayor providing limited services thereby protecting our quality of life. Those opposed to such a city say that things are OK at the moment. Why pay one more penny to a government entity?

The idea of the city of Peachtree Corners is a pre-emptive strike against neighboring cities’ encroachment. Would Norcross, Duluth and/or Berkeley Lake like to annex this area? Supporters of the city say that yes, it’s possible since all three cities have made land and business grabs in the past. Could annexation to this area happen in the next year, five years or 10 years?

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

A new city for this area is an investment. Like any investment, there are some risks. We have seen how some cities have turned out in the metro area. But, there are a few comforts in knowing that with Peachtree Corners, the people will have the control. Any proposal for city growth will be put to a vote. Indeed, Peachtree Corners could turn out to be more like Johns Creek or perhaps, like East Point well into the future.

In this day and age of an economic recovery and cynicism, the city is a tough sell. Those opposed to the city do not see the value in this investment saying that they need to watch every penny in their budgets. Some say that the charter is too vague while others say that this city would not being to stand against legal challenges when it comes to zoning issues. Yet there are those who argue that the city is not a new layer of government. Supporters of the city say that it’s not really a layer since it will not duplicate county services and will strictly handle its own functions.

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

Whether you are for or against the city, one thing is for sure, get out and vote.

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