Gwinnett Daily Post

Once Governor Deal signed the legislation authorizing the referendum on the creation of the city of Peachtree Corners, what will the next steps be?

First, our charter was be reviewed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure it is in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Once the Georgia Attorney General submitted the charter for approval, the DOJ had 60 days for this review. They then extended the review process by an additional 60 days after that. The charter team worked closely with attorneys and other legal experts to craft the charter specifically to meet the requirements of this Act. Because of this, we had a positive outcome. The Charter was approved.

Next, the referendum is on the ballot in the general election this November 8th. Only registered Peachtree Corners voters are eligible to cast ballots. If you are not currently registered, you must register by October 11 in order to participate in the referendum. You can go to http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Departments/Elections for voting information.

A simple majority of the votes cast (50 percent + plus 1 vote) will determine if the referendum passes. Once it passes, there are additional steps required before the city takes on the responsibility of the three quality of life services we will provide: Planning & Zoning, Code Compliance and Trash Pickup.

The next step is the election of the Mayor and City Council. This will be held on the same date as the 2012 Presidential Primary next February. You will have the opportunity to vote for a Mayor and a six member City Council. There will be three councilmen representing our three districts and three at-large councilmen representing all of our citizens. So you will vote for the Mayor, your district Council member, and the three at-large Council members. You can see the map of our proposed districts at http://peachtreecornersyes.com/map.php.

After the election, the real work begins. Our new government officials will begin to put in place the processes and procedures to provide the three services we have chosen. During the interim, the county will continue to provide these services. The City will begin to function as a city on July 1, 2012. There will be a two year transition from the county to the city. At that point, the city alone will provide the quality of life services specified in the City charter.

There is still a lot of work to be done. Our first big milestone the upcoming referendum. It is important for all of us to participate. Our future is in our hands, the Peachtree Corners voters. We encourage you to become informed voters. You can see information on the city at http://peachtreecornersyes.com/. We are looking forward to a large turnout in November!

In our next blog, we will begin discussing the three services the city will provide. If you have any questions or would like to see a city topic addressed in future, please e-mail us at blog@upcca.org.

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