By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 7, 2023 | Now there’s a move afoot to incorporate another area in Gwinnett into a city. It comes as no surprise that a built-up area like Hamilton Mill in northeastern Gwinnett might want more local control of its community.
While nothing is set in stone yet, Rep. Chuck Efstration had indicated he plans to introduce a measure in the upcoming Legislature to incorporate that area as Gwinnett’s 17th city. He is initially proposing that the city be named “Mill Creek.”
It stands to see if the Gwinnett County government would resist or back another area in the county trying to become its own city. If the county does not object, this proposal could have clear sailing toward a referendum on the matter. It has many positive elements.
The area already functions much like a city, a somewhat crowded suburban area, loaded with businesses and churches and (county owned) recreation areas. And it’s almost entirely all newly-built in the last few years, another turning of farmland into subdivisions.
Efstration
Now some people in this area want to help control the destiny by determining what will happen in the area by having their own government. No doubt that they looked closely at Peachtree Corners, Gwinnett’s youngest city and largest city, in determining how they want the Mill Creek area to function. The incorporation of the area of Peachtree Corners into its own city, now 12 years old, has been successful in about every way.
While Peachtree Corners functions with limited services, yet the important functions of a city, such as planning and zoning, building inspection, code enforcement, waste collection, stormwater runoff, and others are an integral part of Peachtree Corners. It gives the residents of the area a stronger voice on the type of businesses that will be located within the city.
In many cities, its largest department is its police force. Policing a community is difficult, and always costly. Since Peachtree Corners property owners have always paid the county for police services, the city relies upon the Gwinnett County Police Department for this service, substantially reducing the cost of overall government.
Note that from its beginning, the City of Peachtree Corners does not have ad valorem taxes on property. Much of the budget for 2024 for the city comes from licensing and franchise fees. Take a look at the upcoming 2024 proposed budget.
One basic element that Peachtree Corners had going for it when it became a city was the location of Technology Park/Atlanta within its borders. This provided an employment base for the city, at one time the location of more than 5,000 workers.
Those interested in incorporating Mill Creek into a city should also take a look at the proposed 2024 Peachtree Corners budget as an indication of the revenues that a proposed City of Mill Creek might generate. Peachtree Corners budget for the 2024 fiscal year is $20.6 million.
In coming months, Gwinnett will watch the upcoming session of the General Assembly to track this proposed legislation to see if voters in that area will get a chance to vote for another layer of government….one closer to them.
Would there be a possibility that another Gwinnett neighborhood might want to become a city? Another unincorporated community in Gwinnett is the Centerville community, south of Snellville. Yet should this area seek to incorporate, it could not be named Centerville, since there is already a city of 8,423 residents in Middle Georgia with that name!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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