The City of Mulberry successfully passed Tuesday night on the ballot, adding a new city to Gwinnett County in the area commonly known as Hamilton Mill.
The residents who voted in favor of the city adoption pulled in over 56% of the vote.
The effort to adopt a new city was spearheaded by Georgia House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (R-Auburn) and State Senator Clint Dixon (R-Buford), quickly becoming a topic of debate among residents of Northeast Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett County Judge Tadia Whitner last week ruled in favor of keeping the measure on the ballot after an emergency hearing in a lawsuit brought forward by Stephen Hughes. The suit alleged that the proposed city's charter was unconstitutional since it did not allow for the city to levy taxes.
Judge Whitner's decision came after Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed an opinion to the court arguing that the lawsuit was improperly filed.
Carr said in that filing that the vote should move forward, successfully passing Tuesday night.
Mulberry will reportedly operate similarly to the southwest Gwinnett County city of Peachtree Corners. The city will not have police, fire, or garbage services, outsourcing those to Gwinnett County, but would handle zoning, code enforcement and stormwater runoff services, according to officials.
Maps shown online indicate Mulberry would encompass an area from the Hall County line and the Town of Braselton southward to nearly the city limits of Dacula. The city would be located entirely within the borders of Gwinnett County.
The successful adoption of the City of Mulberry Tuesday night will now allow residents in the area to vote for their city council members this November.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/5/1243922/gwinnett-county-residents-vote-to-adopt-city-of-mulberry