DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Residents in northern DeKalb County will vote next month on whether or not they want to incorporate and become the city of Brookhaven. As the big decision draws near, many home owners have put up signs in their front yards, advocating for or against cityhood.
"I think people are afraid (cityhood is) going to change things for the worse, I just don't see how that can be the case," said Susan Adams, who lives on Brookshire Lane, off North Druid Hills Road.
The area that would become a city is in northern DeKalb County, east of Peachtree Road, and south of I-285. Representative Mike Jacobs, who lives in the area, authored the bill last year that allowed for residents to decide the issue with their votes.
Jacobs made his case with CBS Atlanta News during an interview in January.
"Cityhood will deliver a more responsive local government, and it's a local government that will live within its means," said Jacobs, a Republican. "It is the antithesis of the DeKalb County Government."
Many of constituents, including a group called Ashford Neighbors, strongly disagree, and are devoted to defeating the vote. Tracy Steele doesn't belong to Ashford Neighbors, but agrees with their message that there is no need for an extra layer of government.
"We just don't feel like we can take the chance," Steele said. "If we vote in a new city, what's going to happen five years from now, what's our tax structure going to look like?"
Residents will cast their votes on July 31.
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