A proposal to grant Gwinnett County officials the authority to create tax allocation districts was winning in incomplete results Tuesday night.

If approved, the measure would give county officials the same authority as their counterparts in nine Gwinnett cities, where voters approved similar measures last year.

The proposal generated modest attention, with the Chamber of Commerce and businesses leading support for the proposal on the grounds that it would spur needed redevelopment in the southern part of the county.

Opponents, who did not formally organize, criticized TADs as unnecessary public subsidies for private development.

One such voter, Matthew North of Duluth, called TADs "too much like welfare."

But others said having such a tool was important for the county's future.

"I want to see the county continue to grow," said Andre Bass of Suwanee. "You're either growing or you're falling back, and I'd rather see it grow."

Gwinnett County has no current plans for a specific location for a TAD, but a frequently mentioned site is the OFS fiber optics plant at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85 in Norcross.

A developer has plans to propose an Atlantic Station-style mixed-use project at the 170-acre site but has said tax allocation financing will be necessary to make the project feasible.

TADs are currently weakened by a February Georgia Supreme Court ruling that school taxes can't be used for redevelopment projects. Voters statewide will be asked to overturn that ruling by a constitutional amendment in November.