The Georgia General Assembly approved the proposed cities of LaVista Hills and Tucker today after a House and Senate negotiators struck a compromise on their borders.
A conference committee voted 5-1 to split a disputed area southeast of Spaghetti Junction between the two cityhood movements: Tucker gets a Wal-Mart, QuikTrip and 500 residents, and LaVista Hills brings 1,500 residents within its borders.
The House approved LaVista Hills 112-52 and Tucker 131-33; the Senate passed LaVista Hills 36-8 and Tucker 43-4.
If Gov. Nathan Deal signs the legislation, residents in the areas will vote on incorporation referendums in November.
Senators and representatives were previously at odds over the land near Livsey Elementary. The Senate wanted the area moved into LaVista Hills' borders, while the House sought to honor its agreed-upon borders with Tucker.
The map revised today also removed the Medlock and Mason Mills neighborhoods from LaVista Hills after residents said they wanted to consider the possibility of being annexed into Atlanta in the future.
“This is the best we could get right now,” said Rep. Buzz Brockway, R-Lawrenceville, who reluctantly supported the agreement.
Sen Fran Millar, R-Atlanta, said he was grateful lawmakers were able to find a resolution.
“It’s about self-determination and replacement of services that should cost less and be more effective under a city government,” Millar said.
LaVista Hills, under House Bill 520, would include 67,446 people, stretching from an area outside Emory University to the eastern perimeter of I-285.
A city of Tucker, under House Bill 515, would be home to 33,301 residents and extend eastward from the perimeter, with some land inside the highway.
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