People preach each election cycle that every vote counts, and a result in one metro Atlanta city shows exactly why that’s the case.
Two voters in south DeKalb County rebuked Lithonia’s effort to annex 300 acres into the city, stopping the entire effort and thwarting what was supposed to be a three-step plan to vastly grow the city’s size and population.
According to DeKalb’s unofficial vote count, 14 people chose to vote no on a referendum Tuesday, outnumbering the 11 people who voted yes. If only two “no” voters changed their vote, nearly 500 south DeKalb residents would now live in Lithonia — paying city taxes, receiving city services and voting in city elections.
Lithonia Mayor Shameka Reynolds told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday the low turnout was disheartening.
“People didn’t come out to vote ... it bothers me,” she said. “(Wednesday) was a depressing day for me because I knew we could have done it and continued with the growth of the City of Lithonia.”
Lithonia, chartered in 1846, found itself mostly surrounded by Stonecrest when the much larger city incorporated four years ago. Last year, Lithonia conducted an annexation study to reviews its remaining options for expansion after city leaders including Reynolds concluded the city’s small size of less than 600 acres and 2,800 residents made development and attracting businesses a challenge.
The study led to a three-phase plan, the first of which was just rejected by a handful of voters on Tuesday. The annexation would have expanded the city limits to Turner Hill Road, Rock Chapel Road, Klondike Road and closer to I-20, while also adding approximately 480 residents. Those would-be new residents were the only people able to vote on the annexation referendum.
The other two phases would extend the city limits east of Turner Hill Road, absorbing swaths of mostly undeveloped and industrially-zoned land. About 750 people live in these areas.
Credit: City of Lithonia
Credit: City of Lithonia
Reynolds said the city won’t stop its efforts to grow due to Tuesday’s defeat.
“We didn’t get enough votes, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. Not to the City of Lithonia,” she said. “We will try it again.”
She said city leaders will pursue another referendum within the next few years, adding that they’ll have to do a better job of campaigning for people in the proposed annexation area to cast their votes.
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