Brookline wants out of Norfolk County

BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) -- The Boston suburb of Brookline wants out of Norfolk County.

Brookline Town Meeting members voted 115-81 Tuesday to authorize selectmen to file a petition with the state asking that Brookline be allowed to secede from the county on July 1, 2013.

Supporters say the town pays too much in taxes to the county and gets little in return. Under the proposal, the town would remain within the Norfolk registry district, as well as the court and penal systems.

Critics tell The Boston Globe secession could alienate other Norfolk County communities and lead to the closure of Brookline District Court.

The move is not unprecedented. Dorchester, Hyde Park, Roxbury and West Roxbury left Norfolk County to join Boston, which is in Suffolk County, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.