Read Nash's State of the County Address

Gwinnett Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Charlotte Nash delivered the State of the County Address. Here it is in it's entirety.

Click here to watch the State of the County. State of the County 2013 -1- 1/16/2013 State of Gwinnett County 2013 by Charlotte J. Nash, Chairman Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners As prepared for delivery on January 16, 2013, to Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and Council for Quality Growth Hello, everyone. Happy 2013 and thank you for being here. As many of you know, I have deep roots in Gwinnett County, and I’m fascinated by its history. I don’t intend to go too far into the past today, but I will say that Gwinnett’s story has been filled with ups and downs and plot twists along the way. The last few chapters were painful at times, and a few characters have been removed. But overall, Gwinnett’s story is a tale of success and a testament…

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Kenneth Stepp

1:25 pm on Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Well said. I really appreciate her leadership.   more ›

County on Solid Ground Despite Economy, Nash Says

In the annual State of the County address, Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash says it's been a strong team effort that has helped move county in a positive direction.

  Some 500 came to hear Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash deliver the State of the County address on Wednesday at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth. Nash, who has been at the helm of the county for about a year after winning the chairman's seat in a special election in March 2011, was quick to point out that it was a team effort that has helped see the county through some of the toughest economic times in recent history. "It takes all of us working as a team to move the county in the right direction," said Nash. The chairman acknowledged the challenges of managing through the affects of the nation's recession. "It's tempting to see nothing but the obvious results of a worldwide economic downturn," said Nash …

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Gwinnett To Pay Cities Over $25 Million in SDS Agreement

Payments are in annual and one-time forms. The new deal also creates Special Service Districts for various functions.

The talk was of compromise Tuesday from both Gwinnett County and various city officials when an agreement was announced to end the Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) dispute that began in 2009. But you probably won't see any of the 16 cities in the agreement turning down any of the money coming their way. An estimated $28 million will be going from Gwinnett funds to the cities over a matter of years as a result of the agreement that was accepted Tuesday. Formal approval also must be granted by Judge David Barrett of Blairsville, who presided over the legal matter and handed down a ruling in September that strongly favored the cities. But Tuesday's deal was crafted with the idea of making the judge's decision easy. The issue was double …

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Seen on the Scene

Gwinnett Mayors, Commissioners Sign Historic SDS Settlement

Mayors from the county met at the Historic Courthouse to sign the documents.

Mayors from the 16 Gwinnett County cities, including newly formed Peachtree Corners, signed an agreement to bring an end to the Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) lawsuit. The mayors and County Commissioners in attendance posed for a photo at the Historic Courthouse after each city and County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash signed the agreement. Lawrenceville Patch will have more on this story.

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Gwinnett Facing $30 Million Budget Shortfall

County begins planning for fiscal year 2012.

Updated Sept. 8, 2011. Gwinnett County had to close a large budget gap in the current fiscal year, and it won't get easier for fiscal year 2012. County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said Tuesday that budget planners are looking at a revenue shortfall of about $30 million as they plan for the next fiscal year. Nash cited the continued decline in the Gwinnett tax digest and uncertain funding from the state as factors for the shortfall. Nash, speaking Tuesday as budget review plans began in Lawrenceville, said that revenue projections are "not hard and fast." Also, planners have to deal with both the operating budget and capital expenditures. "Capital spending is the wild card," Nash said. "It's harder to tie down." This is Nash's first …

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Gwinnett Begins 2012 Budget Process

Tax commissioner's office seeks additional staff for delinquent collections.

Updated Sept. 8, 2011. Gwinnett County began its budget process for the coming fiscal year Tuesday by hearing a request from the tax commissioner's office, the chief bill collector for the government and Gwinnett schools. Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash and Chief Financial Officer Aaron Bovos were among those at the session at the Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville, along with a hand-selected citizen review panel. Steele, whose department collects both property taxes and vehicle license fees, said his department wants an $11.1 million budget for FY 2012. The commissioner wants to add up to four full-time staffers to seek deliquent taxes from businesses. "Business inventory is much easier to walk (without paying …

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Nash and Mayors Talk About Service Delivery Dispute

A new approach is hoped for with a new commission chair.

County Commission Chair Charlotte Nash and representatives of most of the Gwinnett cities met for the first time Wednesday with the subject of the long-standing Service Delivery Strategy dispute on the table. Wednesday’s Gwinnett Municipal Association meeting went into executive session for the talk because the subject is under litigation. “It was a very positive talk,” said Norcross Mayor Bucky Johnson, who has been at the head of negotiations over the dispute, which has left the county and cities unable to renew state contracts since the year began. “There was progress made last night,” Johnson said on Thursday. “Chairman Nash is exhibiting a common sense approach to solving the service delivery conflicts,” said Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris…

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GDOT Releases Updated TSPLOST Projections

Ten-year tax could generate as much as $18.6 billion statewide.

New figures show a proposed transportation sales tax could generate as much as $8.4 billion in the Atlanta metro area over a 10-year period. Statewide, the tax could rake in up to $18.6 billion for transportation projects during the same period, according to estimates released by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Next year, voters will be asked to approve the 1 percent, 10-year sales tax for the purpose of funding transportation projects. Voters in each of Georgia’s 12 regions will be presented with a list of transportation projects for that region. If voters pass the tax, money collected within that region will be used to fund the specified projects. Gwinnett is part of the Atlanta Regional Commission region. Members of the …

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Jimmy Orr

7:26 pm on Monday, June 20, 2011

TSPLOST is on the ropes. If it doesn't gridlock at the roundtable then those of us who are opponents of TSPLOST should resolve to "shorten the ring" and deliver the knockout punch at the ballot box on July 31, 2012.   more ›

Resolution Against Airport Commercialization Fails

District 3 commissioner Mike Beaudreau proposed substitute motion which does not limit commercialization.

Commercial service at Briscoe Field will remain an option for now. Last month, District 4 Commissioner John Heard proposed a resolution to remove commercial service from consideration at the Lawrenceville airport. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted April 19 to table the resolution in order to hold a public hearing for the purpose of gathering citizen input on the matter. Hundreds attended the April 28 meeting at 12Stone Church in which opponents to commercial service far outnumbered those in support. On May 3, before the commission voted on Heard’s resolution, District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau proposed a substitute motion to direct staff to issue a request for proposals (RFPs) for privatization which could include …

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R++ - One of the famous "Dacula Crew"

3:30 pm on Sunday, May 8, 2011

DB, I concur, let’s get the facts ... but that costs money if done correctly and since teachers are furloughed along with EMS staff, I believe those salaries should be restored before we spend ANY tax dollars on additional studies - otherwise our county staff are indirectly and unfairly paying for this “adventure”. So let’s do this in a uniformly conservative method. Please contact the Gwinnett …   more ›