Gwinnett Commissioners Eye New SPLOST

The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners conducted a town hall meeting at the George Pierce Park Community Center in Suwanee on April 30 to offer citizens a chance to discuss issues and to become better acquainted with the new board.

Jace Brooks, a former Suwanee City Council member, hosted the event.

"It's great to see some friendly faces here," he said before the meeting kicked off, "and some folks who I've known for quite a while."

Brooks is new to the board. He replaced former District 1 Commissioner Shirley Lasseter in late 2012. Other commissioners include Tommy Hunter (District 3), Chairman Charlotte Nash, Lynette Howard (District 2) and John Heard (District 4). Brooks also represents Duluth on the commission.

The following questions and comments were brought before the Board of Commissioners by Gwinnett County residents and Suwanee Patch.

Has the board discussed arming firefighters following the SWAT standoff and hostage situation earlier this month?

The board has not discussed it, but will respect the opinions of the Gwinnett County Emergency Services. There has been no specific report related to it from the firefighters, and Nash said she does not want to make a decision based off of one instance, but, they want to make sure emergency services are taken care of. 

What's going on with SPLOST?

It's a little bit early in the process to make a decision, but there will be a formal meeting in early June to determine whether it will be renewed. There will be an official call for a referendum by the end of July. 

Is it right that a person should have a lien put on their property and possibly lose their home over nonpayment of a garbage bill?

That's the state law, according to Chairman Charlotte Nash. The concerned resident mentioned property rights and blamed the former administration for putting unnecessary fees on property tax bills. Nash said a lien can be put on a home for nonpayment of garbage bills whether it's on the property tax bill or not. Also, as the discussion turned to whether it's right that the county covers trash rather than having it be a privatized operation, they said that Gwinnett County currently has contracts with five garbage companies, so whether they want to "un-do" that deal or not, they can't until the contract is up in 2018.

Turning back to the subject of losing your home over nonpayment of debt, Hunter's response was a little different. He said they can put the garbage fees on the water bill instead of the tax bill, it's just a matter of getting it done. 

"The government wants to use the fear that if you don't pay something that's on your tax bill you're going to lose your house," he said. 

Budget cuts have affected Parks and Recreation. Would it be possible to extend hours, including Sundays, for the George Pierce Park Community Center by enlisting volunteers?

Nash said they are very fortunate with the number of people who are willing to volunteer. In order for the center to be open, there would have to be at least one staff person for liability reasons. 

A number of questions revolved around cuts to the budget and reducing operating hours at community centers and libraries. 

Don't you think Starship, an adult novelty store, would be better located in a place that doesn't serve as the gateway to Suwanee?

Brooks said the city would agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly, but they have to respect property rights. 

With property values dropping by 50 percent in some areas, could homeowners get their properties reassessed in order to pay less taxes? And why is there such a big delay in being able to do so?

Thousands of people have filed appeals, hence the delays. If you have any doubt about your property taxes, contact the Gwinnett County tax assessor. 

A long discussion took place concerning apartment complexes being built in Suwanee. According to one Suwanee resident, apartment complexes throughout the county affect the school budget. He claimed that these facilities are tax-negative because they bring more children to schools while bringing in less tax money to the school system to pay for those children (as opposed to single-family homes).

No solution was provided, but the board is forming a schools task force made up of interested citizens. 

Why is the county giving money to Partnership Gwinnett? Is there any accountability?

For 2013, according to Nash, it is required that there be a detailed record of where the money goes. They can't go back and change the past, according to Nash, but going into the future everything will be highly transparent and accessible to the public. As of April 30, no money has been given to Partnership Gwinnett in 2013, she said.

~ Suwanee Patch