4 Residents Agree to Serve on 2015 Gwinnett Budget Review Team

From Gwinnett County government

Four Gwinnett residents have volunteered to help Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash on the budget review team setting priorities and making recommendations for the 2015 budget.

The citizen members are Mark Brock, Burt Manning, Roger Willis and Latabia Woodward. Brock, a returning review team veteran, is building maintenance director for Gwinnett County Public Schools. Manning is a retired real estate appraiser and assessment administrator who has worked in six Georgia counties, Willis is a retired district manager from Jackson EMC, and Woodward works as a strategic planning principal for Georgia Power and serves as president of the Gwinnett County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

“This is another way of getting public input to critical local government decisions,” said Nash. “These talented individuals have volunteered to dive into the details supplied by department directors and elected officials, ask thoughtful questions and share their honest opinions.”

Finding ways to provide core services despite declining tax revenue has been a challenge in recent years. County officials expect a tentative recovery and continued conservative budgeting this year.

County departments and agencies present their business plans and financial resource requests to the review team in September each year. The videotaped presentations will be made available to the public on the TVgwinnett government-access cable television channel and on demand at www.gwinnettcounty.com. Presentations begin on Sept. 3 this year.

The Chairman’s 2015 budget proposal will be available to the public and news media prior to a public hearing in December. By Gwinnett County ordinance, the Board of Commissioners must adopt the annual budget during its first meeting in January.