Work Starting On New Gwinnett County Budget

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Work on the big decisions about how Gwinnett County's public money will be spent is under way.

County department directors and agency heads will present their business plans and financial requests for the 2018 budget year starting on Monday, Aug. 28. The presentations will be heard by a budget review team made up of seven Gwinnett residents who were invited by Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash to help set priorities and make recommendations for the county's 2018 budget.

The six residents who served on last year’s budget review team will be joined this year by Alida Sims, a social worker and recent graduate of the Gwinnett 101 Citizens Academy. Sims works as a regional kinship navigator for the Georgia Department of Community Services Division of Family and Children Services and also volunteers with a number of community organizations.

She'll serve alongside Norwood Davis (CFO, 12Stone Church), Kevin Do (realtor, ReMax Grand South), Burt Manning (retired real estate appraiser) and Santiago Marquez (President and CEO, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) as well as Lisa Burleson (retired Gwinnett County Public Schools administrator) and David Cuffie (CEO, Total Vision Consulting LLC), who are fellow Gwinnett 101 alumni.

Nash said that seeking public input in local government decisions leads to a better outcome and that the budget-setting process is no exception.

"I am grateful to these talented individuals for volunteering to serve in this capacity," Nash said. "Each person brings something different to the table, which is valuable as we listen to departmental needs and plans for the future, review revenue projections and prepare the 2018 proposed budget."

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The business plan presentations will be recorded for replay on TV Gwinnett, the county’s government-access cable television channel, and on demand viewing at the channels website.

The chairman’s 2018 budget proposal will be made available to the public on Nov. 28 in conjunction with its formal presentation to the commission, and a public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Dec. 4. By county ordinance, the Board of Commissioners must adopt the annual budget during its first meeting in January.

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