A bill to raise the salary of the chairperson of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners by more than $100,000 is awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature after winning unanimous approval in both houses of the Legislature — but the raise can’t take effect until another 20-year-old law is repealed.
House Bill 777 would tie the Gwinnett commission chair’s pay to that of the county sheriff, including supplements and raises awarded by the county and state. That would have brought Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson’s pay from about $91,000 to $193,000 if it had taken effect this year, according to county figures.
But there’s no chance of such a raise this year due to a 2002 law that prevents the Legislature from changing commissioner salaries in any county with a population higher than 800,000. The law only applied to Fulton County when it passed, but Gwinnett’s population growth now places it under the same restriction.
State Sen. Clint Dixon, R-Buford, introduced a bill to repeal that law, but it never got a vote on the Senate floor.
The Gwinnett commission chair’s pay has been a recurring issue since 2020, when Charlotte Nash stepped down. Nash, a retired County Administrator, declined to accept raises in the nine years she served as chair because she was receiving a county pension.
That leaves Hendrickson underpaid compared to many of her counterparts in Georgia’s largest counties. Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid makes about $154,000 this year and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond makes about $179,000, according to spokespeople for those counties, which are both smaller than Gwinnett.
State Rep. Dewey McClain, D-Lawrenceville, chairman of the Gwinnett delegation in the state House, said he introduced HB 777 because he is concerned qualified people will not run for commission chair on such a low salary, though he praised Hendrickson.
The state House two years ago killed a similar bill. McClain said colleagues told him more time was needed to study the issue.
State Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn, said she thought Republicans who controlled the Legislature were reeling in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 election, which flipped the commission from Republican control to a board composed entirely of Democrats of color. Hendrickson is Gwinnett’s first Black commission chairperson.
“Politics really did get in the way the first time,” Clark said. “I’m glad that we’ve had some changes of heart.”
McClain thanked Dixon and House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Dacula, for standing with the rest of the delegation.
“It’s kind of what I’ve always dreamed of, that we put all of our politics aside and things aside, and let’s do what’s right for Gwinnettians,” McClain said.
If Kemp signs the bill and the Legislature next year repeals the population-based restriction, Hendrickson’s raise would take effect in July 2024. If not, legislators would have to start from scratch.
Dixon said he didn’t know whether Senate leadership had a problem with his bill to repeal the earlier restriction or whether it was just a low priority because it didn’t concern many of his colleagues.
“I thought it was the right thing to do, to have a competitive salary for our chairperson,” Dixon said. “I think she’s doing a great job, so she should get paid what she deserves.”
McClain said Hendrickson did not ask for the raise. A county spokesperson said Hendrickson was not available for comment.
The county commission can raise the chairperson’s salary without the Legislature’s involvement, but such a raise could not take effect until January 2025, when a new term begins.
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