Sound off on Gwinnett’s proposed 2020 budget tonight
Gwinnett leaders have proposed a $1.83 billion county budget for 2020 — and they want to hear from you.
The Board of Commissioners will host a public hearing tonight (Dec. 12) at the Gwinnett Justice and Adminstration Center, located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and give residents a chance to share their thoughts on the proposed budget.
Comments can also be submitted here.
For the third straight year, Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash’s proposed budget includes 4% pay-for-performance raises for employees who get satisfactory marks on their annual reviews.
The proposed budget also includes money to create and fill 166 of the 297 new positions requested by various departments. A continued emphasis on public safety and the justice system means 36 Gwinnett County police positions, 18 firefighter-paramedics, and staffing associated with a new Superior Court judge are among the new positions.
Funding is also included to staff an auxiliary emergency-911 center at the new Bay Creek Police Precinct, which opened this month near Grayson.
Other notable items in the proposed budget include:
- $1 million to address homelessness
- Money for the development of a "Gwinnett entrepreneur center"
- About $14 million to update existing technology and improve cybersecurity
- Funding for the continued development of "Water Tower at Gwinnett," a research, training and business incubator previously referred to as the water innovation center
- Funding for a number of transit-related projects, including a new park-and-ride lot at Ga. 316 and Harbins Road; expansion of the existing Gwinnett Place transit center; and the exploration of a bus rapid transit corridor along I-85
- Funding to extend the Ivy Creek Greenway and to create a new Beaver Ruin Park
- Pay increases for county poll workers
By law, a budget will be adopted by the county commission on Jan. 7, its first meeting of the new year.
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Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
