Saturday, April 13, 2013
The school board will meet on April 16 for a vote.
The Gwinnett County Board of Education will soon hold two important meetings. First, the school board leaders will hold a budget work session and tentatively adopt the 2013-2014 budget on April 16. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the band room (Room #4131A) at Meadowcreek High School, located at 4455 Steve Reynolds Boulevard in Norcross. Secondly, the school board will hold the Area 5 meeting. The meeting takes place 7 p.m., April 16, in the theater at Meadowcreek High School. The meeting will be preceded by a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the theater lobby. District 5 is represented by board member Louise Radloff, who will preside at the meeting. Have school news or story idea you want to share, contact Local Editor Joy L. Woodson at…
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
A recap of the June 11, 2012 Meeting, which included passing the 2012-013 budget.
The Lilburn City Council passed its annual budget Monday at its regular monthly meeting. The FY2012-2013 Budget & Capital Improvement Plan includes an operating budget for the General Fund at $6,263,055, SPLOST Fund at $2,061,745, Capital Projects Fund at $78,000, and Confiscated Assets Fund at $50,000. The budget was passed 3-1 with Councilman Thomas Wight voting against, stating that it was "ill-considered" and "wasteful." Councilman Tim Dunn spoke to some of the concerns explaing that SPLOST money cannot be redirected; it is designated funding for specific projects. "We vote on the county referendum, we tax ourselves." Also Monday, Mayor Johnny Crist spoke for a proud Lilburn, a "City of Champions." That destinction was strengthened by…
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
City officials answer questions about the 2013 Budget and Lilburn's DDA, along with the potential and particulars of Big League Dreams
A thoughtful and informed crowd turned out for May's Town Hall Meeting. City officials were on hand to walk those in attendance through the Proposed 2013 Budget and answer questions where possible. Some key points were: During the question and answer period, there were several who were concerned about the exempt properties showing as 18% and asked if there was something that could be done to ensure that this number did not increase in coming years. Mayor Crist explained that there were no guarantees as these types of properties were protected by state and federal laws. When asked about the point of returned revenues from properties bought through the DDA, it was explained that Lilburn has asked the DDA to revitalize the area and has …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The state's largest school system must deal with situations that other organizations do not.
It's not just the declining property tax digest in Gwinnett County that causes budget headaches for the Gwinnett public school system (GCPS). The system has unique funding challenges, including its own positive reputation. For instance: For 2013, GCPS officials had to overcome an $89 million revenue shortfall to balance the budget, and for 2012, it was over $100 million. The schools use a "rolling budget" process to allow for seamless, year-to-year planning. However, Cost, the CFO, said he is not comfortable with estimating a revenue-shortfall figure for FY 2014. However, a continued decline in property tax revenue from the county is still expected, and Cost said that it still might be 2-3 years before the situation bottoms out. In the …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Total figure of $1.7 billion is virtually same as 2012, thanks to E-SPLOST.
Updated 12:57 p.m., March 27 The proposed total budget for the Gwinnett County school system will be virtually unchanged for fiscal year 2013, at $1.73 billion. However, the general fund budget, which is "the crux of day to day business" for the system, will decline by $60.6 million, or 4.8 percent, in the coming year, Chief Financial Officer Rick Cost said Tuesday in Suwanee. Officials had to overcome an $89 million shortfall to balance the budget as required by law, with increased costs ($53 million) and the continued decline in the Gwinnett property tax digest ($36 million) the chief reasons. The E-SPLOST measure approved by voters last November is the reason the overall budget is largely unchanged from FY 2012. However, those monies …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Talk of finding new revenue sources comes with $1.3 billion proposal for FY 2012.
The heavy lifting is done on Gwinnett County's budget for fiscal year 2012. But the charts and graphs already show that it won't get easier anytime soon. During a presentation Tuesday on the county's proposed $1.3 billion budget (operating and capital) for next year, District 1 Commissioner Shirley Lasseter suggested that the county begin looking at new sources of revenue in future years. "That's a great idea," Chairman Charlotte Nash responded. "We need to take the initiative on identifying other revenue sources. I hope that new revenue ideas can get put into this and future budgets." What do you think of the proposed Gwinnett budget? Tell us in the comments. The thing that prompted Lasseter's suggestion was the continued decline in the …
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
GCPL will start a "Buddy Branch" schedule allows patrons access seven days a week.
Starting this week, the Gwinnett County Public Library is pairing up branches as part of their new "Buddy Branch" system. This will allow GCPL to maximize resources and to have branches open seven days a week following recent budget cuts. Here are the "Buddy Branch" pairs: · Buford-Sugar Hill Branch and Suwanee Branch · Hamilton Mill Branch and Dacula Branch · Collins Hill Branch and Lawrenceville Branch · Peachtree Corners Branch and Duluth Branch · Lilburn Branch and Norcross Branch · Five Forks Branch and Mountain Park Branch · Grayson Branch and Elizabeth H. Williams (Snellville) Branch · Centerville Branch and Elizabeth H. Williams (Snellville) Branch Buford-Sugar Hill, …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Government dealing with change and challenges in many areas of the county.
The Gwinnett County budget review sessions are done, and now county leaders will begin the process of finalizing the Fiscal Year 2012 spending plan. Dealing with a $30 million revenue shortfall will be difficult, but the sessions also showed a county that still continues to deal with strong growth and change. Some highlights from the sessions: -- The county's senior population continues to grow. By the year 2020, it will exceed 200,000 people and will be larger than the population of school age children (5-19) for the first time. The county had 91,830 home delivered meals and 59,837 senior center meals in 2011. -- The county's Community Activities department plans a solar blanket pilot project for the Mountain Park pool in 2012. In all, …
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
GCPL's new plans call for 'non-tax' revenue of millions of dollars annually.
Don't be surprised if you soon see one of those illiterate, chicken-loving cows in your local Gwinnett Public Library branch. Advertising in libraries and business marketing initiatives are part of the GCPL's effort to make up funding cuts by reaching out to the private sector. Philip Saxton, chairman of the Gwinnett library system, said Monday he hopes the library can raise at least $4 million annually through private initiatives as it seeks to become less dependent on tax revenue. "We're not the same library we were a year ago," he told Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash and other county government leaders during the final day of budget review sessions. The Gwinnett government is preparing its fiscal year 2012 budget and is …
33.942016
-84.013063
Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville Branch
1001 Lawrenceville Hwy, Lawrenceville, GA
/articles/ads-in-gwinnett-libraries-are-a-possibility
1144744
/locations/5340214
34.016439
-84.002759
Gwinnett County Public Library, Collins Hill Branch
455 Camp Perrin Rd, Lawrenceville, GA
/articles/ads-in-gwinnett-libraries-are-a-possibility
1144800
/locations/5340215
33.89297
-84.055829
Gwinnett County Public Library, Five Forks Branch
2780 Five Forks Trickum Rd, Lawrenceville, GA
/articles/ads-in-gwinnett-libraries-are-a-possibility
1144842
/locations/5340216
Monday, September 12, 2011
Officials planning five-day, 40-hour week sometime in 4Q.
Get ready for your local Gwinnett Public Library branch to be open fewer days and hours this fall. GCPL officials described the changes Monday as part of the budget-review process with county government leaders in Lawrenceville. The plan includes a "non-tax revenue" plan that could raise $4 million annually. GCPL Chairman Philip Saxton said library officials were "shocked" when their funding was reduced 15 percent, to the current level of $16.1 million that is currently in force. With the reductions and increasing dependence on non-government funds, "we hope you will give some back." The most immediate change will be that all branches will be reduced to a five-day, 40-hour week (from the current seven days, 53 hours). Nancy Stanbury-Kellum…
Maggie Lee
9:10 pm on Friday, September 16, 2011
Put a coffee shop in the library, make it like Borders / B&N. Those places draw in tons of people. Let's get people in the building with the books & computers their taxes already bought. more ›