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A solar water heating system has never been more affordable.

First, Walton EMC gives a $400 rebate on PPS solar water heating systems purchased through the co-op. The solar system must utilize electric backup or supplement an electric water heater or totally replace a gas water heater.

Next, the Federal government is offering a 30 percent tax credit for solar water heating. On top of that, Georgia has just implemented a 35 percent tax credit.

By the time you add our rebate and the tax credits, the cost of the system is reduced by almost two-thirds. That means you buy the system for about 38 cents on the dollar.

Typical paybacks shrink to less than five years. After that, it’s like the system makes money.

If you don’t want to put out the investment up front, Walton EMC will even loan the money at prime rate through our Prime PowerLoan program.

Click here to read more on the Walton EMC website…

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By Camie Young
Senior Writer

The Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett officials intend to raise taxes to balance the government budget and put more police officers and firefighters on the street.

Nearly two months after commissioners voted on a temporary spending plan for 2009, officials said they won’t use any of the county’s rainy day fund to balance the permanent budget, to be adopted next week.

But the new proposal is about $10 million more than the interim operating plan, and officials said they are hoping for $65 million in additional revenues to make up the difference.

“I don’t see much way to find that revenue without some adjustment to the millage rate,” County Administrator Jock Connell said.

A total of $40 million in cuts from a county efficiency study, including the elimination of 64 positions, mostly in permitting offices slowed by the downturn of the housing market, helped officials come close to eliminating the use of reserve funds to balance the 2009 spending plan.

But a new revenue projection based on the faltering economy created another $7 million budget gap, even before officials decided to add 58 more police officers and 42 firefighters to the county staff.

“We almost balanced the budget, and then the revenue projections came in,” Deputy County Administrator Mike Comer said. “The costs started going up at that point.”

Comer said the amount of a tax increase could become more clear in June, when officials are expected to have a clearer picture of the county tax digest, which could drop because of a decrease in real estate values.

Officials said they have no plans for furloughs or additional layoffs, although several jobs left vacant because of a hiring freeze have been eliminated. In addition to canceling the annual Gwinnett Glows fireworks display, cuts include reducing subsidies to services such as the Board of Health, children’s shelter, Latin American Association, Partnership Gwinnett and the county library system.

During a public comment session Monday, only one person spoke out concerning the budget proposal. Ellis Lamme of Buford lamented cuts made to the Upper Ocmulgee RC&D Council, which works on dam rehabilitation and flood control.

Tonight, commissioners will consider a 30 percent increase to occupational tax certificate applications, which is expected to bring in $3.5 million.

The proposed budget will be considered March 3.

By PATRICK FOX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, February 23, 2009

Gwinnett County on Monday unveiled its final proposed 2009 budget that calls for $1.6 billion in spending and adding 136 new positions, all in public safety.

Despite additional cuts made to the original budget proposed in December, the county is facing a revenue shortfall of about $62 million, said Jock Connell, county administrator. Without an economic turnaround, he said he didn’t see any way to avoid raising the millage rate on property.

The budget reflects declining revenues in property and sales tax, but maintains an emphasis on public safety and quality of life, Connell said.

Gwinnett County has reduced the millage rate on property almost 4 mills over the past 12 years. While the county’s tax rate on property has fallen 26 percent over that time, the cost for groceries and utilities has climbed by double digits, said Chad Teague, budget and administration director.

Among the budget’s major cost-saving initiatives are:
• Deferring helicopter replacement: $3 million.
• Outsourcing of work: $3.5 million.
• Reducing vehicle replacement charges: $3.9 million.

The county also plans to increase revenue by $6.5 million by raising fees for things such as Red Cross training, business licenses, mail fees for vehicle tags and gas leak emergency response.

In all, the county has eliminated about 120 positions, and a hiring freeze remains in effect until at least July.

“This was an unusual and especially difficult process,” said County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister.

Gwinnett Stadium Impact - An excerpt from a September 5th, 2008 AJC article (link below)

…(Gwinnett) county officials revealed the stadium costs would increase from $40 million to $59 million, and that the county would have to make up the difference.

The commission voted to approve withdrawing the money from the county’s general fund reserve - the rainy-day savings account for the county’s largest operating fund.

The decision won’t have a direct impact on county operations or tax bills, but will reduce the reserve fund by 12.5 percent, leaving a balance of $133 million.

Click here to review the Gwinnett Stadium impact…

So,… residents of Corinth Hills, your Gwinnett representatives are willing to dip (significantly) into the reserve fund to bail out the stadium project but unwilling to do so for you.

Banks are being bailed out, mortgagees are being bailed out, the Gwinnett Braves stadium project is being bailed out. You all pay your bills and are responsible for yourselves,… so what’s in it for you? HIGHER TAXES! Why? So that there is money to use to bail out other irresponsible institutions, political projects and individuals again in the future. Now, don’t you all feel better?

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Caribbean Paradise Restaurant & Lounge has opened in the Stone Mountain Festival shopping center (Wal-Mart) - 1825 Rockbridge Road Suite 10B.

It offers authentic Virgin Island & Caribbean cuisine and specialty homemade drinks. Dine in or take out.

Visit their website at: http://www.caribbeanparadise-ga.com

770.413.0449
caribbeanparadise.ga@gmail.com

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Our Stone Mountain Best Buy - 1450 E Park Place Blvd - has closed. It is advertising that is has moved this operation to a new location in Loganville.

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Liberty Belle - WWII B-17 Bomber

Saturday, February 11, 2009 - Sunday, February 22, 2009
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Angel Flight
2000 Airport Road
Suite 227

PDK Airport
Atlanta, GA 30341
Map this

The Liberty Belle a restored WWII B-17 bomber takes flight over Atlanta to help Angel Flights Mission.

The Liberty Belle, a newly restored World War II B-17 Bomber, will take to the skies over Atlanta on Monday, February 9th for Media flights. Public flights available February 21-22 and flight hours are 10am to 5pm each day at the Dekalb Peachtree (PDK) airport.

Click here to visit the Liberty Belle website…

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By Jamie Ward
Staff Writer
The Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau’s traveling trash committee comes to Stone Mountain on Monday for the fourth of five scheduled public meetings to discuss ideas for a new county solid waste plan.

Because of a December preliminary injunction granted to three waste haulers - Southern Sanitation, Sanitation Solutions and Republic Services - the county is operating under its 2007 plan until a new one can be implemented.

The preliminary injunction, which Gwinnett is appealing, prevented the county from allowing two haulers - Waste Pro and Advanced Disposal - to take over the entire residential trash collection services in Gwinnett County.

After Monday’s session one more meeting will be held at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center with garbage haulers and the public presenting their ideas, said Mack Perry, a member of Beaudreau’s 15-member trash committee. Then the committee will formulate the ideas into recommendations that Perry hopes Beaudreau will present to the entire Board of Commissioners.

“With the efforts put into this by the committee, the Board of Commissioners would be stupid to not at least listen to the recommendations,” Perry said.

With nearly two months having past since the injunction was granted, its 120-day expiration clock is ticking, and the county has yet to release the timeline of how it is planning to proceed with developing a new plan moving forward.

“The timeline is not ready yet,” county spokesman Joe Sorenson said Wednesday. “The staff is working on it and hopes to have something firm in the coming weeks.”

In other trash news, Sorenson said the number of calls coming into the county’s special garbage hotline have begun to recede. In early January the call center was taking in more than 200 calls per day. That number has now dropped to, on average, just over 100. Sorenson said the majority of calls are also becoming more generalized with the most common issues being a household’s status request on receiving a refund from a carrier and the picking up and dropping off of garbage and recycling receptacles.

“We are beginning to receive calls on the range of topics previously ‘owned’ by Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful,” he said. “The call center is also performing follow-up calls to residents who have reported issues since the week of Jan. 15. The majority of residents are responding that their previous issues have been resolved.”

Because of the preliminary injunction the county had to sever its ties with the nonprofit private corporation Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, which the county had delegated to carry out its waste management responsibilities under the now invalid solid waste plan.

Sorenson added that the county is preparing to file its answer denying liability in the Waste Pro lawsuit filed against it in Fulton County Jan. 29. In that suit, Waste Pro states that in preparing to carry out the now defunct solid waste plan, the company “expended in excess of $12 million to acquire trucks, garbage and recycling carts, storage and operational facilities, hardware, software and personnel.” The suit goes on to say that Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful is liable to Waste Pro “in an amount to be proven at trial, but in no event less than $40 million.”

Sorenson said, so far, the county has been billed $26,208 for legal fees incurred on the Southern Sanitation/Sanitation Solutions/Republic case and has yet to be billed for the Fulton suit pertaining to Waste Pro. He also said that Advanced Disposal has not as yet joined in that lawsuit.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. at the Mountain Park Activity Building, 1063 Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain.

• MikeBeaudreau.com

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By Jamie Ward
Staff Writer
The Gwinnett Daily Post

SNELLVILLE - A recall petition seeking to remove two members from the Evermore Community Improvement District’s board of directors has been certified by the tax commissioner’s office. The action sets the stage for a recall election March 25 of board members Ken Shiver and Dean Robinson.

According to Paula Martin, the public information officer for the tax commissioner’s office, the petition was certified Thursday with 24 percent of the property owners supporting the recall effort. At least 20 percent was required.

“Katherine Meyer, Gwinnett County tax Commissioner, returned a certificate of compliance for the sole purpose of determining whether at least 20 percent of the electors of the Evermore CID have submitted recall petitions,” Martin said. “This is the extent of our involvement.”

According to founding board member Dwight Harrison, one of four members who sought the recall, legal advertisements notifying the 480 property owners of the coming election will run in the Daily Post for the next four weeks. Then from 1 until 1:30 p.m., March 25 at Snellville City Hall, the 480 property owners will have the ability to either support the recall of both Robinson and Shiver or to not support the recall of either. Members are allowed to have someone vote in their proxy if they cannot attend.

For the recall of Robinson and Shiver to succeed, a majority of the 480 property owners have to support the initiative, Harrison said.

With the CID’s renewal coming up in April, Harrison seemed confident that regardless of the outcome of the recall election it would be difficult to get rid of the CID.

“To my knowledge a CID has never been dissolved before,” he said.

He said to do so the effort would require 67 percent of the property owners calling for dissolving the CID in a multiple step format.

“It automatically renews itself and it’s a lot harder to get rid of one than it is to form one,” he said.

Chairman of the Board Gary Custar, who supports Robinson and Shiver, declined to comment on the recall election Friday saying he hadn’t read anything about it yet.

Executive Director Brett Harrell did speak, saying he’s been working hard for Evermore the last several weeks. He said that work included securing $500,000 in funding, advancing four projects with the Georgia Department of Transportation and working at the Capitol to advocate for passage of two funding bills.

“Obviously, I’m in an unusual position serving with those board members seeking the recall as they have stated if successful they intend to terminate me,” Harrell said. “I may report to eight, but I represent 480 and I’ll continue doing my job until such time as I no longer have one.”

One Response To “Evermore CID Granted Recall Vote”

1. Admin Says:
   May 20th, 2009 at 7:12 AM

   After months of infighting and with no significant board actions, the battle for control of the Evermore CID appears to be over.

   Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Billy Ray ruled Tuesday that a March recall election for two board members in the Evermore/U.S. Highway 78 CID was conducted legally.

   That decision means recalled board members Ken Shiver and Dean Robinson are out. Both were recalled by large margins at a March 25 election.

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Zoning, rezoning and special use (SUP) actions taken by the Gwinnett County Planning Commission at its meeting Tuesday, February 17th. This is a partial listing edited for our community.

• BRD-09-001 - Approved with conditions: Buffer reduction from 75 to 27.5 feet in C-2 zone for 0.93-acre tract of land. Location is the 5100 block of Stone Mountain Highway. Planning department recommended approval with conditions.
Click here to view and explore a map of this area…

• SUP-09-013 - Approved with conditions: Special-use permit in RA-200 zone for 1,347-square-foot cemetery mausoleum. Location is 3600-3700 block of Stone Mountain Highway. Planning department recommended approval with conditions.
Click here to view and explore a map of this area…

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By Randy Cox
Staff Correspondent
The Gwinnett Daily Post

LILBURN - An estimated 200 people showed up Thursday night (02/19/09) at Parkview High School to voice their opinions, mostly negative, on the city of Lilburn’s future plans for annexation, both residential and commercial.

The setting was a Town Hall Meeting sponsored by State Rep. Clay Cox, who represents District 102, covering parts of Gwinnett County, Mountain Park, Snellville and the entire city limits of Lilburn.

“Part of the problem is we can’t get good information,” one woman from the audience said. “Why do you want us in the city of Lilburn?” Does the city just want to construct a new municipal building with the tax money collected, she asked.

Lilburn Mayor Diana Preston said the plans for the new facility were on the books even before annexation was considered.

“The Police Department is out of space,” she said. “We’re bursting at the seams now. We’re going to go forward (with the construction) whether we annex or not.”

One resident suggested that the annexation amounts to a “jobs program for the city,” while another wanted to know why residents couldn’t vote in a referendum on the annexation. Cox told the audience that commercial owners in the affected area couldn’t vote unless they lived in that area. And, the number of households in that area exceeded the maximum to allow a vote.

At a recent meeting, the Lilburn City Council voted to postpone any residential annexation for at least a year, but decided to go ahead with plans for commercial annexation.

“The city has done an outstanding job in this annexation proposal,” Cox said. “I want to get as much information from people who are affected by this proposal.”

Concerning any residential annexation proposal, the city would have to request Cox to write the legislation as a house bill. Cox said it could be written allowing residents to vote in a referendum. July 2010 is the next primary election in Georgia, the earliest a vote could be made.

Cox outlined why he would entertain annexation. “This is an issue that affects people,” he said. “I believe people moved here for these great schools, and these reasons are still valid. I feel this community is on the fence … the community is going to go one way or the other. We can’t stop looking for solutions.”

Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau also was on hand, but he had a much different opinion from Cox’s.

“We do not stand in favor of this annexation at all,” he said. “This community doesn’t need more government.”

Preston said the city will hold public meetings, gather public input for any expansion plan, and if it looks favorable, the council will ask Cox to go forward with a bill.

“We’re putting a lot of effort, not for our own glory, but we are devoted to the community,” she said.

According to information supplied by the city and presented to the gathering, on average a new city resident with a home valued at $170,000 can expect to pay about $289.68 annually in city taxes (based on 40 percent of fair market value), not including exemptions that would reduce the amount.

City services include police protection, code enforcement, community planning and free residential sanitation.

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A public meeting regarding the planned City of Lilburn annexation will be held at Parkview High School on Thursday, February 19 at 7 PM. Representative Clay Cox will be present.

Address for Parkview High School:
998 Cole Dr SW
Lilburn, GA 30047

The City of Lilburn will host an informational meeting regarding their updated annexation plan, which includes predominately commercial properties, on Thursday, February 26 at 10 AM.

The City of Lilburn is encouraging contact regarding any questions you might have regarding the annexation plan. Their City Manager, Bill Johnsa, is available via email at bjohnsa@cityoflilburn.com and their Director of Planning and Economic Development, Doug Stacks, is available at dstacks@cityoflilburn.com. Both are available via telephone by calling City Hall at 770-921-2210.

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner’s office is reviewing signatures on petitions seeking a recall election for two members of a south Gwinnett business group paralyzed by board infighting for nearly two months.

The effort grows out of the December firing of the Evermore Community Improvement District’s economic development manager and a feeling among some board members that the group has paid too much attention to managing the reconstruction of U.S. 78 and not enough to economic development efforts. Members of the faction seeking the recall election say board members Ken Shiver and Dean Robinson should be replaced to break a 4-4 deadlock on the board over various issues.

Because the group was created by Gwinnett County and levies taxes on its members - commercial property owners along U.S. 78 between Stone Mountain and Snellville - the county tax commissioner’s office must certify that the recall effort has obtained signatures representing at least 20 percent of the group’s membership before the recall election can proceed. Tax commissioner’s spokeswoman Paula Martin said that work should be finished by Feb. 20.

If certified, an election would likely occur in March, recall organizers have said.

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DEVELOPMENT PERMITS ISSUED - The following are development permits issued by the Gwinnett Planning and Development Department on or before February 2. Development permits allow the developer to clear and grade the land, but it does not give the go-ahead for building the structure. This is a partial listing edited for our community.

Where: 2135 W. Park Place Blvd., Stone Mountain
What: Mountain East convenience store/gas station
Click here to view a map of this location¦

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I just found out about this and thought I’d pass it along.

For $6.50 a month, Walton EMC can protect your home’s major appliance motors (like the refrigerator, washer or air conditioner) against damage due to power surges or lightning strikes.

A Walton EMC technician installs a Real Protection large appliance motor protector on your meter. They maintain the unit and replace it if it goes bad.

If lightning gets through the suppressor anyway, your appliance motor will be repaired or replaced.

The whole house surge suppression program is structured as a lease paid via your monthly Walton EMC bill.

Click here for additional information from the Walton EMC website…

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Septic Tank Maintenance Workshop

When: 2/19/2009
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Contact Person: Charlene Njoroge
Contact Person’s Phone Number: 404-463-3259

Gwinnett County Water Resources Department will hold a Septic Tank and Maintenance workshop Wednesday, February 19, 2009 beginning at 7p.m. at the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Building, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30045. Carolyn Simonton from the Gwinnett County Environmental Health Department will discuss how to properly maintain and care for your septic tank in order to reduce water pollution.

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The City of Lilburn announces our intent to annex approximately eight (8) square miles of predominantly residential property for a new total of 14.5 square miles within the City limits. The City has requested that legislation be introduced in the current session of the Georgia General Assembly. The decision to annex stems from requests from residents in the area, the City’s need for consistent boundaries, broadening of the City’s tax base to reduce the need for future tax increases and the City’s desire to protect property values in the community beyond the current City limits.

The legislation for annexation will be introduced to the Georgia General Assembly by the end of February with a public information meeting to be held prior to the introduction. Further details regarding the public information meeting, including the date and location, are to be determined. The effective date of the annexation will be December 1, 2009.

New residents will receive the quality amenities and services that our current residents enjoy. These benefits include: increased police protection, enhanced public services such as Code Enforcement and Public Works, direct access to elected officials and staff, careful community planning and sanitation that is currently provided at no charge to residents.

Mayor Diana Preston states, “We are thrilled to welcome new residents and businesses to our City and we look forward to providing them with the high level of service that our current residents and businesses enjoy. The community of Lilburn has always extended beyond the present City limits, so we are excited to open our doors to the surrounding neighborhoods.”

• http://www.cityoflilburn.com/
• Map of proposed annexation boundaries… (PDF)
• Gwinnett Daily Post article with reader responses…
• AJC article…

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