Tax Millage Rate Hearing Tuesday, 5/25/2009

I went to the information forum and public hearing on the proposed property tax millage rate increases yesterday. If you haven't heard, Gwinnett Board of Commissioners plan to raise your property tax rate by 25 to 30% depending on where you live.

Many people were in attendance, not at the publicized auditorium, at the hallway in GJAC. There were several hundred for the public hearing, but only about 15 got to speak in the uncomfortable atmosphere. All but one of the speakers were opposed to the millage increase, and it appeared that the vast majority of those in attendance were opposed.

Where to now? There is an additional forum and public hearing on June 2 at 9:30AM and 10:30AM respectively. After these meetings are concluded, I expect the Commissioners to vote (4-1) in favor of increasing your taxes by 30%. That means if your county portion (not the school board or city taxes) of your last bill was $1000 it will be $1300 on the next billing cycle. Of course that assumes no change in your property assessment values.

It is inequitable for the Commissioners to charge city residents a higher tax rate than unincorporated taxpayers. In fact it is unconstitutional. Make your voices heard, and vote your convictions at the next county election.

Gwinnett Tax Plan

Wow, a 30% increase in property tax for county taxpayers who live in Cities and a 25% tax increase for unincorporated tax payers! Asking an already understaffed PD to accept the task of providing patrol and other services to Cities that provide their own police forces makes no sense. This is worse than the stadium scandal or the trash debacle.

Are you listening? Or are you going to roll over and accept this without a blink?

There are opportunities for you to have input into this decision which will be made on June 2, 2009. All these meetings are at GJAC on Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.

May 26, 2009--3:30PM Information Forum, 4:30PM Public Hearing
May 26, 2009--5:30PM Information Forum, 6:15PM Public Hearing
June 2, 2009--9:30AM Information Forum, 10:30AM Public Hearing

The millage rate(s) will be set following the final public hearing.

Please contact your Commissioners to express your opinions.

Charles.Bannister@gwinnettcounty.com
Shirley.Lasseter@gwinnettcounty.com
Bert.Nasuti@gwinnettcounty.com
Mike.Beaudreau@gwinnettcounty.com
Kevin.Kenerly@gwinnettcounty.com

Rezoning discussion

There have been questions raised about the City's web site. Questions have been asked about how people who don't live inside the city limits can participate in the cost of keeping the web site up and running.

It is obvious that in the last rezoning discussions on the site that most of the posters are opponents of rezoning and that those who are honest enough to provide an address live out side the city limits.

How do you propose to participate in the costs of running and maintaining the site?