Fireworks in Snellville (Not the Political Kind)
By Jerry | July 1, 2008
Come out and join First Baptist Church Snellville, Snellville United Methodist Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church for a day of FREE fun! There will be great inflatable rides for you and your family, face painting, cotton candy, car show and great live music at both Snellville UMC and Snellville First Baptist!
This event is free for you and your family!
There will be free food and drinks so leave the picnic basket at home! A great fireworks show will wrap up the evening!
My family and I will set up shop on Snellville’s NEW Front Lawn right in front of City Hall, stop by and say hello!
Topics: Events | No Comments »
County Chairman Candidates propose new tax initiatives, Citizens Beware!
By Jerry | June 27, 2008
It’s campaign season again in Gwinnett, and with the county commission primaries just a few weeks away, our mailboxes have begun to fill up with catchy fliers and flashy promises. It seems that tax reform in Gwinnett is a hot issue in this year’s election and Snellville Mayor Pro Tem Warren Auld is supporting Lorraine Green and her proposal for a Homestead Option Sales Tax.
All 14 Mayor’s in Gwinnett County are adamantly OPPOSED to this bad piece of tax reform! The following is a press release issued by Mayor Lois Salter of Berkeley Lake with the full support of every Mayor in Gwinnett.
NEWS RELEASE
June 27, 2008
Gwinnett Cities Support Careful Consideration of County-wide Tax Relief
The current election season has seen the candidates for Gwinnett County Chairman pitching an alphabet soup of new sales taxes, namely LOST and HOST. The elected leaders of Gwinnett’s cities support tax relief for all county property owners, businesses included, not just residential property owners.
“HOST [Homestead Option Sales Tax] would inflict great damage on Gwinnett County for years to come,” remarked Gwinnett Municipal Association (GwMA) Chair Lois Salter, mayor of Berkeley Lake. “Before making such major changes that will affect us all for a very long time, the responsible thing to do is to study what’s happened elsewhere. Only two counties, DeKalb and Rockdale, have implemented HOST, and in both instances, the HOST has failed to deliver on its hype. Neither county is now able to fully relieve homeowners of county operating taxes as once promised. Both counties have had to reinstitute homeowner property taxes to fund their shortfalls. Meanwhile, commercial property owners are taxed at even higher rates.”
“HOST is a failed tax policy experiment,” said Salter. “We hope Gwinnett County leaders will recognize in this economy, with gas prices topping $4 per gallon, that freezing out businesses that employ people close to home is bad public policy. We need to embrace businesses and good jobs, not create a hostile climate for them.”
Both DeKalb and Rockdale saw a wave of residential development as HOST was implemented. This accelerated a shift in their tax bases toward residential, compounding the tax impact on businesses. New families attracted in this way also increased the burdens on public schools. Additional infrastructure and services are required to serve new residents, but without the revenue necessary to fund this growth, the quality of life is lowered for all.
“We, as leaders of Gwinnett’s cities, are committed to ensure the long-term economic health for all County stakeholders,” emphasized Salter. “HOST simply shifts taxes around and encourages development that doesn’t pay for itself. That would be extremely harmful and would earn Gwinnett a reputation for being anti-business. None of us should be for that.”
Topics: Thoughts | No Comments »
What’s going on in Snellville? Nothing.
By Jerry | June 18, 2008
As Mayor, people are always asking me what new and exciting projects we have in the works to make the city a better, more vibrant place to live and play. I can answer that we’re working toward a new building a new public safety building and that we are getting ready to renovate Briscoe Park.
But when compared to other cities in Gwinnett, Snellville just can’t compete. It’s unfortunate that the AJC and Gwinnett Daily Post continue to publish articles about Norcross, Lilburn, Duluth, and Suwanee’s efforts to re-invent themselves, while all anyone ever hears about Snellville is council in-fighting and lack of progress. - Click here to read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Thoughts, Newspaper Articles | 1 Comment »
Its Official! We Have a City Manager!
By Jerry | June 11, 2008
Treadway hired as Snellville city manager
By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/11/08
Snellville’s often-divided mayor and council came together Wednesday in a unanimous vote confirming an East Tennessee man as the new city manager.
After a four-month long and sweeping national search, Russell G. Treadway, of Elizabethton, Tenn., became the city’s leader Wednesday during a specially-called meeting at City Hall. - Click here to read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Newspaper Articles | 1 Comment »
A New City Manager has been Nominated!
By Jerry | June 11, 2008
Snellville selects a new city manager
By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/11/08
After a monthslong national search, Snellville officials have selected a new city manager — Russell G. Treadway of Elizabethton, Tenn., Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer confirmed Tuesday. - Click here to read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Miscellany | No Comments »
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