Engage Gwinnett Seeks Citizen Input
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9/3/09 Engage Gwinnett, the Citizens Committee for the Future of
Gwinnett County, is looking for 10 residents willing to spend time over
the next six months listening to lots of information about county
government and demographic and economic trends, sharing ideas and
helping guide the Board of Commissioners actions’ as they make decisions
about service levels and funding sources. An initial meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, will explain the Engage
Gwinnett committee process, gain public input and provide for the public
self-selection of 10 committee representatives. The meeting is 6:30 p.m.
– 8:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
auditorium, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.
Chairman Charles Bannister and the Board of Commissioners have
partnered with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce to launch an initiative
to involve citizens in the County budget decision-making process. They
are asking for 30 stakeholder groups to each appoint a citizen
representative in addition to these 10 self-selected citizen leaders.
Like most local governments around our region and our nation, Gwinnett
must balance declining revenues with desired service levels,” said
Bannister. “We need informed recommendations from people throughout our
community.” “We plan to strategically involve the community in the process of
making informed recommendations about future service levels, funding
needs and revenue resources,” said co-chair Bill McCargo, Director of
Community Relations for Cisco Systems. “Together, we’ll identify what
services the county should provide and at what level. We’ll also look at
growth projections and infrastructure plans to help determine funding
needs and potential revenue sources.” The other co-chair is Mike Levengood, a partner in the McKenna, Long
and Aldridge LLP law firm. “Every citizen in the county has a stake in
the direction and the environment we’re creating for future
generations,” said Levengood. “We’ll be holding several public forums
during this citizen-led initiative to share and gain ideas from the
community at large. This is an opportunity for many people to get
involved before the decisions are made. It is a worthy community project
and Gwinnett citizens deserve our best efforts.” More information is available on the County website, www.gwinnettcounty.com
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