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Since 2005, citizens have been involved with reviewing plans and expenditures under the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax programs. SPLOST proceeds were shared for the first time between the County and city governments beginning with the 2005 SPLOST program. An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) established two committees - Joint Technical and Citizen Review. Neither has any official authority beyond making recommendations so meetings were not advertised or open to the public. The makeup, meeting schedule, structure, and agendas of both committees are at the discretion of city managers and the County Administrator. The County's Financial Services department coordinates the semi-annual meetings that have been held in April and October. The Joint Technical committee members oversee an external audit that ensures citizens have an independent accounting of SPLOST funds. The Citizen Review committee members get the audit results along with updates on the progress and expenses of all SPLOST-funded projects. The Gwinnett DOT has also involved citizens in reviewing and prioritizing hundreds of road, intersection, and school safety transportation projects.
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