GwinnettCounty, GA

RESIDENTS INVITED TO COMMENT ON I-85 COMMUTER OPTIONS

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:05:53 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Feb. 1, 2012) - Public information meetings about the I-85 Corridor Alternatives Analysis Study, or the I-85 Transit Study, will be held this month. Residents are invited to learn about the study and to provide comments.

The first meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 6 at the Gwinnett Village CID office located at 5855 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Suite 122, in Norcross and the second will be Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Gwinnett Place Marriott, 1775 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. Both meetings are from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will follow the same format, giving residents the choice of location that's most convenient to them.

"I encourage everyone to be informed and engaged throughout this process," said Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash. "With 467,000 commuters passing through the I-85 corridor daily, it is important that we study ways to help movement in the corridor. Of course, we want to hear the thoughts and opinions of residents and businesses."

Gwinnett County, in collaboration with Gwinnett Place and Gwinnett Village Community Improvement Districts and the Federal Transit Administration, are undertaking the study to analyze I-85 corridor traffic in Gwinnett County. The study will take a look at traffic congestion, economic development and demographic information within the Gwinnett County portion of the I-85 corridor and consider a variety of routes and transit options, such as bus rapid transit, light rail and commuter rail, to improve regional and local mobility and accessibility.

"Mobility is important to Gwinnett's businesses and residents and the economic development of our community," said Chuck Warbington, Gwinnett Village CID Executive Director. "We are excited to partner in a study that will provide solutions for our future."

Gwinnett Place CID Executive Director Joe Allen said the study is an important part of the future success of the greater Gwinnett Place area. The input received will help direct future transit plans in support of other land use and economic development initiatives. "We encourage every resident with a stake in the study corridor to join in one of these meetings and make their opinions known," said Allen.

For more information about the study, please visit www.gwinnettcounty.com.��

HOUSE 107 SPECIAL ELECTION TAKES PLACE FEB. 7

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:32:53 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 26, 2012) – A special election to fill the vacant Georgia House of Representatives District 107 seat, which represents portions of Walton and Gwinnett counties, will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The special election will only take place in 15 precincts in Gwinnett County: 005, 041, 075, 076, 078, 080, 081, 091, 108, 134, 145, 146, 147, 151 and 156. Four of these precincts are split with House District 106, so some voters at precincts 081, 108, 134 and 156 may not be eligible to vote in the election. Voters should visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at www.sos.georgia.gov/MVP/Login.aspx or call the elections office at (678) 226-7210 to find out if they are in House District 107.

Voters may cast an early ballot in person at the Elections Office now through Friday, Feb. 3 at 455 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Elections Office will also be open on Saturday, Jan. 28 for advance voting from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Voters also may request an absentee ballot by mail now through Feb. 3. A completed application must first be received before an absentee ballot is issued; visit www.gwinnettelections.com or call the Elections Office to request an application.

The special election results will be available on the County’s website, www.gwinnettcounty.com, on election night.

PEACHTREE CORNERS VOTERS ISSUED NEW ID CARDS

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:29:55 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 23, 2012) - Registered voters in the City of Peachtree Corners will soon receive new precinct ID cards indicating the polling place where they are eligible to vote. "Georgia law requires that we issue new cards to notify voters when their political districts have changed, so we started sending out the cards last Friday in preparation for the city election on March 6," said Lynn Ledford, Elections Supervisor.

The cards will include the voter's polling location and all political districts for the residential address. Voters can also visit the Georgia Secretary of State's My Voter Page at www.sos.georgia.gov/MVP/Login.aspx. Voters may also view their registration and absentee ballot request status, find early voting locations and a view sample ballot for the upcoming election on the webpage.

The last day to register and be eligible to vote in the special election is Feb. 6. Voters can begin requesting absentee ballots for the election now through March 2 or advance vote in person at the Voter Registration Office, 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200 in Lawrenceville, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Feb. 13 through March 2. Additional advance voting will be offered the week of Feb. 27 at several locations throughout the county. If needed, a runoff for the Peachtree Corners municipal election will take place on April 3. For more information, visit http://www.gwinnettelections.com/.

NEW STATE LAW CHANGES BUSINESS LICENSE PROCESS

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:23:14 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 20, 2012) – Businesses in Gwinnett County will soon receive occupation tax certificate renewal forms in the mail, but before certificates can be renewed, applicants must comply with new state requirements that went into effect on Jan. 1. During the 2011 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act (House Bill 87), that places new requirements on local governments and businesses to ensure they comply with federal and state immigration laws.

The first requirement calls for any person, corporation or LLC seeking a public benefit—such as an occupation tax certificate (business license), alcohol license or contract—to submit a Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) affidavit and present a secure and verifiable document as approved by the state Attorney General. Examples of the approved documents include a driver’s license, passport or legal immigrant documentation.

The second requirement calls for private employers with 500 or more employees seeking an initial or renewal occupation tax certificate to register for and use the E-verify program and sign an E-Verify affidavit. Private employers with fewer than 500 employees are required to sign an affidavit stating that they are not required to register for or use the E-verify program before they can receive an occupation tax certificate.

These new requirements limit the County’s ability to receive renewal applications by mail; therefore, renewal applications will be accepted in person at the License and Revenue Office, located at 446 West Crogan Street, in Lawrenceville from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, or through License and Revenue’s new electronic renewal system, which can be accessed at www.gwinnettlicrev.com.

Planning and Development Acting Director Bryan Lackey said, “This new electronic system is an alternative to making an in-person visit to the License and Revenue Office and will hopefully reduce long wait times that we anticipate due to expected heavy walk-in traffic.”

Businesses will receive the E-verify affidavit, SAVE affidavit and occupation tax renewal form in the mail along with instructions on how to file these documents. For more information, visit www.gwinnettlicrev.com or call (678) 377-4100.

COUNTY’S WASTEWATER SYSTEM EARNS GOLD AWARD

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:23:02 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 20, 2012) – Gwinnett’s wastewater collection system won the Gold Collection System of the Year award from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.

The annual award recognizes outstanding maintenance and operation with minimal overflows. Criteria for the award also include the number of certified operators, job training and pump station inspections.

Acting Director Lynn Smarr said, “I’m so proud of our employees who work in all kinds of weather to keep our system functional 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They respond to complaints and spill reports and do routine maintenance and repairs on our pipes and 240 pump stations to get wastewater to our treatment plants with minimal disruption.”

Board Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “The Water Resources department is certainly deserving of this important award that lets everyone in Georgia know that Gwinnett’s employees are the best. We have an excellent water treatment system and I commend our Water Resources employees for the great job they do each and every day to keep our system working.”

MOST CRIME DROPS IN GWINNETT

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:22:09 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 18, 2012) – Gwinnett’s crime rate in nine major categories dropped in 2011 compared to the previous year, according to figures released Thursday by the Gwinnett County Police Department. The average response time to emergencies in the first six months of 2011 also dropped from almost seven minutes to less than five and a half.

Highlights include 4 percent fewer arson incidents, 20 percent fewer vehicle thefts, 17 percent fewer rapes and 20 percent fewer cases of theft from a motor vehicle. There were also decreases in robberies, residential burglaries and aggravated battery. Aggravated assaults fell almost 9 percent while business burglaries were down about 4 percent. The total number of gang-related incidents fell almost 5 percent.

There were a total of 24 homicides last year, up from 20 in 2010. Of the homicides, 10 were domestic-related, five were drug-related, five involved robbery, three were police-involved shootings and one was an unknown situation. Almost 88 percent of these homicides have been cleared, and investigators have strong leads in several of the still unsolved cases.

Gwinnett Police Chief Charles Walters said, “Of course I’m pleased to report these results, which are in line with trends we’ve seen since 2009. We were fortunate to be able to hire and graduate 54 new officers nearly two years ago that brought our staff to the full authorized level about this time last year.” The department recently hired 28 new police recruits to fill vacant positions, and the new Police Academy class started on Nov. 30.

He pointed out that violent crimes in Gwinnett are down 21 percent in the past two years, compared with a 5 percent drop statewide. Property crime was down 6 percent compared to a statewide drop of just two-tenths of 1 percent.

Walters said he will not fill a total of 25 police positions that are currently vacant in order to cut $1.4 million out of the 2012 budget. He requested no new personnel, no new vehicles and will defer replacing 37 percent of the vehicles that would normally be replaced next year. The department cut another $12,000 in maintenance costs at its headquarters and precinct buildings.

2011 Statistics compared to 2010

Category	Percent Decrease
Entering Vehicle Vehicle Theft Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault Burglary/Residential Aggravated Battery Burglary/Business Arson	19.98% 19.83% 17.47% 12.45% 8.68% 6.94% 4.17% 4.16% 4.00%

Trends 2009 – 2010

Crime Type	Gwinnett	Georgia	U.S.
Violent crime	down 20.8%	down 5%	down 5.5%
Property crime	down 6.4%	down 0.2%	down 2.8%

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GWINNETT TRANSIT FARES INCREASE

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:06:05 EST

(Lawrenceville, Ga., Jan. 13, 2012) – Effective Jan. 30, Gwinnett County Transit will implement the first transit fare increase since August 2008. The cost to operate, maintain and fuel buses has risen over the years, according to Gwinnett Transit Director Phil Boyd, and some of that expense must be passed along to transit customers.

The fare increase accomplishes Gwinnett’s goal that riders pay about a third of the entire cost to provide bus service with federal and state subsidies funding the remainder. By increasing fares, Gwinnett County Transit can avoid making cuts to transit service that would burden customers. Gwinnett County Transit will continue to monitor ridership and make minor service adjustments as necessary to maintain cost-effective operations.

The Gwinnett Transit Advisory Board (GTAB) held a public hearing to discuss the new fare and offered a three-week open comment period in September 2011. After reviewing costs, revenue projections and considering public comments, GTAB recommended the new fare policy to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, which was approved on Nov.�15,�2011.

LASSETER TO HOST JANUARY CONSTITUENT MEETING

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:54:15 EST

WHAT: Gwinnett County Commissioner Shirley Lasseter will host the January Lasseter’s Listening Session, a constituent meet and greet with the residents of Commission District 1.

Gwinnett County’s Commission District 1 covers the western part of the county and includes the cities of Duluth and Suwanee.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

WHERE: Fire Station 7
3343 Bunten Road
Duluth, Ga. 30096

GWINNETT COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION FREE AQUATICS JOB FAIR

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:04:11 EST

WHAT

Interactive Job Fair will give attendees the chance to learn about lifeguarding and instructor opportunities with Gwinnett County Parks & Recreation.

WHEN

Friday, February 3, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

WHERE

Bethesda Park Aquatic Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville 30044, 678-924-6334.

WHY

This job fair is for certified and uncertified lifeguards and swim instructors. The process takes approximately 45 minutes, parents are welcome to attend. Attendees please bring your swim suit.

BEAUDREAU HOLDS JANUARY CONSTITUENT MEETING

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:48:55 EST

WHAT: Gwinnett County District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau will host his monthly constituent meeting.

Gwinnett County’s Commission District 3 covers the eastern part of the county from the Highway 78 corridor north to I-85 and includes the cities of Snellville, Loganville, Grayson, Dacula and Auburn.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon

WHERE: Fire Station 30
1052 Ozora Road
Loganville, Ga. 30052