(Lawrenceville, Ga., May 20, 2011) - Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash presented the annual State of the County speech to a gathering of community and business leaders on May 18 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth. The annual luncheon is hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Quality Growth. A video recording of the speech is available on both the County's website and on its cable TV channel.

At www.gwinnettcounty.com, computer users can view the entire speech on demand at any time. It will also be shown frequently on television over the County's government-access channel, TVgwinnett, which is available on cable systems in Gwinnett.

Nash opened her address with video testimonials and profiles of behind-the-scenes employees who provide services to the residents of Gwinnett. She expressed appreciation for what they do and stated that because of their efforts, residents and the business community can be confident in the state of the county. "[County employees] have dealt with layoffs, mandatory retirements, growing workloads, increased benefits costs, and unpaid holidays... Despite the ups and downs of the past few years, County employees have continued to ensure services are delivered to our community," she said.

In addition to proudly pointing out that Gwinnett's education, healthcare, parks and libraries are all first-rate, Nash announced that she would expand the citizens' budget review team and poll residents on their service priorities to get an accurate view of the public's opinion about the value of different services. She also mentioned issues facing county government, including the anticipated significant decrease in the value of the property tax digest, and cited ways the county is working to meet those future challenges.

Nash said, "We have our challenges, but we are not going to sit and wring our hands. We are going to move forward and meet them head on. We are Gwinnett County, and that means that we have the resources, the talent and the community support to succeed."