(Lawrenceville, Ga., Feb. 12, 2010) - Gwinnett Commission Chairman Charles Bannister presented his annual State of the County speech to a gathering of community and business leaders on Feb. 10 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth. 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 channel 23 or 25 on cable systems in Gwinnett.

Bannister opened his address with video testimonials from the chief executive officers of the county's newest Fortune 500 companies explaining why they recently moved their headquarters to Gwinnett. Bannister expressed an optimistic view of the county's future and announced a new initiative aimed at furthering cooperation and communication between the county government, cities, school board, business community, and major non-profit organizations.

Bannister listed the quality-of-life amenities that make a community attractive to new investment and proudly pointed out that Gwinnett's are first-rate: education, healthcare, entertainment and sports venues, parks, and libraries. "In the midst of all the trials and tribulations we've been through over the past couple of years - in both the public and private sectors - it's worth taking a moment to pause and realize that we're still doing a lot of things right in Gwinnett County," he said.

He also mentioned the challenges facing county government, including the anticipated significant decrease in the commercial property tax digest, and cited several ways the county is working to meet those challenges. These include possible privatization of some county assets, proposed legislation to implement a Local Option Sales Tax designed to help the county generate operating tax revenues and ease the tax burden on property owners, and the work of the Engage Gwinnett volunteer citizen committee. "We're working harder and smarter to maximize our resources and make the most of a difficult set of circumstances," he said.