Gwinnett Standard

The Gwinnett Standard is an expectation of excellence in service, stewardship, and integrity in everything we do. It is a connecting thread that runs throughout County government and is reflected in the excellence of our schools, libraries, businesses, community organizations, and residents. 

Read more about our most recent accomplishments below and find an archive of achievements by our award-winning government in the left navigation.

Read about accomplishments from our various departments below.

Economic Development

• Signed a contract with Georgia Gwinnett College for management of the Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center
• Helped facilitate 17 webinars on federal small business COVID support programs with SBDC, SCORE, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, and the Gwinnett Chamber. Gwinnett was applauded by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the right model and they worked to emulate the Gwinnett webinars elsewhere
• Partnered with the Development Authority for an independently led, nearly 2,000-acre knowledge community, Rowen, which will include a combination of offices, research facilities, public spaces and residences, along State Highway 316 just east of Dacula.
• Launched Coffee and Conversation: The Virtual Edition to accommodate business and industry as a result of changes in business imposed by COVID-19. The Office of Economic Development hosted over 500 businesses through virtual platforms featuring County officials, partners, and allies providing valuable insight, information and resources.
• Represented Gwinnett County Government on the Gwinnett CARES Workforce Development Committee. Gwinnett CARES is a non-profit providing COVID relief and recovery to Gwinnett companies and families.

Community Outreach

• Graduated 26 participants from the Gwinnett 101 Citizens Academy and 21 participants from the Gwinnett Youth Commission in 2020. The Gwinnett 101 Alumni Association has grown to 300 members
• Coordinated community multicultural cultural outreach events including participation in the annual Black History Month, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, and numerous other workshops, conferences, expos, and events
• Participated in more than 50 events, festivals, and programs in 2020 that directly impacted more than 6,000 residents.
• Through work done by the Community Outreach Program and Economic Development, Gwinnett was the recipient of the 2020 Georgia Hispanic Construction Association Business Scope Award in the government category; this award “recognizes companies and individuals who make a difference in our industry and community and celebrates the gift of diversity”

Internal Audit

• Completed four advisory and seven audit engagements within the restricted COVID environment
• Completed four advisory and seven audit engagements within the restricted COVID environment
• Published and distributed seven audit reports to Audit Committee members, senior management, and control owners

Communications

• Continued to expand Gwinnett County’s social media by establishing a presence on LinkedIn and assisting Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation in launching Facebook and Instagram pages
• Made significant progress on highly visible branding assets (Police, Fire, and Corrections fleet and new Park signage) and published a newly updated Brand and Usage Guide
• Established a content management platform, Canto, with branded imagery and templates for departments to use
• Supported COVID-19 communications efforts by establishing an employee publication, launching a countywide educational campaign, and designing consistent COVID-19 branded signage for County facilities
• Supported 2020 Census promotion with communications including radio campaigns, digital advertising, messaging across County media channels, and more resulting in a 71.6 percent census self-response rate among residents compared to 62.9 percent statewide. Gwinnett attained the ninth highest self-response rate in the state among counties

• Served 233,400 meals to 2,160 clients throughout senior center closures
• Installed 74 automatic door openers for interior restroom doors, 730 sensor flush valves, 570 sensor faucets, 12 wave sensor door openers, 82 water bottle fillers, 19 TV display monitors, and 320 automatic hand dryers

• Served 388,015 meals through Summer Food Service Program at 33 park and library sites; 3,017 volunteers assisted with that effort
• Supplied/transported 1,868,011 pounds of food for community partners

• Offered 85 mobile food distributions and pop-up grocery stores in partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Goodr; distributing more than 450,000 pounds of food serving 11,973 households as well as 840 snack packs to Gwinnett County Public School’s Play 2 Learn students
• Hosted three GA Grown to Go drive through farmer’s markets in partnership with UGA Extension Gwinnett, and Georgia Department of Agriculture; purchase of 40,241 boxes of GA Grown produce, distributed by 108 community partners impacting 140,485 residents

• Recorded 21 educational and informational videos, yielding 13,713 views
• Offered eight virtual field study programs to 676 students who were distance learning
• Filmed seven videos for 4-H Farm Friends; hands-on activities kits were distributed to children at 28 schools and daycare programs
• Streamed the first Virtual Lighting of the Tree event on Thanksgiving night
• Offered an array of virtual experiences, including senior fitness, walk the talk, septic tank maintenance, 4-H judging, Master Gardener training, Heart Health, nutrition programs, healthy recipes and a host of others
• Gwinnett Trails is currently under construction of the Ivy Creek Greenway Trailhead at George Pierce Park, the Lloyd N. Harris Greenway Trail – Phase 2, and the Tribble Mill Park Chandler Road Entrance and Trailhead

 
Animal Welfare and Enforcement

• Dedicated the Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center in honor of the Gwinnett trailblazer
• Awarded the Petco Foundation Grant to implement Pets for Life programming to provide free/low-cost veterinary services. The new mobile veterinary trailers were used to host three free/low-cost vaccination clinics and veterinary services in partnership with Animal Alliance of Georgia serving 387 pets throughout Gwinnett County. Several onsite vaccine clinics were also hosted with the Society of Humane Friends to provide these services to 245 pets.
• Provided pet food to more than 25 nonprofit organizations for distribution to Gwinnett pet owners in need

Health & Human Services

• Received $835,547 in additional funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission (Family First Recovery Act and Cares Act) to positively impact food insecurity, housing uncertainty, and transportation needs of current clients and other seniors with emergency needs
• Partnered with Gwinnett Police and Fire and Emergency Services to distribute 180 shelf-stable meals for seniors in emergency need
• Served 1,803 Seniors in emergency need during the pandemic
• Distributed 33,440 shelf-stables meals

Live Healthy Gwinnett

• Hosted 26 blood drives, serving 815 blood donors, with 2,313 potential lives saved
• Accepted a donation of a high tunnel, greenhouse structure at the Lenora Park Community Garden

• Placed 1,354.7460 acres of park land into Conservation Easement, bringing the total up to 5,052.7656 acres

• Completed and opened the historic mill interpretive exhibits at Freeman’s Mill Park
• Opened a new interactive fountain, a natural surface soccer pitch, and trails at Graves Park
• Converted 219,359 square feet of grass was converted to synthetic turf at Shorty Howell and Dacula Park multipurpose fields
• Implemented online lane and swim time reservations in order to safely open aquatic centers

• Restored nearly 2 acres of pollinator habitat
• Hosted Swing into Science learning opportunity at playgrounds, reaching over 1300 residents
• Conducted a Comprehensive Parks Masterplan resulting in 29,000 social media responses, 4,000 project website views, 27 outreach and public meetings conducted in four languages, and more than 1,700 statistically valid survey participants

 
UGA Extension Gwinnett

• UGA Extension Gwinnett initiated 32 garden projects at Gwinnett County schools

• UGA Extension Gwinnett Master Gardener Extension Volunteers served 9,712 hours
• Master Gardener Extension Volunteers harvested and donated 1,014 pounds of produce from the demonstration vegetable garden at McDaniel Farm Park

 
Voter Registrations and Elections

• Hosted the grand opening of the Board of Voter Registrations and Elections Beauty P. Baldwin Building
• Introduced 23 secure ballot drop boxes throughout the county at park and library locations and received 163,038 total ballots during 2020 elections
• Received more than 6000 pieces of new election equipment allow voters to make selections on an electronic ballot marking device, print the ballot to review for accuracy, and scan the ballot in order to cast it. The new equipment necessitated the need for a 15,000 square foot warehouse.
• Conducted the first ever, statewide audit after the General Election. Because the difference in the Presidential Race was so small, it resulted in a full hand count of all ballots; this was the largest hand count ever conducted in the nation.

• With the assistance of the Department of Support Services, major cyclical and planned maintenance were completed including replacement of kitchen floor; replacement of commercial dryers; replacement of security gate operators; replacement of intercom system; replacement of bullet proof glasses; and repairing piping on boilers
• Completed the third graduating class for the welding vocational program funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Services Grant as part of the reentry program

• Achieved Triple-AAA Bond Rating
• Earned Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award
• Earned Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting
• Received Excellence in Procurement Award
• $225.2 million in grant funding was awarded to the County
• $171 million in grant funds were expended from a total of 151 active grants; as a point of reference, we had $36.9 million in grant expenditures in 2019
• Completed multiple debt issuances, maintaining a triple-AAA credit rating
• Coordinated the development of multiple reports and enhancements to improve internal controls
• Allocated $28,940,000 in CARES Act funds to 145 nonprofit and faith-based partners providing critical services to those impacted by COVID-19
• The County’s Small Business Assistance Program awarded 1,756 small businesses with $25,597,600 in financial assistance from CARES Act funding
• Supported multiple cross-departmental projects including the implementation of GovQA software with Law, and the transition of SAP support to a third party with the Department of Information Technology Services
• Launched the ERP Digital Transformation project completing a feasibility study and issuing an RFP for a new ERP system

• Earned American Heart Association 2020 Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Level Recognition Award
• Fire Education section completed 382 home surveys
• Responded to 84,572 incidents
• Transported 37,590 patients
• Saved 54 lives after experiencing a cardiac emergency in 2020; 362 personnel were recognized for their efforts and this was documented through the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival program
• Offered 3,032 community training opportunities reaching 73,939 people.
• Completed 20,151 Fire Inspections
• Distributed and installed 2,491 smoke alarms
• Responded to major incidents that impacted/disrupted normal County infrastructure, including a gasoline tanker fire on February 1, 2020, and CSX train derailment on October 11, 2020
• Issued 93 media news releases
• Posted 365 safety messages/PSAs on social media
• Completed the conversion of old Fire Station 18 to lab space for Fire Training
• Received one new aerial truck to replace an older unit; two new pumpers to replace older units; one response-rated pickup truck to replace an older unit; 41 cardiac monitor/defibrillators to replace older units; 14 thermal imaging cameras to replace older units; four remounted med units to replace older units; two hybrid staff cars to replace older units; three new response-rated hybrid vehicles for approved quality improvement officer positions; nine power stretchers with XPS technology for aid with bariatric patients to replace older units; nine load systems to replace older units
• Replaced the analog camera system and cameras at Fire Training with updated technology and cameras; the mobile data terminals in all response vehicles; fire station alerting systems at Fire Stations 10, 12, 17, 24, 25, and 27; the electronic pre-hospital reporting computers in all response vehicles; two generators at Fire Station 20 and Fire Facilities; and asphalt with concrete and extended concrete pad in front of Fire Station 22
• Purchased 535 new self-contained breathing bottles to replace expiring self-contained breathing apparatus bottles
• Fire Education and volunteers installed 452 smoke alarms and 245 carbon monoxide alarms
• Fire Education completed 154 child passenger car seat installations and checks
• Fire Investigations maintained annual compliance with Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police
• Fire Investigator completed the Basic Law Enforcement Training course
• Fire Investigators had 10 adult arson arrests and 12 juvenile arson arrests
• Fire Investigators referred seven juveniles to the departments Juvenile Fire Setter Program
• Volunteers participated in over 1,764 volunteer hours
• Added 174 sworn personnel, including personnel in three Firefighter Paramedic Trainee Recruit classes, 16 non-sworn personnel, and six trained paramedics
• Attended 12 recruiting events
• Worked with Gwinnett County Human Resources Department to implement specialty team and education incentives for sworn personnel
• Offered 31 competitive promotions
• Hosted 3 graduations
• Hosted 76 career classes
• Awarded 470 certifications

• Celebrated its 40-year anniversary
• Received the 2020 President’s Circle Award
• Received the 2020 Governor’s Circle Award
• Named Best of Gwinnett in Non-Profit Category for 2019
• Awarded $45K from World Wildlife Foundation to improve the Green & Healthy Schools program involving STEM and problem-based learning efforts in Gwinnett County Public Schools.
• Awarded $40K in grants from multiple funders to assist in multilingual translation for new website which will be launched in 2021, as well as to further our education and outreach programs.
• Awarded a $100K matching grant from The Recycling Partnership to educate residents on how to properly recycle, decreasing contamination while increasing the value of recyclables (#RecycleRightGwinnett).
• Served as Great Days of Service Collection site, collecting and delivering 1,979 nonperishable food items to Street Wise to restock their shelves for families in need.
• Completed 488 cleanups, encompassing 226 miles of adopted roadways through our Adopt-a-Road program – 3,087 volunteers gave 22,441 volunteer hours removing 198,525 pounds of litter and 2,658 illegal signs.
• Maintained 31 waterways with 300 volunteer hours through the Adopt-a-Stream program.
• Cohosted five community events resulting in diverting 136 tons of hazardous waste, along with 4,763 gallons of paint, 23.13 tons of electronics and 28.14 tons of paper from the landfill. GC&B also removed 10,000 pounds of garbage from roadside cleanup events.

• Received 56,000 applications and hired 1,104 new employees
• Launched presence and began recruiting on LinkedIn
• Named one of Atlanta's Healthiest Employers by the Atlanta Business Chronicle

• Earned the 2020 Center for Digital Government Digital Counties Survey Award
• Maintained Annual Payment Card Industry compliance

• 95 percent satisfied customer surveys with good or excellent ratings
• 80 percent plan review documents received electronically
• 100 percent citizen erosion complaint initial responses on schedule
• Hosted the 2020 Electrical Code training for staff and contractors. Given his abilities as a Class II Electrical Contractors, an employee was asked to serve as an advisor and to provide interpretations of the National Electric Code to various Georgia Electrical Contractor Associations
• Implemented electronic delivery of Certificates of Occupancy and Completion as well as automated issuance of Temporary Certificates of Occupancy and Completion
• Implemented cross-functional training for both Inspectors and Code Enforcement Officers to improve efficiency and customer service
• Expanded the Gwinnett County Third Party Inspections Program to include all construction-related inspections
• Inspections Manager received recognition as Georgia Building Official of the Year by the Building Officials Association of Georgia
• Nominated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs commissioner to serve on code review committees in 2020 and 2021, including the State Codes Advisory Committee with final recommendations presented to the Georgia DCA Board prior to formal State adoption.
• Added six new positions to create a Commercial Enforcement Unit.
• Implemented online services for processing applications for Occupation Tax Certificates and Alcoholic Beverage Licenses.
• Planning & Development was able to maintain service without interruption to both in-person and online customers. Final 2020 numbers show no delay in the two-week expected turnaround for project review completion.
• Implemented the Online Sign Permit process, allowing sign contractors continued operation by accepting applications and reviewing documentation electronically.
• Established the “Leadership Journey” program designed to coach and mentor staff identified as successors. Participants are given the tools necessary for bolstering leadership skills at all levels of the department while creating a respectful, enjoyable, and professional working environment.
• Obtained Community Rating System recertification, highlighting Gwinnett’s commitment to protecting flood plains and associated natural resources.

• Office of Emergency Management earned accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program, which evaluates emergency management programs on compliance with requirements in sixteen areas, including: planning; resource management; training; exercises, evaluations, and corrective actions; communications and warning; and administration
• Received ninth consecutive re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which assesses compliance with over four hundred standards that promote fair and professional law enforcement services in the areas of policy, procedures, management, and operations; out of more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies, roughly 4% of them have received this accreditation
• The E-911 Communications Center added the Text to 911 function in June, which adds the ability to send a text message to reach 911 emergency call takers from a mobile phone or device
• The Criminal Investigations Division expanded its forensic capabilities as it relates to shell casings that are recovered from crime scenes; Crime Scene Technicians have fired 334 firearms, uploaded 2,369 shell casings, and made more than 39 links, leading to the successful identification and arrest of several suspects where cases might not have been solved.
• Created the Community Affairs Section within the Support Operations Division, which will expand Police’s community outreach efforts and incorporate many of the department’s existing community relations programs, including the Police Explorers, Youth Police Academy, Citizens Police Academy, and a variety of Crime Prevention programs
• Completed our patrol vehicle re-stripping initiative; 448 patrol vehicles were restriped with the County’s branding 

• Conducted the first Virtual Career Expo, attracting more than 200 applicants who participated in virtual panel interviews, virtual tours, virtual orientations, live broadcasts, and a meet-and-greet with Background Investigators to answer attendee’s questions in real time; the event resulted in 19 conditional job officers.
• Launched the Sheriff’s App on April 20, 2020, to provide Gwinnett residents with a new way to connect with the Sheriff’s Office, providing information like breaking news, hazardous conditions, important updates, BOLOs, and other emergencies and offering other features including “submit a tip,” registered sex offender map, jail and inmate information, the Sheriff’s Office most wanted, career opportunities, social media updates, and COVID-19 information
• Gwinnett Reentry Intervention Program opened two new Therapeutic Communities — the Substance Abuse Unit and Fresh Start Garden for Incarcerated Women

• Received Atlanta Regional Commission Green Communities Certification
• Received Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal Certification 2020
• Managed 37,849 calls through the GJAC switchboard

Facility Construction

• Opened new entrance from parking deck, security node, and pedestrian bridge portions of the GJAC Courthouse Addition project
• Completed new Juvenile Courtroom construction on fourth floor of Courts Annex
• Completed construction of Georgia State Patrol Facility
• Replaced three chillers that were original to the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center
• Renovated GJAC Café dining area, kitchen front line, and marketplace
• Renovated temporary warehouse space for Gwinnett Voter Registrations and Elections

Fiscal and Solid Waste Management

• Generated $11.5 million in revenue from leases of County-owned property, cell towers, energy excise tax, and fuel sales
• Partnered with Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful to host America Recycles Day event, collecting 28 tons of electronics, 28 tons of paper, and 4,763 gallons of latex paint
• Handled 55,271 calls through the Solid Waste Call Center

Fleet Management

• Managed 11 fuel sites, dispensing 5.3 million gallons of fuel to internal and external customers
• Maintained 2,928 vehicles and pieces of equipment and purchased 292 vehicles and pieces of equipment
• Completed 10,940 vehicle and equipment repair work orders
• Managed the sale of surplus County vehicles, equipment, and miscellaneous items with a revenue of $1.2 million
• Passed seven Environmental Protection Division inspections at County fuel sites
• Completed parking lot improvements including maintenance, paving, and drainage

Operations & Maintenance

• Completed 7,016 work orders for facility maintenance
• Fully maintained 60 buildings and partially maintained 167 buildings
• Completed more than 50 projects related to COVID-19

 
Real Estate, Records, and Mail

• Processed 672,026 pieces of outgoing mail
• Completed two land purchases and one surplus property sale, and acquired 215 stormwater easements, 163 rights of entry, 32 utility easements, and 105 easements for new developments
• Managed the archival of 75,166 boxes of County records

• Received a 2020 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties for the Connected Vehicles Master Plan in the Transportation category
• Received a 2020 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties for the New Hire Orientation program in the Personnel Management and Training category
• Completed construction of 26 major projects including intersections, major roads, road safety and alignment, school safety, and sidewalks and pedestrian safety projects; began construction on 11 additional projects and engineering on 10
• Maintained 2653 miles of road and 743 traffic signals
• Substantially completed the Taxiway Y Extension, Runway 7-25 Strengthening, and Central Basing Area capital projects at Briscoe Field and should reach final completion by mid-2021
• Awarded the construction contract for the Indian Trail Park and Ride Rehabilitation project and completed the design of the Harbins Road Park and Ride project
• Resurfaced 95 miles of County maintained roads (320 streets)
• Completed 19 in-house quick-fix projects
• Completed phase I of the Sugarloaf Parkway widening at the Infinite Energy Center
• Continued work on the Harbins Road Interchange at State Route 316 project with anticipated completion in early 2022
• Continued work on the Pleasant Hill Road widening from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to the Chattahoochee River project with anticipated completion by mid-2021
• Continued work on the Spalding Drive Widening and Bridge Replacement project with anticipated completion by mid-2022
• Continued work on the State Route 324 Interchange at Interstate 85 project with anticipated completion in late 2021

• Purchased and successfully integrated of the City of Lawrenceville’s water distribution system, adding 117 miles of water mains and over 7,000 customers into the Gwinnett County water system
• Issued $190.6 M in bonds to finance large system expansion and renewal projects to ensure future water and sewer capacity needs are met
• Hosted 22 stream cleanups, engaging 303 volunteers, and collecting 24,370 pounds of trash and debris from County waterways and roadsides, including over 700 tires
• Completed installation or replacement of nearly 16 miles of water and sewer pipe throughout the County
• Ensured reliability of the water production, water reclamation, and pump station facilities by completing 113 facility rehabilitation, 41 capital, and 141 equipment replacement projects
• Inspected 333 miles of sewer, 5,062 manholes, and 9,700 fire hydrants as part of the County’s robust preventive maintenance program
• Fielded 31,450 calls to DWR’s 24-hour dispatch; DWR was onsite the same day for 99.5% of sewer calls and 89% of water leak calls, including weekends, holidays, and after hours calls
• DWR Customer Care served 271,333 customers by phone, 33,000 via email, 17,993 via drive-thru, and 19,937 in-person
• Created a new water bill that is easier to read and shows history of usage
• Conducted over 180,000 lab tests on Gwinnett County water and wastewater to ensure high quality treatment
• Hosted two Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events, collecting 207,799 pounds of HHW from 1,735 residents
• Completed the replacement of 3.5 miles of 48-inch prestressed concrete cylinder pipe on Grayson New Hope Road, Brannan Blvd and Sunny Hill Road
• Replaced or lined 9.5 miles of stormwater pipe
• Completed the Collins Hill Library BMP and Collins Hill Park BMP demonstration projects, which improve stormwater runoff quality and provide educational opportunities for STEM programs and the public
• Passed the 2021 to 2031 Rate Resolution that will advance DWR’s operating and capital programs to meet capacity needs and level of service expectations from 2021 to 2031
• Hosted an online version of the water reclamation fall festival through the first virtual tour of Yellow River Reclamation Facility
• Provided virtual water-related lessons to 8,106 students across Gwinnett County
• Developed new toilet leak detection kits and partnered with Gwinnett Fire to assist in delivering the kits to areas with high incidence of water meter lock-offs; three hundred of these leak detection kits were distributed through Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services in 2020 and an additional 150 were distributed by DWR directly
• The Water Tower worked with stakeholders to develop the first Lake Lanier Watershed Five Year Research Plan which includes over 30 high priority, applied research projects to benefit Lake Lanier and surrounding utilities
• Completed the Water Tower campus design and commenced campus construction
• The Water Tower expanded strategic partnerships with utilities, technology companies, local businesses, and other organizations