Before next year’s budget is finalized, Gwinnett County is leaning on its residents for support to set priorities.

County elected officials, department directors, and agency leaders will present their 2022 financial outlooks and business plans to a Citizens Review Team beginning August. 30. The diverse group of men and women will team up with Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson to study the needs of departments and agencies to provide services to Gwinnett residents and businesses. From there, the team will recommend funding from a resident’s perspective.

“The residents we serve are the driving factor for how the County operates,” Hendrickson said. “It makes sense to continue the tradition of involving members from a cross section of our community to provide feedback and recommendations on ways that we can be more efficient and effective. I am grateful for the team’s willingness to share their time, experience, and enthusiasm with this budget process.”

Seasoned team members David Cuffie and Asif Jessani will again lend their expertise. Cuffie is the CEO of Total Vision Consulting and Director of Church Ministries for Berean Christian Church Gwinnett and Jessani is a principal marketing and technology consultant with CCS. Both men graduated from Gwinnett 101 Citizens Academy and have stayed active in county advocacy and volunteering. New to the review team this year: Founder of RudHil Companies and Co-Chair of the GHCC Hispanic Business Center, Hilda Abbot; former law enforcement officer and small business owner Matt DeReimer, also a Gwinnett 101 alumnus; and Michelle Kang with the Korean American Chamber of Commerce.

Recordings and on-demand video of the budget presentations can be found here. The business plans will also be available on the County’s government access channel TVGwinnett.

The Chairwoman’s proposed 2022 budget will be available to the public and news media when presented to board members in November. A public hearing will be held December 6, 2021. By county ordinance, the Board of Commissioners must adopt the annual budget during its first meeting in January.