(Lawrenceville, Ga., April 1, 2021) – Last night, the Georgia General Assembly passed SB201 with broad bipartisan support. The bill’s passage comes after Gwinnett County Commissioner Kirkland Carden’s public dispute with the county’s top tax official over her unprecedented proposal to personally pocket an estimated additional $110,000 in fees.

After the bill cleared both chambers of the legislature, Carden issued the following statement:

“The provisions in SB201 that prevent the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner from negotiating contracts with cities to personally pocket huge sums of additional taxpayer money are a win for transparent governance and Gwinnett’s residents. This bipartisan legislation brings an end to a loophole that allowed tax commissioners to use their public office for personal enrichment and financial gain. Now responsibility for city-county contract negotiations falls to the Board of Commissioners.

“Gwinnett’s leadership at all levels and across party lines quickly stepped up to help the cities and the taxpayers of our county. Even in these divided times, we worked together to make sure the people we represent are getting transparent and high-quality government services. I hope this productive and bipartisan dialogue will continue as we move forward as a county.”