City Council Approves Tax Increase
June 19, 2008
In a 4-2 vote on Monday city officials approved the one-half point mileage increase in taxes for city property owners. The increase will cost the average Snellville home owner $20 per $100,000 assessed value.
Snellville residents voiced their opinions about the city taxes in public held hearings. Like the split vote, some residents are in favor of the increase, while others are opposed.
Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer urged the council to support the tax increase which would help compensate for a revenue shortfall.
Councilwoman Kelly Kautz refused to vote, expressing concern about the process. Kautz was concerned the mayor had not appointed a city manager until last week, meaning that the city manager was not in place in time to help balance the budget. Under Snellville charter, however, abstention counts as an affirmative vote.
Likewise, Councilman Robert Jenkins said he didn’t feel confident voting on a budget that was not overseen by a city manager.
Only Jenkins and Mayor Pro Tem Warren Auld voted against the increase.
Feeling there was no alternative due to revenue shortfall, Councilman Tod Warner voted for the tax. Speaking in favor of his vote, Warner stated, “People may think we are ‘tax and spend’ politicians, but we’re far from it … It’s not something we do lightly.”
Councilwoman Barbara Bender agreed and also voted for mileage increase. Expressing the difficulty she had in making the vote because of the hard economic times we are currently seeing, Bender stated that she also found her affirmative vote necessary.
Although residents won’t see the increase until the fall when Gwinnett County circulates the tax bill, the property tax increase is estimated to generate $595,000 for the city.
Residents Comment on Tax Hike Proposal
June 10, 2008
The proposed tax hike drew comment from residents during morning and night public hearings at City Hall on Monday, June 9th.
Although Cathryn Creasy is on a fixed income and dislikes government waste, she spoke in favor of the half-point millage increase, which would cost property owners an additional $20 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their homes.
In her opinion, the proposed tax hike is a better option than the cuts that may take place if the proposal does not go through. The cuts that have been discussed as other options include eliminating police overtime, cutting up to six officers from the force, and reducing raises and benefits of all city employees. Additionally, there has been discussion of charging residents to dump recycling items at the recycling center, which is now free.
Two residents opposed to the tax hike also talked at the Monday night meeting. Both are facing a difficult time already with raising gas and food prices.
Speaking at the morning meeting, Dennis Lawton said he and his neighbors’ homes were reassessed this year and that with the tax hike, it would be a double-whammy for them. When it was reassessed, his home went up 20%.
Lawton also expressed his concern about the lack of a city manager, who should be overseeing the budget process. Although he acknowledged that a budget increase may be justified, he urged council members to carefully evaluate the budget first.
Residents will have one final opportunity to speak for or against the tax hike proposal during a public hearing at 7:30 pm next Monday, June 16th at Snellville City Hall, 2342 Oak Road.
Charity Concert in Gainesville Features Snellville’s DeGarmo
June 9, 2008
The 2nd annual June Jam charity concert was held on Saturday at Brenau University’s amphitheater in Gainesville, GA. The concert also included other local musicians, Peggie Hoskins & the Vertigo Band, the Allen Nicens Band, and the American Flyers and benefited Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Greater Purpose.
Greater Purpose was established by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to give financial support to the economically challenged children of single parents. Scholarships range from $500 to $1,000 and may be applied to activities such as camps, sports, or music programs to enrich the lives of children of single parents.
CASA is an organization that provides volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in criminal proceedings.
Organizers of the event, Mitch Farmer and Chad Black were said to have set a goal of raising $100,000 and almost half of the goal was reached through ticket sales and donations prior to the event.
Ground Broken for Gwinnett Braves New Stadium
June 5, 2008
Ground was broken for the new AAA Gwinnett Braves stadium in Lawrenceville on Tuesday, June 3rd. The groundbreaking ceremony commenced with a barbershop quartet signing “Hi Neighbor” followed by “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.
The $45 million stadium will hold thousands of fans. The stadium is expected to be finished for opening day in April 2009.
Two Finalists Remaining for City Manager Position
June 4, 2008
Two finalists remain for the City Manager position, both having extensive experience in city management. Russell G. Treadway of Elizabethton, Tenn. has more than 25 years in top-level management in local government, and Stephen J. Cottrell of Dunedin, Fla. has at least 13 years in analyst and management jobs in cities as large as Tallahassee, Fla. Both men have been invited for a follow up interview on Thursday.
Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer hopes to make his decision in the next couple of weeks. A majority of the City Council will then have to approve the mayor’s decision.
Treadway’s experience includes one year managing Elizabethton, a city of about 14,000 in northeast Tennessee and five years experience as city administrator in Mauldin, S.C., which has a population close to the 19,000 in Snellville. His educational qualifications include a Bachelor of Science, a Master of City Management and a PhD in philosophy from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1995.
Cottrell’s most recent job was overseeing the day-to-day operations of Indian Rocks Beach, Fla., which he did for eight months last year. Before that he spent eight months as city manager of Belleair, Fla. He was also the assistant city manager of Plant City, Fla., a city of 27,000, for nearly seven years. He additionally worked five years as a management analyst for the city of Tallahassee, population of 140,000. His educational experience includes a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in public administration at Florida State University in 1980.
Property Tax Increase to be Decided June 9th
June 4, 2008
Snellville property owners will most likely face an increase in city taxes. This increase for the average priced Snellville home of $150,000 would equate to an additional $30 per year in property taxes. Although the increase will not be finalized until the June 9th City Council budget meeting, the mayor and council members Tod Warner and Barbara Bender plan on supporting the increase. The alternative proposed by Mayor Oberholtzer included cutting up to 6 police officers from the city’s police force.
Large New Police Precinct For Snellville
March 27, 2008
Snellville is about to complete the purchase of land for a new police complex. The property is near the corner of Wisteria Drive and Clower Street and the city has set aside $5 million to buy the land.
Snellville Resident Gives Humanitarian AID to African Children with AIDS
February 23, 2008
Snellville resident Delphine On, a native of Cameroon, has been helping African children with AIDS through her non-profit that she co-founded, Child Care Association. Distraught after a visit to her native country and affected by her own sister’s death, as well as a sister-in-law and her husband, On was determined to assist.
“Worldwide, over 15 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS,” On remarked. “In sub-Saharan Africa, 12 million children or 80 percent of the global total have been orphaned and millions more live in households where an adult is sick.”
To help raise money, On and Child Care Association hosted a benefit dinner in Duluth on February 15th. She intends to use the money to build HIV/AIDS awareness centers in Yaounde, Cameroon, deve