Talks stall between Gwinnett County and cities

It has the best park system in the country. It’s AAA bond rating ranks it among the top 25 in the nation for financial stability. It induced Fortune 500 company NCR to relocate its headquarters to within its borders.

Yet, for all its superlatives as a leader in governance, Gwinnett County can’t seem to get along with its cities.

After an outcry from thousands of residents prompted it to scrap a property tax increase Tuesday, Gwinnett County has vowed to recast its $1.7 billion budget and come up with a levy that will pass public muster.

Yet, even if significant cuts are made, the county cannot establish a property tax rate until it determines its true tax base. And that won’t happen until it settles a dispute with its 15 municipalities over how much city residents should pay in county taxes.

A state-mandated service agreement has languished in negotiations since early March, when the old covenant expired.

Court -ordered mediation talks stalled last month. A new court order has both sides scheduled to meet again next week.

“If somebody wants to be obstinant, it’s a perfect way to hold your fellow governments hostage,” said Mike Gleaton, director of planning for the Georgia Department of Community Services, the agency that oversees the Service Delivery Strategy.

Currently, Gleaton said, Gwinnett is the only Georgia county without a service agreement in place. And, while battles have been fought over these contracts since they became law in 1997, he doesn’t remember any running as long as this one.

Gleaton said the dispute reflects on how well a county gets along with its cities.

“Counties and cities that get along have little problems,” he said. “Those that get along will get to ‘Yes’ pretty quickly.”

While they constitute 19 percent of the county’s 797,000 population, city residents paid $67 million (23 percent) of Gwinnett County’s total $289 million property tax bill in 2008.

City officials complain their residents receive less in county services, yet pay the same rate of county property taxes as those living in unincorporated areas.

Currently, nine cities have their own police departments. And while county police provide special services, like SWAT and major crime investigators, some cities contend they do not receive the uniform patrols they are due. Most with their own police don’t want them, and don’t want to be charged for them.

The county announced last month a plan to extend full police and emergency services throughout the county and assess higher property tax rates on city residents for licensing fee revenue lost to the cities.

That proposal didn’t sit well among cities like Lawrenceville, which has the county’s largest municipal police force with 72 sworn officers.

But since last week, the county has taken a different tack.

Commissioners voted unanimously this week to deny formation of service districts, the precursors for county-wide emergency service.

On Monday, county officials met privately with the mayors of Lawrenceville and Lilburn in a gesture to get talks back on track.

Deputy county administrator Mike Comer admitted that negotiations on the SDS pact have been strained, but added Gwinnett’s situation is unique in Georgia.

Gwinnett, Comer said, is a large urban service provider that has 15 cities, each with its own level of services. State law requires all seven cities with a population of more than 9,000 and half the five cities between 500-9,000 to sign the agreement. As the county seat, Lawrenceville, also has veto power.

“We’re 81 percent of the population,” Comer said. “They’re 19 percent. Yet SDS law gives that small part a very, very large voice.”

With its expansive services to a large population, Comer called Gwinnett the biggest city in the state, but without the legal standing of a city.

“We would prefer to settle this,” he said. “But we’re not going to settle it to the detriment of 81 percent of the people in Gwinnett County.”