Gwinnett residents struggle to find budget cuts

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It wasn't a packed house, but members of a citizens' panel charged with identifying waste in county government said Thursday evening that it's been tough to find budget items to cut.

They got little help from a crowd of nearly 20 who showed up at Duluth First Baptist Church for the first of four public forums over the next week. Most in the crowd said they were interested in keeping parks, libraries and emergency services intact. Some suggested they'd be willing to pay more to preserve them.

The 42-member committee, appointed last fall, is halfway through its task of identifying core services offered by the county and formulating a plan to cut waste and increase revenue without raising property taxes. It is to present its final recommendations this spring so county commissioners can consider it when they draw up the 2011 budget.

The panel presented some preliminary recommendations, including revisiting the idea of a regional/tiered library system to replace the neighborhood system now in place. It also suggested maintaining health and human service funding, but channeling the money through a central organization that can evaluate organizations receiving the funds.

The committee is also considering privatizing some park facilities and charging user fees for parking and lighting.

Mike Levengood, co-chairman for the group, said the report was only prepared to stimulate discussion and to encourage input from residents. So far, he said, the group has not delved into methods to increase revenue but plans to devise some ideas in the coming weeks.

Three more public forums are scheduled: 9 a.m. Saturday at the Ga. 20 campus of 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville; 6:30 p.m. Monday at Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville; and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Victory World Outreach Center in Norcross.