Gwinnett County to hold public hearing Monday on budget

Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson speaks during the SPLOST referendum meeting at Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Natrice Miller / natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com

Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com

Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson speaks during the SPLOST referendum meeting at Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (Natrice Miller / natrice.miller@ajc.com)

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing Monday night on Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson’s proposed $2.26 billion 2023 budget.

The meeting will take place in Conference Room C on the second floor of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.

The proposed operating budget is $1.77 billion. The county’s general fund, which pays for personnel, is $465 million. The capital budget is $488 million, including funds from the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) program that voters extended last month.

Commissioners are accepting comments through Dec. 31 online.

Hendrickson said the budget would help the county hire and retain workers and handle inflation and supply chain disruptions.

“While the county is not immune to global economic uncertainty, we have taken steps in the creation of this budget to ensure that Gwinnett’s financial foundation remains strong,” she said in a prepared statement. “With this budget, we will be able to maintain the excellent services that our residents have come to expect and build on them with initiatives that support safety, mobility, environmental sustainability, and more.”

New initiatives in the budget include a language learning program for employees, enhanced technology for courts to conduct virtual proceedings and positions for an environmental sustainability officer and equity officer.

The proposal also funds increased staffing for the county’s emergency management team, and in the office of a new state court judge the legislature added. It includes upgrades to roads, parks, along with water and sewer lines.

A hard copy of the proposed budget resolution is available in the financial services office at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center during business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.