Gwinnett citizen groups are questioning public spending on an economic development program run by the county chamber of commerce.
Partnership Gwinnett, funded by businesses and government agencies, has won national acclaim for efforts to attract jobs to metro Atlanta. But on Thursday citizens groups questioned whether taxpayers are getting their money's worth.
They also were skeptical of claims the Chamber of Commerce hasn't used public money to support the transportation sales tax measure on Tuesday's ballot.
Sabrina Smith of Gwinnett Citizens for Responsible Government called on government agencies to suspend funding of chamber programs until they can assure the money is well spent. At a press conference outside the chamber building in Duluth, she said governments "should look at why they're doing that and what they're getting in return."
County Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said chamber officials provide regular reports on how county money is spent and have assured her it is not used to support the transportation measure. But she said the chamber is working on a plan to separate county funding from other sources of revenue.
"It's a legitimate concern," Nash said.
Chamber President Jim Maran said taxpayers are getting their money's worth from Partnership Gwinnett.
"It's the best (economic development) program in the state of Georgia," Maran said.
Partnership Gwinnett is the county's main economic development program. It recruits businesses domestically and overseas to relocate or open new facilities here.
It has a budget of about $1.8 million -- much of it from government agencies. Gwinnett County contributes $500,000 annually for operating expenses, while the school district pays $150,000 for the salaries of two economic development strategists.
Supporters say Partnership Gwinnett has played a key role in some of the county's biggest economic development successes. Among them: luring NCR's corporate headquarters from Ohio in 2009.
"We think it's not any kind of accident that Gwinnett County has generally fared better with employment and jobs than comparable Georgia counties," Nash said.
Gwinnett public schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach said money spent on economic development increases the property tax base -- the school's only source of local revenue -- and is a good investment that has benefited students.
Smith said tax money for schools should be used to educate students, not for investments. She said the mixing of public and private money poses inherent conflicts.
She was joined at the press conference by members of Citizens for a Better Gwinnett and the Georgia Taxpayers Alliance.
James Bell of the taxpayers alliance said similar issues have arisen across the state. He said tax dollars going to nonprofits and quasi-government agencies "should not be used to lobby against us."
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