The Gwinnett County delegation in the General Assembly will consider reorganizing county government and allowing Peachtree Corners residents to vote next fall on whether to incorporate, creating the county's 16th city.
Those issues highlighted discussion at the Gwinnett delegation’s first meeting of the session on Wednesday.
Rep. David Casas, R-Lilburn, will lead a committee that over the next year will study revisions to legislation governing the county's organization. The review will examine the structure of the Board of Commissioners and take a broader look at departments and county services.
Last October a special grand jury found commissioners used county land purchases to reward political allies and punish rivals, and routinely overpaid for land.
Jurors indicted then-Commissioner Kevin Kenerly for bribery; Kenerly later resigned. Jurors chose not to indict then-commission Chairman Charles Bannister for perjury when he agreed to resign.
The jury’s final report recommended a reorganization of the Board of Commissioners, which consists of a full-time chairman elected countywide and four part-time commissioners elected by district.
A majority of jurors favored making all commissioners full time, concluding they would be better informed and make better decisions.
Other jurors favored keeping commissioners part time but increasing their number. They argued that smaller districts would reduce commissioners’ workloads and provide better representation of each district.
Casas said the county delegation’s review is not a direct response to the grand jury’s findings, rather lawmakers favoring a broader review of the law governing Gwinnett’s organization and operations.
“We want to do it right,” Casas said.
The committee will hold a series of public hearings this year and report its findings in time for next year’s session of the General Assembly, Casas said.
County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau welcomed that approach.
“I’m always afraid of unintended consequences, so I’m glad they’re going to take a judicious look at this,” Beaudreau said.
The delegation also will consider legislation enabling residents of Peachtree Corners near Norcross to vote on incorporation.
Voters would consider plans for a city that handled only planning and zoning, code enforcement and trash collection, leaving services like police and fire protection to the county.
A recent study by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia found an incorporated Peachtree Corners could generate enough revenue to pay for a few basic services and cover other costs like elections and administration.
Incorporation has been a long-time aim of some Peachtree Corners residents. However, members of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association in 2005 voted overwhelmingly against incorporation.
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