(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 16, 2010) - The volunteers who serve on Engage Gwinnett will hold their 12th full meeting on Wednesday, March 17 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. The six-month long initiative aims to involve and engage the community in county budget decision-making.Meetings of the 42-member citizens committee on the future of Gwinnett County have been held every two weeks and are open to the public. Committee members hear from elected officials, County staff and local residents and participate in group discussions. On Wednesday the full committee will meet together briefly and then break into work groups to continue deliberations about their specific study areas. Committee members will complete their final recommendations for the Board of Commissioners on desired services, service levels and revenues for the next five years. Members have also been charged with coming up with recommendations for a worse-case-scenario in the event the tax digest continues to decrease in the coming years.A community meeting will be held next month before the committee presents its findings to the Board of Commissioners. A report on the committee's recommendations will be complete by the end of April.Engage Gwinnett is a partnership between Gwinnett County government and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Mike Levengood of McKenna Long & Aldridge and Bill McCargo with the Atlanta Education Fund are volunteer leaders who co-chair the committee. Engage Gwinnett seeks common ground, workable solutions and compromises as necessary for the greater good of the community to help guide the County government through the recession and its aftermath.Video coverage, meeting materials and more information are available online at www.engagegwinnett.com and at www.gwinnettcounty.com and on TVgwinnett, cable channel 23. Engage Gwinnett also has Facebook and Twitter links.

(Lawrenceville, March 9, 2010) - Gwinnett residents are now saving 54 million gallons of water every year thanks to a rebate program that started two years ago. The rebates pay homeowners either $50 or $100 for replacing old, inefficient toilets. About 5,000 have been replaced so far.Water Resources Deputy Director Peter Frank said the more efficient toilets save the average customer about 15 percent on the water bill and help reduce demand for water from Lake Lanier. He said the County has spent about $400,000 on the program since it began and the savings are well worth the investment. The department is budgeting $300,000 each year to pay rebates on a first-come, first-served basis.Board Chairman Charles Bannister praised county residents for conserving water and urged everyone with a pre-1992 home to take advantage of this effective program. Details and an application are online at http://www.northgeorgiawater.com/ or by calling 404.463.8645 or e-mail at toiletrebate@northgeorgiawater.org.Water Resources is also promoting "Fix a Leak Week," March 15 - 21, as an annual reminder to check household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks. "A single home with dripping faucets and toilets that don't shut off can waste as much as 10,000 gallons a year," Frank said. Gwinnett's annual water use of 26 billion gallons was 18 percent lower last year than in 2007.

(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 9, 2010) - Gwinnett County will reduce the number of voting precincts from 163 to 155 to save money and operate more efficiently. In about 15 precincts, poll locations will change for various reasons. "These changes will affect about ten percent of Gwinnett voters," said Elections Director Lynn Ledford, "so we want to notify people that they'll get an official postcard in the mail if they are affected."Early and absentee voting now makes it possible to consolidate some locations without creating long delays on Election Day, Ledford said. Absentee/Early voting ballots are available for 45 days before an election through the Elections Office, 455 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville. Applications for mail-out ballots are available now for primary election absentee ballots. Details are online at www.gwinnettcounty.com. Early voting for next summer's primary election will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 12 -16 and for the general election on Oct. 25 - 29. During these weeks, there will be four locations, in addition to the Elections Office, for early voting: Centerville Community Center, Dacula Activity Building, George Pierce Community Center and Lucky Shoals Community Center.Signs and maps will be posted on Election Day at all old and new polling locations where changes have been made. Poll locations sometimes change based on the availability or cost of using a facility. Most precincts are small enough that new locations will still be relatively close to most voters in that precinct.Citizens who aren't registered to vote can get a voter registration form online but must return it by mail or in person. The deadline for registration is June 21 to vote in the primary and Oct. 4 for the general election. Information on how to become a paid poll worker is available at pollofficials@gwinnettcounty.com."We understand these changes could cause confusion so we want voters to be aware of the situation. These improvements will help control costs and make us more efficient," Ledford said.

(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 9, 2010) - Gwinnett County District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau's next monthly meeting will be held on Saturday, March 13 at Fire Station 12, 2815 Lenora Church Road in Snellville. The commissioner will meet with constituents from 10 a.m. to noon.Gwinnett County's Commission District 3 covers the eastern part of the county from the Highway 78 corridor north to I-85, and includes the cities of Snellville, Loganville, Grayson, Dacula and Auburn.

(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 5, 2010) The Gwinnett Tax Commissioner's office has mailed the final 2009 property tax bills that reflect the recently-approved increase in the County millage rate. This bill is due May 15.The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a final 2009 County millage rate of 13.25 on December 1, 2009. This represents an increase of 2.28 mills over the temporary collection order rate that was used to calculate the tax bills mailed last September.As a result of this millage rate adoption, the Tax Commissioner's Office is required to bill Gwinnett County property owners for the additional property tax. The majority of homeowners - those whose homes are valued at $200,000 or less - will see an increase of approximately $160 on this tax bill. Gwinnett Tax Commissioner Katherine Meyer encourages property owners to read all the information provided on this final 2009 tax bill. "We've included a great deal of important information right on the tax bill to help citizens understand this final 2009 billing. Keep in mind that this bill is due May 15 but previously unpaid balances may be due sooner."Property owners with questions about their final bill should contact the Gwinnett Tax Commissioner's at tax@gwinnettcounty.com or 770-822-8800.

(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 4, 2010) - The Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services will be hosting a community town hall meeting on Friday, March 26, 2010 to engage the public and community agencies and their representatives in updating the County's comprehensive health and human services plan."If you have school-age youth or are a youth-serving agency, you will not want to miss this enlightening presentation on the findings of the latest results of our comprehensive youth health survey. Our goal is to engage the community around issues that impact our most vulnerable populations," says Ellen Gerstein, Executive Director of the Gwinnett Coalition. This forum will also allow you to share your progress and ideas on future trends as well as be a part of the change!The Town Hall meeting will take place at Georgia Gwinnett College located at 1000 University Center Lane, Lawrenceville, GA 30043 in the atrium of Building B. Registration and breakfast will begin at 8:30 and the program will begin promptly at 9:00 until 12:00noon. Participants can register by visiting http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W66W83R. If you would like to have a booth for the forum, please contact Ellen Gerstein at 678-376-7887. For more information on the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, visit the website at http://www.gwinnettcoalition.org/.