Charlotte Nash, Chairman Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners

During election years, people pay more attention to government spending at all levels. Here in Gwinnett, my fellow commissioners and I have been working for over three years now to achieve more transparency and accountability in our financial operations.

On our website – www.gwinnettcounty.com – you’ll find detailed documents and videos to help you understand our budgeting process.

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Our award-winning property tax calculator tool shows you where tax dollars go for any specific address or home value. Look for it on the home page under Your Money.

You’ll find out what a fire community risk-reduction section does, how we recruit new employees, and how lifeguards keep our aquatics centers safe. You can learn about geographic information systems, neighborhood stabilization efforts, and a performance analysis group that works to improve the efficiency of County operations.

Our very successful Volunteer Gwinnett program is featured in one article, while others look at payroll processing, purchasing, and traffic control. You’ll swim with the swift water rescue team, make educational and informative videos with the TVgwinnett staff, and see what’s involved in applying for grants and administering them properly. Our newest article features our road condition assessment team that travels every road in Gwinnett County to measure and prioritize necessary repairs to 2,700 miles of roadway we maintain every year.

Before I became an elected official, I was a Gwinnett County employee for decades, first in financial services and later as the County Administrator, so you could say I know the details of Gwinnett County budgets and spending.

I want you to have access to the details too, presented in a way that is understandable. As Abraham Lincoln said, “government really is of, by, and for the people”. So I urge you to take a few minutes this summer to focus on your county government and see if you’re getting your money’s worth. Let me know what you think.