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INTRODUCTION This section contains a high-level organizational chart and general facts about Gwinnett County and its municipalities. GWINNETT COUNTY ORGANIZATIONAL CHART Gwinnett County Residents Board of Commissioners Judicial System Sher Tax Commissioner Courts Prosecuting O Other Boards Clerks of Court and Authorities Law Department County Clerk County Administrator Internal Audit Clean & Beautiful Deputy County Administrator Communications Community Outreach Economic Development Community Services Planning and Development Corrections Police Financial Services Services Fire and Support Emergency Services Services Human Resources Transportation Information Water Technology Services Resources FY 2019 Budget Document • I | 1 COUNTY ADMINISTRATION & DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS County Administrator Financial Services Police Services Glenn P. Stephens Maria Woods, CFO/Director Chief Butch Ayers Deputy County Administrator Fire and Emergency Services Support Services Phil Hoskins Chief Russell Knick Angelia Parham, Director Acting County Attorney Human Resources Transportation Mike Ludwiczak Sheryl Dallas, Director Alan Chapman, Director Community Services Information Technology Services Water Resources Tina Fleming, Director Abe Kani, Director/CIO Ron Seibenhener, Director Corrections Planning and Development Darrell Johnson, Warden Kathy Holland, Director ELECTED OFFICIALS Clerk of Court Solicitor Superior Court Judges Richard T. Alexander Jr. Brian Whiteside George F. Hutchinson III, Chief Judge Melodie Snell Conner District Attorney Tax Commissioner Tracie H. Cason Danny Porter Richard Steele R. Timothy Hamil Ronnie K. Batchelor Chief Magistrate Court Judge State Court Judges Tracey D. Mason Kristina Hammer Blum Pamela D. South, Chief Judge Warren Davis Carla E. Brown Karen E. Beyers Probate Court Judge John F. Doran Jr. Kathryn M. Schrader Christopher A. Ballar Emily J. Brantley Randolph G. Rich Shawn F. Bratton K. Dawson Jackson, Senior Judge Sheriff Ronda Colvin Leary Fred A. Bishop Jr., Senior Judge R.L. “Butch” Conway Howard E. Cook, Senior Judge Debora K. Turner, Senior Judge Joseph C. Iannazzone, Senior Judge Tom Davis, Senior Judge Robert W. Mock Sr., Senior Judge JUDICIALLY APPOINTED OFFICIALS Juvenile Court Judges Clerk of Recorder’s Court Robert V. Rodatus, Presiding Judge Jeff C. West Tadia D. Whitner Robert Waller Court Administrator Philip M. Boudewyns Recorder’s Court Judges Michael Greene, Chief Judge Rodney S. Harris Ramon Alvarado FY 2019 Budget Document • I | 2 GOVERNMENT The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) presented a Distinguished Budget FINANCE Presentation Award to Gwinnett County, Georgia, for its Annual Budget for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. OFFICERS In order to receive this award, a governmental unit must publish a budget document that meets program criteria as a policy document, as a financial plan, as an operations guide, ASSOCIATION and as a communications device. STATEMENT: This award is valid for a period of one year only. We believe our current budget continues to conform to program requirements, and we are submitting it to GFOA to determine its eligibility for another award. FY 2019 Budget Document • I | 3 HISTORY –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Gwinnett County was created on December 15, 1818, and named for Button Gwinnett, one of the three Georgia signers of the Declara- tion of Independence. The county was formed from the combination of land that was ceded to the state of Georgia by the Cherokee and Creek Indians and a portion of Jackson County. Gwinnett was the 50th county to be organized in the state and is the 50th largest county in the state in landmass covering 437 square miles and approximately 280,000 acres of land. The home of Elisha Winn, near what is now Dacula, was the first Gwinnett County courthouse. Winn was chosen to select the site for the first county seat and new courthouse. He paid $200 for a 250-acre lot in the center of the county. Early courthouse business was held in a log cabin until a more permanent structure was built in 1824. The city of Lawrenceville was incorporated and designated the county seat in 1821, when Gwinnett consisted of a cluster of agrarian communities. By 1850, Lawrenceville was a thriving metropolis with a census count of 11,257. In an 1871 fire, the courthouse was burned down, destroying most of the early records and deeds. A new court- house, built on the square in Lawrenceville, was deemed inadequate after only 12 years, and was replaced by the building now known as the Historic Courthouse for $23,000 in 1885. It served as the center of Gwinnett government operations until 1988. A railroad line, the Danville and Piedmont Air Line (now Norfolk Southern), was built through the county in 1871. The railroad induced the founding of new cities: Norcross, Duluth, Suwanee, and Buford. A spur line was run from Suwanee to Lawrenceville in 1881, and another main line, the Georgia, Carolina, and Northern Railroad (now CSX), was built in 1891 through Lilburn, Lawrenceville, and Dacula. POPULATION The County’s first major industry came in 1868 when the RH Allen For three consecutive years, 1986 through 1988, Gwinnett Tannery was established possibly at the Elisha Winn house that ranked as the fastest growing county in the U.S. among Robert Allen appears to have been renting before setting up in Bu- counties with a population greater than 100,000. Growth ford. His brother Bona soon followed with the Bona Allen Tannery, slowed during the recessions of 1990 and 2007, but the influx which later purchased the RH Allen Co. after Robert’s death. Both of new residents and businesses continued. The county’s tanneries made leather goods, harnesses, whips, shoes, and be- population in 2018 stood at an estimated 950,807, up nearly came famous for handmade saddles. During the Depression of the 20 percent from 2009. Today Gwinnett County is the second 1930s when a number of farms began to decline and most com- most populous county in the state of Georgia (Sources: panies were downsizing, the tannery prospered reaching a peak Woods & Poole and U.S. Census Bureau), and its population employment level of 2,400 workers. The 1930 Census recorded a is expected to reach more than one million by the year 2021. County population of 29,087. FY 2019 Budget Document • I | 4 Gwinnett County moved into the modern era in 1950 when the U.S. Congress authorized the construction of Buford Dam to provide hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, navigation, and recreational facilities. Also it was around this time that key decisions by federal, state, and local leaders paved the way for some of our greatest opportunities, including the expansion and growth of what is now Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the creation of Lake Lanier, and the completion of I-85 from Atlanta to South Carolina, right through the middle of Gwinnett. The County constructed its major water and sewer lines in the 1970s, which proved to be an essential step in preparing for the next de- cade. The 1980s witnessed a dramatic increase in the County’s road construction program, the development of a countywide Parks and Recreation program, construction of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, renovation of the historic courthouse, construction of new public libraries, and other capital improvements. During that period, voters approved the 1986 bond issue, and the 1985 and 1988 one-percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax programs, mechanisms which provided funds for significant capital investments. From December 15, 2017, through December 15, 2018, the County organized a bicentennial celebration to celebrate and further Gwin- nett’s legacy. The County commemorated its bicentennial year in 2018 by honoring our shared history, recognizing and remembering the people who made and make our community great, and highlighting the vision for our promising future. While celebrating its bicentennial, the County simultaneously launched a re-branding campaign with a new logo that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy that continues to drive success. The new brand’s overlapping layers represent the interconnectedness of the Gwinnett community, as well as connections to the state, the nation, and the world. The logo represents the unique identity the County has made for itself as a manifestation of the American dream, offering opportunities to pursue professional, intellectual, and educational endeavors in an environment that encourages innovation and change, yet still values all perspectives. At the center of the logo resides a unifying crest, a symbol of our integrity and a token of our unwavering mission to make life better for the people of Gwinnett. FY 2019 Budget Document • I | 5 OUR STORY 1820 First U.S. Census including Gwinnett County; Population: 4,589 1818 Gwinnett County formed by an act of the Georgia General Assembly 1850 Population: 11,257 1868 RH Allen Tannery opening, Gwinnett’s first major industry 1871 The Danville and Piedmont Air Line railroad (now 1885 Historic Norfolk Southern) is Gwinnett County built, inducing the courthouse founding of constructed Norcross, Duluth, Suwanee, and Buford 1900 Population: 25,585 1891 The Georgia, Carolina, and Northern Railway (now CSX) is built 1960 Population: 43,541 1956 The gates of Buford Dam 1970 Population: 72,349 are closed, creating Lake Lanier 1965 Section of I-85 between South 1980 Population: 166,903 Carolina and Suwanee

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