Gwinnett commissioners place dozens of items on consent agenda, move homestead-exemption resolution to public hearing; staff present contract awards and renew-


The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday placed dozens of reappointments, contract renewals and capital project awards on the consent agenda and moved a proposed local opt-out of the statewide adjusted-base-year homestead exemption to a required public hearing at 11 a.m.

The action came at the board’s 10 a.m. work session, where staff briefed commissioners on award recommendations and renewals for parks, transportation, water resources, information technology and other county programs and requested placement of those items on the consent agenda for the 2 p.m. business meeting.

Why it matters: Items on the consent agenda can be approved together without individual discussion at the business meeting; a separate public hearing was scheduled on the homestead-exemption resolution, meaning the board will take public testimony before deciding whether to adopt that resolution.

The board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and then heard each new-business item read into the record by Sitara Cote of the communications department. Many department directors summarized requests and recommended awards or renewals; commissioners indicated consent for most items, so the items were placed on the consent agenda for later formal action.

Financial status and year-end adjustments

Russell Royal, acting director of financial services, presented the monthly financial status report through Dec. 31, 2024, and asked the board to ratify budget amendments and a resolution amending the fiscal 2024 budget to reflect anticipated revenues and appropriations. "I am pleased to report that our internal review indicates that the operating funds are ending the year in a favorable position with adequate reserves," Royal said. Royal told the board the county’s external auditors, Mauldin & Jenkins CPAs, were on-site; the audited comprehensive annual financial report will be available in June and an informal presentation is scheduled for August.

Parks, recreation and facilities awards

Chris Meiners, director of Gwinnett Parks and Recreation, presented several project awards and renewals. Staff recommended awarding a pool pack replacement contract (BL138-204) to John F. Pennebaker Co., not to exceed $3,198,521; converting Rabbit Hill Park Field 7 to synthetic turf (VL002-25) to Sports Turf Company, not to exceed $658,059; and Collinsville Park pavement rehabilitation (BL137-24) to Complete Site LLC, not to exceed $1,460,000. Meiners explained pool packs manage air quality, temperature and humidity in aquatic centers and said the replacements will occur at Mountain Park, West Gwinnett and Boggan Park facilities.

Transportation and resurfacing contracts

Transportation director Louis Cooksey described award recommendations for county residential road resurfacing (BL140-24), a package of term contracts covering roughly 119 miles of county-maintained residential streets with a combined base bid of $36,255,964.90. Cooksey also presented a sidewalk project (BL151-204) for Puckett’s Mill Road, recommending Backbone Infrastructure LLC at an amount not to exceed $491,753.60, and a change order to add San Jo Street widening as a city-managed project under a joint agreement with the city of Tekula.

Information technology and radio equipment

Dorothy Parks, director of Information Technology Services, requested renewal of Adobe subscription licenses under a state contract with CDW Government LLC (OS015-22) with a cited 6% increase and an increase to the Motorola Solutions contract for portable radios (SS010-17) from $667,731.32 to $909,538.87 to replace aging radios and purchase additional spare batteries used by police and other public-safety units. "There is a 6% increase, 2% due to the price increase of the product, and the other 4% due to the number of licenses that are being used," Parks told the board.

Water resources projects and renewals

Rebecca Shelton, director of Water Resources, recommended awarding a contract to replace secondary clarifier No. 6 at the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center to IHC Construction Companies LLC, amount not to exceed $1,380,000; the department reported the Water and Sewerage Authority approved that award 5–0 on Feb. 10, 2025. Shelton also sought renewal of an emergency repair services contract for water and sewer mains with JDS Inc., base bid $1,000,000; the authority approved that renewal on Feb. 10 (vote recorded in the authority minutes as 4–0).

Planning, grants and local economic development

Planning and Development director Matt Dickerson briefed the board on HUD action-plan reallocations (FY2019–2023) to move unspent Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant funds to ready projects, including an affordable housing extended-stay conversion, a food pantry and playground for an after-school program, and expanded homeless-prevention and rapid-rehousing services. The board also heard a request to enter a 2025 participation agreement with Partnership Gwinnett Public Funding Entity Inc. for $500,000 in economic-development support (split into $400,000 at execution and $100,000 contingent on goal completion and audited reporting). Dickerson presented a proposed Atlanta Regional Commission Livable Centers Initiative grant application for a Sugarloaf master-plan update requesting $280,000 in ARC funds with a $70,000 local match (county share $35,000; Sugarloaf CID share $35,000).

Tax commissioner and administrative contracts

Tax Commissioner Denise R. Mitchell requested renewal of the printing and mailing contract with Envelopes and Forms Inc., doing business as Surebill (PA007-22), for property tax bills, homestead-exemption forms, and other tax-related mailings; staff said pricing will not change for the third of four renewal options.

Homestead exemption resolution moved to public hearing

County Attorney Mike Glovezak asked that Item 2025-0181, a resolution to opt out of the statewide adjusted-base-year ad valorem homestead exemption pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated §48-5-44.2(i), be moved to discussion to accommodate the last of three required public hearings. The board voted to move the item to discussion; the transcript records the required public hearing scheduled to occur at 11:00 a.m.

Votes at a glance (consent placement and referenced approvals)

- Motion to approve the meeting agenda — approved by voice vote at start of session. - Items moved to the consent agenda (placed for action at the 2:00 p.m. business meeting): reappointments (e.g., 2025-0212 Randy Redner; 2025-0214 Nick Nicolosi; 2025-0215 David Post); board appointments and reappointments to advisory boards and authorities; contract renewals and purchases (examples below). Each item was read into the record and the board indicated consent unless an objection was raised. - Notable contract items placed on consent (read into record): • BL116-22 renewal for custom signs, base bid $205,000 (Southeastern Sign Inc.) — placed on consent. • BL030-203 OEM toner and ink cartridges, base bid $200,000 — placed on consent. • BL074-203 janitorial supplies, base bid $388,000 — placed on consent. • BL138-204 pool pack replacements (John F. Pennebaker Co.), not to exceed $3,198,521 — placed on consent. • VL002-25 Rabbit Hill Park synthetic turf conversion (Sports Turf Co.), not to exceed $658,059 — placed on consent. • BL137-24 Collinsville Park pavement rehabilitation (Complete Site LLC), not to exceed $1,460,000 — placed on consent. • OS015-22 Adobe license renewal with CDW Government LLC, base amount $232,951.32 — placed on consent. • SS010-17 increase for portable radios (Motorola Solutions Inc.) from $667,731.32 to $909,538.87 — placed on consent. • BL140-24 resurfacing of residential county roads, base bid $36,255,964.90 — placed on consent. • BL125-24 F. Wayne Hill secondary clarifier No. 6 replacement (IHC Construction Companies LLC), not to exceed $1,380,000 — placed on consent; Water and Sewerage Authority record shows a 5–0 approval on Feb. 10, 2025. • BL002-22 renewal for emergency water/sewer repairs (JDS Inc.), base bid $1,000,000 — placed on consent; WSA recorded a 4–0 approval on Feb. 10, 2025.

Discussion vs. decision

Most items were placed on the consent agenda for formal action at the scheduled business meeting; those placements do not constitute final board approval. The homestead-exemption resolution (Item 2025-0181) was specifically moved to discussion to allow the final required public hearing at 11 a.m.; no final vote on that resolution occurred during the 10 a.m. work session. Several items noted earlier WSA votes in authority proceedings (those votes were taken by the Water and Sewerage Authority on Feb. 10 and were reported to the board).

What’s next

The board adjourned the work session after placing items on the consent agenda. The transcript records the next event as the 11 a.m. public hearing on HHB 581. Final approval of the consent items will occur if the board acts on the consent agenda at the 2 p.m. business meeting.