The city of Snellville has approved its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) balanced budget of $40,740,970. The budget maintains current services, prioritizes staff retention and fosters community development.
Mayor Barbara Bender says: “This is the fourth consecutive year the millage rate has remained at four mills. However, in order to hold the line on the overall millage rate, the decision was made to reinstate a residential sanitation fee of $240 that will be reflected on tax bills in September.”
The FY26 budget reflects the current global economic conditions which have impacted the cost of living, health coverage, construction supplies and utilities. City leaders have balanced these increased expenses with a focus on continued quality service and progress toward community goals.
The city, with citizen input, updated the T.W. Briscoe Park Master Plan. The plan included the construction of a new community center with amenities such as an indoor walking track, basketball, pickleball and volleyball courts, meeting rooms and an aerobics studio. In May, the city broke ground on the $11.3 million community center funded by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and more than $1 million in Community Development Block Grant funding.
Funding is provided for a major intersection improvement at North Road and Wisteria Drive, addressing congestion and improving safety near The Grove at Towne Center. The project will also include new sidewalks, lighting and landscaping as well as upgraded traffic signals to improve safety for pedestrians in the area.
Other capital investments include a total of $1 million for the city’s annual paving project and $1.4 million in stormwater infrastructure improvements.
Mayor and Council upheld the referendum vote to support House Bill 581. With this legislation, homeowners will receive the floating homestead exemption which ties increases to property values to the rate of inflation instead of market values. This will slow the property valuation increases for homeowners and the full effect on the city’s property tax collections will not be known for several years. The floating homestead exemption is in addition to the city’s current homestead exemption.
The city has funded residential garbage collection out of general fund property taxes for the last 20 years. Since this policy was instituted, the cost of sanitation services has increased substantially and city staff has recommended charging separately for services.
“We’ve known for the past five years that this train was coming to an end,” Mayor Bender said. “We will have to rebid the contract next year and seeing the current rates other cities are facing, we know our costs will have yet another substantial increase. We simply cannot continue to fund the shortfall without either a serious increase to the millage rate or adding a flat user fee. This is not something any of us wanted to do.”
The $240 annual fee will be included in this year’s property tax bills.
A three percent increase in salary is designed to retain and attract new employees to the city. Parks and Recreation will hire two new full-time and 13 part-time employees to staff the new Community Center at T.W. Briscoe Park.
Library online graduates nine from high school
Gwinnett County Public Library (GCPL) awarded nine graduates their high school diplomas on June 7 at the Norcross branch. Family and friends joined them, along with guest speaker Constance Brown, chair of the Hooper-Renwick Committee.
Gwinnett County Public Library offers qualified community members the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and credentialed career certificate through Career Online High School, a program supported by community donations. Career Online High School is specifically designed to re-engage adults in the education system and prepare them for entry into postsecondary career education or the workforce. In the last 12 months, GCPL has graduated 24 people from the program. 132 have graduated from the program since its 2016 launch here in Gwinnett County.
Our students are mostly women. Many are new to this county. Most U.S. students come in with 10th or 11th-grade level schooling and can now finish their diploma.
Library Director Charles Pace says: “Earning a high school diploma is a life-changing achievement. Career Online High School is a key part of our mission of inspiring our residents to learn, grow, and dream.”
GCPL awards scholarships annually to qualified learners looking to earn a high school diploma and advance their careers. Once enrolled, students access a 24/7 online learning platform with board-certified instructor assistance. Students can graduate within a year by transferring in previously earned high school credits but are given up to 18 months to complete the program. Gwinnett County residents can learn more about Career Online High School and take an online self-assessment by visiting https://gwinnett.careeronlinehs.org/. For more information or questions, please contact the library at 770-978-5154.
