Author: Alisa Williams

Manfred Graeder Sworn in to Fill Unexpired Term for Council Post 4

Posted on by Alisa Williams

Help us welcome our newest Councilmember, Manfred Graeder!

Council Post 4 became vacant upon the passing of Councilmember Kelly Kelkenberg earlier this year. Graeder won the special called election for this post.

Manfred is originally from Germany and moved to Duluth, Georgia in 2003. He is married to Eva and is currently employed as a Senior Program Manager Server Development. Prior to being elected to Council, Manfred served on the Finance Board, Planning Commission and Citizens Budget Committee for the City.

Manfred Graeder being sworn into office by Judge Charles Barrett.
Manfred Graeder being sworn into office by Judge Charles Barrett.

His goal is to continue to develop policy in the spirit and vision of the current City Council while adding focus to the areas outside of the downtown. He is ready to make decisions using common sense, weighing all available information, and valuing the input from our citizens.

“We look forward to working with Manfred to continue moving Duluth forward. We are excited to have Manfred’s attention to detail and new perspective on our team,” said Mayor Nancy Harris.

Gwinnett Cities Cancel Events Through July 10

Posted on by Alisa Williams

Duluth, GA (May 1, 2020) In an effort to further reduce the community spread of COVID-19, the cities of Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Suwanee have collectively agreed to halt hosting large-scale public events on city properties through July 10, 2020.  These actions are being taken because large public events can create the types of close gatherings that are not recommended by health professionals at this time.

“With summer quickly approaching, we have to make hard decisions regarding large scale events now.  We hate to cancel our July 3rd celebration, but for an event of this scale the planning needs to happen now and there are simply too many unknowns.” said Nancy Harris, Duluth Mayor.

“As a result of the requirements to maintain physical distance, we are taking further actions to safeguard our community,” said Lawrenceville City Manager Chuck Warbington. “We greatly appreciate the ongoing cooperation and support of our citizenry in order to reduce the risk.”

City officials continue to closely follow events associated with the outbreak and spread of COVID-19, as well as recommendations from public health officials and state and federal government.

“The need to modify this date will be evaluated in mid-June,” said Suwanee City Manager Marty Allen. “Should circumstances change we will respond appropriately and adjust accordingly.”

Please check individual city listings for event postponement, rescheduling, and cancellations.

https://www.duluthga.net/events

 

Duluth Calling All Interested Citizens to Take Part in CBRA (Citizen’s Budget Review Advisory) Committee

Posted on by Alisa Williams

City Officials believe communication with and guidance from the citizens of Duluth is instrumental in having a healthy community. Part of this guidance has come from the Citizen’s Budget Review Advisory Committee.  Previous Citizen’s Budget Review Advisory Committees reflected a great cross section of the citizenry and provided helpful feedback and recommendations on ways the City can be more efficient and effective in its daily operations. It is important to the City that citizens have confidence in our financial health and practices and be provided full access to all financial data.  The City is set to begin its 9th collaboration with the Citizen’s Budget Review Advisory Committee on February 19, 2020, for the FY2021 budget.

The first (February 19th) meeting establishes an overview of the City’s budget process and what the Budget Committee’s role will be in the process. All Budget Committee participants will be given the City’s current operating budget (FY2020) and ten (10) year forecast presentation. They are asked to study the material and be ready to discuss them at the next meeting.

The second (February 26th) meeting involves a review of draft figures for the preliminary FY2021 budget, debt service commitments, City initiatives, as well as information relating to Capital Reserve funds.

The third (March 4th) meeting is geared toward recommendations from the Citizen’s committee, addressing any concerns with the budget and finally discussion of visionary opportunities for the City.

Officials and staff look forward to working with the citizens again this year. For additional information or if you would like to be a part of this committee please contact, Kim Jackson at kjackson@duluthga.net or 770-497-5321.