(Lawrenceville, Ga., Aug. 25, 2023) – A team of residents will weigh in on County government priorities before the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners proposes the 2024 budget.

Gwinnett County department directors and elected officials – from the Solicitor-General to the Tax Commissioner – will present their 2024 business plans to a Citizens Budget Review Team beginning Monday, Aug. 28. Following the series of presentations, Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson and the group will evaluate the needs of the departments and agencies that provide services to Gwinnett residents and businesses. From there, the team will recommend funding priorities from the viewpoint of a resident.

“I’m happy to continue the tradition of inviting a team of residents with different backgrounds and views to help us shape Gwinnett County’s 2024 budget,” said Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. “Our departments and agencies spend months preparing their proposed budgets to meet the current and future needs of our growing community in a fiscally responsible way. Every year, the budget review team gives us a valuable outside perspective to help ensure our budget prioritizes our residents’ and businesses’ most desired services.”

Veteran team members Hilda Abbott, David Cuffie, Michelle Kang and Asif Jessani will again lend their expertise. Abbott is the founder of RudHil Companies, co-chair of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Hispanic Business Center and member of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Cuffie is CEO of Total Vision Consulting LLC and director of church ministries for Berean Christian Church Gwinnett. Kang is with the Korean American Public Action Committee of Atlanta, and Jessani is a principal marketing and technology consultant with CCS. Cuffie and Jessani are both active supporters and volunteers for the County.

New to the review team this year are Leadership Gwinnett graduate Michael Park and seasoned nonprofit executive Ronald S. Skeete. Park currently works with the Whitlock Group in commercial insurance and risk management. He is also a strong advocate for metro Atlanta’s AAPI community. Skeete is a member of the 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta where he volunteers to coordinate programs that serve young people in Gwinnett, Cobb and North Fulton Counties.

Recordings and on-demand video of the budget presentations will be shared on the County's website following each day’s presentations. The business plans will also be available on the County’s government access channel TV Gwinnett.

The Chairwoman’s proposed 2024 budget will be available to the public and news media when presented to board members in November. A public hearing will be held Dec. 4, 2023. By county ordinance, the Board of Commissioners must adopt the annual budget during its first meeting in January.