Conversation with a Current Council Member 09.26.2025

Deer Problem

We just have to agree to disagree on this issue. We agree it is a major problem, but don't agree on what should be done to solve it. I can see the point that the City should not be involved. But I feel strongly:

• The City should not interfere with wildlife management efforts by DNR.
• The City should allow controlled hunts in the greenspace because I feel that offers the safest solution for the public.

City Communications

I believe the City is not making enough effort to communicate with our citizens. The City website is not responsive, meaning it doesn't change the layout to accommodate different screen sizes. The image accompanying this topic compares the home page of the City to the home page of the Berkeley Lake Beacon to show how a responsive page should be displayed on an iPhone.

One of the City staff told me that it is too difficult to advertise committee meetings. I don't have any statistics, but I don't believe many people read the Gwinnett Daily Post, the official legal organ in Gwinnett. Although not everyone is on Facebook, it is certainly a popular medium and I believe more people would see notices posted there. I follow the City of Norcross on Facebook, and they post all kinds of notices.

I suggest following:

• Use social media to improve communications (InstaGram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
• Update the City website. It is not "responsive" and is difficult to use on a cell phone. According to research.com, cell phones account for 60% of web traffic!
• I think the City could afford to update the website and hire a part-time person if necessary to handle social media. See City Finances on this page.

City Finances

After speaking today with the council member and previously with some members of the finance committee, I believe very few people know how much money the City has. The council member guessed $100,000 in unrestricted reserves. The actual amount is almost $5 million according the financial statements in the August City Council agenda packet. The finance committee members with whom I've spoken were also unaware of the size of the unrestricted reserves.

The council member was prepared today to defend the City's financial position based on our millage rate, which is one of the lowest around, if not the lowest. I admit I didn't pay much attention to this because that is not the issue for me. The finance committee members seem to be focused on the millage rate as well.

I will be posting more info about City finances soon.