Norcross City Councilman
2006-2007
During Charlie Riehm�s Tenure
Improved Government Operations
- Hired an excellent City Manager, Warren Hutmacher, who has already demonstrated his knowledge of the job and his leadership.
- Reduced legal costs by 86%, from ~$100K/yr to ~ $15K/yr with better service
- Approved division of responsibility for Public Works and Enterprise/Utility management into two depts. to improve focus, and management in both areas.
- Finances are now tightly managed with new auditors, which has resulted in a surplus in the last two years and allowed a 0.5 mill tax cut for 2008.
Increased Citizen Involvement
Established the following boards:
- Architectural Review Board
- Historic Preservation Commission
- Parks & Greenspace Commission
- Steering Committee for 2030 Comprehensive Plan
Supported Norcross Historical Center plan to open a Norcross museum
Planning and Redevelopment
- Funded the DDA so it could get effectively involved in downtown redevelopment
- Worked with the DDA to approve a Master Plan for redevelopment of downtown area, including a large new park.
- Worked closely with and contributed to Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District to make significant improvements to commercial areas east of Buford Hghwy.
Policies and Ordinances
- Adopted a new Open Land Acquisition policy, displacing secretive land deals
- Approved policy to spend the hotel/motel tax revenue on promoting the downtown area as well as the entire city.
- Passed a local Preservation Ordinance to help preserve our historic homes.
Quality of Life/Cultural Improvements
- Purchased church property across from city hall to control land use in that area. Buildings on the property are being used as follows:
- Norcross Community & Cultural Center, including Lionheart Theater, large meeting room for 250+ citizens, and six small rooms for various citizen activities.
- Leased building to Latin American Assn., which completely renovated it to help youngsters prepare for school.
- Supported the establishment of a Norcross Arts Center, it�s tenant,. Kudzu Art Zone, has opened an arts center, complete with gallery and art shows.
- Started the Summer Concert Series
Communications
- Supported the development of a new city web site to improve information flow to our citizens.
- Both council and city officials have made numerous public presentations on major issues to keep the citizens informed of direction and progress.
- The current council is working smoothly together, council meetings are well attended, and all issues are openly discussed.
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In summary, an article on the Save Historic Norcross web site from late 2006 captured the progress and changes made in 2006-2007 very well:
�These are only a few of the positive changes in Norcross. We applaud courageous city council members and citizens who have put the present and future well-being of the community first, ensuring its survival for generations to come. Together, we have turned the ship around. The challenge now is to continue the momentum for quality growth��
Well said! I�m proud to have been a key part of the council�s progress in 2006-2007 and I intend to continue that momentum into 2008-2009!
