Latest News

SNELLVILLE – Mayor and Council unveiled a proposed balanced budget of $15.53 million Monday, a plan city officials say will not include a millage increase.

The first of two public hearings was Monday. The next is at the June 12 meeting of Mayor and Council, where the budget will be adopted. The millage rate will be set by Mayor and Council in early July.

Fiscal Year ‘24 net spending is up by 4 percent or $634,019. The great majority of the increase is in salaries as the Mayor and Council have made a concerted effort to make salaries more competitive and improve the City’s employee retention rate.

Revenue is down in several categories as inflation has curtailed development. This budget has adjusted to that reality.

Other budget highlights include:

• $800,000 is budgeted for the street resurfacing projects.
• $950,800 for the city’s annual stormwater repair projects.
• Sanitation and recycling services are subsidized with $1,189,528 in property tax collections.
• The only planned capital expense is $150,000 for a new bucket truck the Public Works Department.

The Mayor and City Council will consider adoption of the FY ’24 budget at 7:30 p.m., June 12 in the Council Chambers of Snellville City Hall, 2342 Oak Road, Snellville, Georgia.

The proposed budget can be viewed at: https://www.snellville.org/sites/default/files/uploads/administration/budget/fy24-budget-draft-.pdf

Poplar Street - from 2558 Poplar Street up to 2531 Poplar Street - will be closed beginning May 19 due to stormwater repairs.

According to  construction crews, it may take four to five weeks to complete the project. 

Mayor and Council has have approved and released a notice to new Snellville citizens and property owners to inform them of the city’s ordinances regarding making improvements to a residence.

Mayor and Council has approved and released a notice to new Snellville citizens and property owners, giving them a list of best practices when moving into a new residence.

“Welcome to Snellville, we are glad you have chosen to join us where, ‘Everybody is Proud to be Somebody,’” the notice reads. “As you purchase your new house, we wanted to provide you with some of the Ordinances and Laws that are most often asked about in the City of Snellville. This is by no means a complete or exhaustive list, just the most often asked. Should you have any questions about the use of or making any changes to your property, please do not hesitate to call our Planning and Development Department at 770-985-3500.”

The eight-point notice answers some of the most frequently asked questions city officials field when talking with new residents. TopiceTopics addressed in the notice range from on-street parking to permitting to livestock usage.

"Far too often our citizens learn of the laws regarding the use, maintenance, and modification of property by a knock on the door by our Code Enforcement officers,” said Mayor Pro Tem Tod Warner. “By including the most pertinent information in the property disclosure when a property is bought or sold, we hope to increase awareness before people invest their life savings only to find their dream runs afoul of the law. Our Citizens rely on us to maintain the stability of our residential neighborhoods to protect their quality of life."

The notice is as follows:

NOTICE TO NEW SNELLVILLE CITIZENS AND PROPERTY OWNERS

Welcome to Snellville, we are glad you have chosen to join us where, “Everybody is Proud to be Somebody.” As you purchase your new house, we wanted to provide you with some of the Ordinances and Laws that are most often asked about in the City of Snellville. This is by no means a complete or exhaustive list, just the most often asked. Should you have any questions about the use of or making any changes to your property, please do not hesitate to call our Planning and Development Department at 770-985-3500.

1. The conversion of single-family homes to multifamily rental units is prohibited. Any alterations to existing homes to create more rooms or livable spaces is prohibited unless permitted with the Department of Planning and Development.
2. All new construction must be permitted with the Department of Planning and Development, including but not limited to, roofed accessory structures, decks, pools, driveway additions, and any alteration of an existing structure.
3. Collective residences, such as group homes, care homes, and other non-single family living arrangements require an approved Special Use Permit from the Department of Planning and Development.
4. Please call the Snellville Public Works Department to set up your commercial or residential trash account.
5. The keeping and raising of livestock is prohibited unless the property is greater than 5 acres. Please contact the Planning and Development for more information.
6. Please be aware that small creeks, streams, ponds and lakes including dried up streambeds, may be classified as “State Waters” or otherwise have buffers that limit any kind of land disturbance. Please contact the Planning and Development Department prior to any disturbance closer than 200 feet from the water source.
7. The parking of commercial vehicles, on the street or on a driveway in residential neighborhoods is prohibited.
8. Vehicles must be parked on paved surfaces and any vehicles not enclosed in a garage must be operable and properly registered with the State and insured.

Five young entrepreneurs got a financial boost start their own businesses Tuesday during the city’s annual Shark Tank competition.

A total of $2,000 was awarded to the students by judges representing the Snellville business community. The five students – four from Brookwood High School and one from Grayson High School – worked on their businesses all school year, culminating with a pitch for seed money at the competition mirroring the popular ABC television show “Shark Tank.”

“The City of Snellville is committed to providing our young people the opportunity to grow their own businesses,” said Assistant City Manager Matt Pepper. “We want to bolster the future of these young entrepreneurs, and by supporting this program, the city is building relationships with students who happen to be starting their own business, hopefully with the intent of opening one in Snellville some day.”

Judges crowned Brookwood High School student Zaira Bhatti Entrepreneur of the Year and granted her $500 to be used to fund her social media consulting business MarketRight.

Addison Curtis of BHS was also awarded $500 to go toward her swim lesson business Dolphin Academy; Elizabeth Lachance of BHS was awarded $400 for her business Cursive Cake ‘n’ Bake; GHS student Ava Hosey received $350 for her business Desserts by Ava; and Madison Worsham of Brookwood High School was given $250 for her family photography business Capture Photography.

Judges who donated their time, expertise and money were: Tim Samuel and Dwayne Walker of Sparketh, Kelly McAloon of Snellville Tourism and Trade; Ashlie Franklin and Sara Hodge of Walton Gas; Renae Johnson of the Renae J Group; Kathy Emanuel of Random Technologies; Katisha Henry of the Wing Suite; and Jessie Mullins of Powell and Edwards, LLC.

This year’s Shark Tank was coordinated by Pepper, student education business owner Marianette ReFour and Public Information Officer Brian Arrington.

The water level of Pate Lake at T.W. Briscoe Park will be lowered Monday so construction crews can begin work on repairing a portions of a crumbling lake wall.

The Dickerson Group, Inc. will begin work on the long-awaited $400,150 repair Monday, work that could last for 90 days. Since the lake level is being lowered, fishing is prohibited while the repairs are ongoing.

A bulk of the cost of the repairs is being covered by a Community Development Block Grant.

Approximately 100 feet of the stone wall is being replaced as well as a 20 to 25 foot retaining wall behind the pool area and Williams Pavilion.

Aside from the fishing moratorium, park activities and events will remain as normal during construction.

Transportation services will be expanded in Snellville in the coming months.

The Snellville Microtransit program, which was piloted by Gwinnett County in 2019, will begin in August and is designed to offer an alternative to ride-share services to and from locations in the city. And a new bus route will be added next month which will take riders from the parking lot at the corner of Wisteria Drive and Highway 78 to the Indian Creek MARTA Station.

To address the lack of connectivity within the Gwinnett County, Ride Gwinnett has expanded microtransit services in Snellville and Lawrenceville. By calling 770-822-5010 or using the MyStop app, those interested in traveling to a destination in the area of Snellville can request a pick up. Rides are $3.

On-demand microtransit is a flexible curb-to-curb shared-ride demand-response mode of passenger transportation, according to Gwinnett transportation officials. Riders request a vehicle — typically a small van or shuttle — through a mobile application or by calling a dispatcher to pick them up and drop them off at a location within a designated microtransit zone. The zones will have connections to fixed route service.

Route 70, which will allow riders to access all MARTA services, is slated to begin operating late next month, possibly early June.

The new proposed fixed route service will have the same fare cost as the existing fixed route service — $2.50 per trip.

For more information visit https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/transportation/gwinnettcountytransit/transitexpansion

Mayor and Council approved a bubble tea shop and deli to occupy the former Krystal restaurant on Highway 78. 

Banh Mi Bubble Tea and Deli, located at 2484 Main St., will take over the vacated building located on the south end of the Towne Center. 

The applicants had to modify their plans for the location several times before gaining approval by Mayor and Council so it would comply with Towne Center uses and guidelines. 

When Snellville Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Greene knocked on his door, 79-year-old Joseph Jones expected the worst.

Greene, who received a citizen-initiated Quality of Life complaint about Jones’ Summit Chase Drive home, climbed the rickety staircase of the corner lot. When he got to the door, Greene’s foot went through the wooden porch outside Jones’ front door.

The porch and the house was riddled more rotten boards, bare wood and overgrown weeds – violations of city Quality of Life regulations. Jones lives alone in the house and is strapped with medical bills. He was looking at about $3,000 in repairs and maintenance to bring his home up to code.

But instead slapping Jones with a lengthy of list of violations, Greene gave the help the widowed man desperately needed.

“He said, ‘I could fine you but I don’t want to,’” Jones said.

“It was very clear under his circumstances that he would never be able to fix everything that needed to be done,” Greene said. “There was no way he’d be able to finance what needed to be done. If I’d issued citations, it would’ve been another burden on him. He would be put on probation and making payments from here on. That wasn’t what needed to be done so I started looking at other solutions of being able to help him without creating another hinderance.”

Greene called his contact at Habitat for Humanity, and soon after, Jones’ home was being refurbished by a crew of 20 or so volunteers from the charitable organization.

“I presented it to Mr. Jones who just really hated to ask somebody for help,” Greene said.

Eventually, Habitat for Humanity met with Jones and determined he did qualify for assistance. A plan was put into motion to rehab his dilapidated house exterior and even some needed repairs inside his home that aren’t regulated by Code Enforcement. The floor in the kitchen was rotted due to a leaky refrigerator he wasn’t able to fix.

Work began in winter with the inside of the house and by March the outside was repaired as well.

This was the second time Greene called on Habitat for Humanity to help someone in need – the first being an elderly woman who lived alone on North Road. Greene also contacted the Rotary Club of Gwinnett Sunrise to help clean up Jones’ yard.

“It feels good,” Greene said. “A lot of people think Code Enforcement is about making money and that’s totally the opposite. The city would rather have voluntary compliance than having you pay fines. Being able to help someone who needs it, that is a citizen of Snellville, that really does make you feel good.”

Jones said he was grateful for Greene’s help. A friendship between the two as a result.

 “The relationship we’ve made, I’d consider him a good friend now,” Greene said. “He knows when he sees me out and about, I’m here to help. Flag me down any time … call me any time.”

For more information about the city’s Quality of Life Unit visit www.snellville.org/planning-development/quality-lifecode-enforcement.

The first ever Family Fun Day at Briscoe Park in 2022 was such a success that Snellville Parks and Recreation decided to make it an annual event!

The 2023 Family Fun Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 at T.W. Briscoe Park in Snellville.

Admission for this event is FREE! There will be multiple main course food trucks along with a dessert food truck. Snellville Police Department and Gwinnett Fire Department will be on site along with other Snellville departments and churches.

Our Briscoe Park youth athletic groups along with other vendors will have booths set up with fun activities!

There will also be face painting, inflatables, games and MORE!

At 8 a.m., Wednesday, April 5, construction crews will temporarily block the southbound lane of Wisteria Drive at the new Snellville Library located at 2245 Wisteria Drive 

This location is indicated in green in the screenshot below. 

A crane will be positioned on the southbound shoulder with outriggers extending into the southbound thru lane. 

Large HVAC equipment is to be hoisted and set onto the library rooftop. 

The northbound lane will remain open during this time.  Crews will employ traffic control measures include road cones, signage and flaggers. 

This work is expected to take approximately four hours, but it is possible it could continue into the afternoon.