Author: On Common Ground News

As Gwinnett County approaches the 2020 property tax season, Tax Commissioner Richard Steele is sharing information about what taxpayers can expect to see on their tax bills this year. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted its 2020 millage rates on Aug. 18. The new property tax for economic development, a tax of 0.3 mills, was included in the resolution.  According to the Board’s resolution, the new tax will “provide funds for financial assistance to the Development Authority of Gwinnett County for economic development purposes.” Also, according to the BOC resolution, taxpayers in unincorporated Gwinnett, and those in cities…

ATLANTA–Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the City of Atlanta has allocated $22 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to the Atlanta COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide housing support to Atlanta residents. Administered by United Way of Greater Atlanta, the program will provide rental, utility, and/or security deposit assistance to more than 6,700 City of Atlanta residents through a network of local service providers, who were selected through a Request for Proposal process. City of Atlanta residential renters who have experienced a loss of income because of COVID-19 will be able to receive assistance with the payment of…

By Vernon Jones We live in a nation where we are told racism is no longer tolerated. We often see entire careers ruined because statements people made decades ago are taken out of context. However, despite making racist comment after racist comment, Joe Biden always seems to get a pass. He has a record of making inflammatory comments toward black Americans throughout his entire political career, but Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media never bat an eye. We cannot allow those in power to cover for Joe Biden’s nasty history of racism anymore. It may bring back…

Two Rockdale County Commissioners say they have serious concerns about a $297,000 contract Chairman Oz Nesbitt is proposing to give an Atlanta company to supervise 56 children of county government workers for 82 days while the students attend classes virtually. Commissioner Sherri L. Washington and Doreen Williams say the contract was never put out for bid or presented to them for ratification by Nesbitt, who chairs the three-member Board of Commissioners. Nesbitt is proposing to give the contract to Positive Outcomes, LLC, which ran his five-day summer youth enrichment program in 2019. More than 30 rising sixth graders attended the…

Today, Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced that the State of Georgia successfully sold $1.133 billion in two different series of general obligation bonds to fund new construction projects and equipment, make repairs and renovations to existing facilities, and purchase and retire outstanding bonds to achieve debt service savings. “Georgia works diligently to maintain our coveted triple-A bond rating,” said Gov. Kemp. “I am incredibly proud of our state’s fiscal responsibility and efficient use of taxpayer resources, and I commend Lieutenant Gov. Geoff Duncan, Speaker David Ralston, and the General Assembly for their partnership to maintain Georgia’s strong financial track record.…

Rockdale County Commissioner Sherri L. Washington is inviting the public to participate in a virtual discussion relating to the setting of the Millage rate on Thursday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m., via the Rockdale County Government Official Facebook Page. Participants will hear from Commissioner Washington, Tax Commissioner Tisa Smart-Washington, Tax Assessor Will Barkley and Finance Director Roselyn Miller about the topic. The public can submit questions via email with subject line Millage Rate to: sherri.washington@rockdalecountyga.gov. The livestreamed meeting will ensure the public gets their questions answered prior to the Board of Commissioners setting the millage rate, which is scheduled to occur…

The Stonecrest Housing Authority will have a Special Called meeting on Friday, August 21, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss Workforce Housing. The meeting will be held via Zoom.

A DeKalb County Sanitation Division administrative building employee has tested positive for COVID-19. All employees who work in the administrative office and who may have come in contact with that employee will be tested and quarantined according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Additionally, the Sanitation Division’s administrative building has been sanitized. Customers seeking sanitation services can call 404-294-2900 or use the following email options: Commercial service – CommercialService@dekalbcountyga.gov New residential service – NewResidentialService@dekalbcountyga.gov Roll cart requests or inquiries – Sanitation3720@dekalbcountyga.gov All other inquiries or requests not listed above – Sanitation@dekalbcountyga.gov To submit bulky item or special collection…

STONECREST—If you love steamed crabs, check out Annie’s Crab Kingdom, 6768 Browns Mill Road. Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, yep, DeKalb County Commissioner, is the owner of the new restaurant, which opened about three weeks ago.  Annie’s, named for Cochran-Johnson’s auntie, gets an A+ for a superb meal and awesome service. 470-545-0230 https://youtu.be/eu_6JM54sSQ