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The city has lost a beloved employee as James “Allan” Snipes passed away Sunday.

He was 58.

“Public Works is missing a co-worker as well as a friend,” Public Works Director Gaye Johnson said. “Allan had a love for our city and strived to help make it the best it could be. Once he was hired it didn’t take long for us to realize Allan had a lot of skills he was willing to share. He moved up quickly and was dedicated throughout his time here.  Over the years laughing with Allan and his dry sense of humor made memories we will all cherish. We know he’s in a peaceful better place.”

Snipes is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Sherri Jackson Snipes; children, Kyle Snipes , Molly (Tyler) Plunkett and Nicole Snipes; parents, Duggan and Alice Snipes; and brother, Eric (Debra) Snipes.

Snipes was self-employed as a contractor for many years before serving the city as Public Works Project Manager. He was a South Gwinnett graduate, Class of 1980. Following High School he attended DeKalb Community College.

He attended Snellville Church of Christ, loved hunting and restoring vintage cars and motorcycles.

The Memorial Service to celebrate his life will be held at 1 p.m., Oct 9 at Tom M. Wages Snellville Chapel, 3705 Highway 78 West. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 12 p.m. until the time of service.

Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com.

An alumni between South Gwinnett High School baseball players will showcase the athletic talent that can be found right here in Snellville.

Montrell Marshall was drafted out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds and was most recently playing Independent Ball. Chad Smith was drafted out of SGHS by the Texas Rangers and Caberea Weaver is currently with the Chicago White Sox organization.

The impressive list of Major League Baseball-caliber players are a part of the alumni game which takes place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the school.

SGHS Baseball Head Coach Ryan Patterson played at the school from 2009-2013 and hopes people come to support the school’s players – past and present.

“Because I played here and know what this program can be, as well as wanting the community involved with what we are trying to do here, we will be hosting the first annual Alumni South Gwinnett Baseball Game,” Patterson said. “We would love for you to come out and watch us see if we still have it, I will definitely be stealing an at bat at some point. 

There will also be a raffle for a Navy Blue Yeti Cooler with South Baseball engraved on it. The winner will be announced at the game. Tickets are $5 and you can buy them by contacting Patterson at Ryan.Patterson@gcpsk12.org.

SNELLVILLE – City officials are looking for input on what residents would like to see at T.W. Briscoe Park regarding the park’s Master Plan update.

Attendees will have an opportunity to pick prequalified items or improvements they’d like to see at the park – some of those improvements include a gymnasium, hiking trails, more tennis/pickleball courts, updated basketball courts, accessible playground and indoor meeting rooms. The public input meeting is designed to identify the needs of the community as part of Phase III of the park’s Master Plan update.

The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Briscoe Park Office, 2500 Sawyer Parkway, in the Betty McMichael room.

If residents are unable to attend in person, park officials encourage the public to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/3n8Rkth.

“Once we get feedback from this meeting we will buckle down, move onto building design and logistics of items that are of high priority as relayed from the public in this meeting,”’ said Parks & Recreation Director Lisa A Platt, CPRP. 

After the designs and specific items are determined, the Park Advisory Board, then the Mayor and Council, must approve the proposals and then funding sources must be determined.

“We want residents to come to the Sept. 30 meeting and let us know what they want to see at the park,” Platt said. “We depend on residents’ input to make these changes. If you’d like to see something at the park, please attend the meeting and let us know.”

SNELLVILLE — City Controller Jan Burke was awarded a prestigious financial reporting award for the seventh time in eight years.

Burke was given the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for her comprehensive annual financial report.

“I hope this award offers Snellville citizens piece of mind when it comes to how we compile and report the city’s finances,” Burke said. “I am proud to say we are consistently compiling accurate and thorough financial documentation that residents can be confident in.”

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

“This award, which takes an awful lot of extra time and effort, is indicative of Jan’s work ethic and abilities,” City Manager Butch Sanders said. “Our entire staff relies on Jan to do her job well and she has never let us down. Congratulations, Jan!”

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel of GFOA officials to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

Government Finance Officers Association advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 20,500 members and the communities they serve.

SNELLVILLE — Residents will be receiving their city property tax bills directly from City Hall after Sept. 15. 

Due to Unforeseen circumstances in the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner’s Office, the city is now handling all property tax billing and collections.  

Residents are asked to review all new information on tax bills and take special notice that it is important to forward your Real Estate Property Tax bill to your mortgage company as the city is not able to do so. 

“We would like to thank our citizens for having understanding and cooperating with the city regarding this change,” City Manager Butch Sanders said. “We can assure you, your bills and the collection of your taxes will be handled accurately.” 

If a property sale or purchase occurred after Jan. 1, 2021, the property taxes may have been prorated during the real estate closing. For any questions regarding tax liability in a sale/purchase year, contact the closing attorney. Residents with an escrow account must bear responsibility to ensure the taxes are paid. Bills are not mailed directly to mortgage companies. 

Payments can be made by mailing a check, cashier’s check, or money order to Snellville City Hall, Attn: Property Tax, 2342 Oak Road, Snellville GA 30078, or residents can pay in person at City Hall or online at www.snellville.org.

Payment is due by December 15. 

Call 770-985-3500 or visit www.snellville.org/property-tax for more information.  

Once a resident applies for a Homestead Exemption through Gwinnett County, any exemption that is applicable to the city will automatically post to your account with the city. Any information regarding taxes billed and collected from 2020 and back contact the Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner at 770-822-8800. 

SNELLVILLE — City officials are proud to announce the hiring of Matthew Pepper as Assistant City Manager.

Pepper comes to Snellville after having served as the Manager for the City of Oxford in Newton County. He previously worked for the City of Alpharetta’s Economic Development Office.

“Snellville has a reputation for being a well-managed city,” Pepper said. “I want to do my part to help the city continue providing excellent customer service to our residents, build and maintain long-term partnerships with community stakeholders, and keep Snellville a great place to live. I’m excited about the opportunity to work for the city.”

Pepper earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.

“Matt has the right background for what we need in Snellville and he will be a great addition to our staff and community,” said City Manager Butch Sanders. “I am excited he and his family have chosen our community to call home and I believe he can have a long and successful career here.”

Pepper said his interest in public service began as a child when he became involved with the Boy Scouts of America.

“Consequently, I spent a lot of time participating in community service projects with local civic and religious leaders,” he said. “It was an awesome experience to see firsthand how individuals from different backgrounds worked together to serve their community. I knew I wanted a profession where I could continue serving the public. I’m happy to report that I have found it.”

Pepper is married with two children and said he enjoys traveling, reading and baking with his wife.

He can be reached at mpepper@snellville.org.

Soon pedestrians and bikers alike will be able to safely and easily travel from The Grove at Towne Center to T.W. Briscoe Park

Funding for the second phase of the city’s Greenway Trail was approved by Mayor and Council, Monday.

“This is the award of a bid to build phase two of our trail system which will build a trail from City Hall to Briscoe Park,” Mayor Barbara Bender said, “So we will have a trail from our downtown and our city park.”

Alpharetta-based Tri Scapes, Inc. was the lowest bidder with a bid of $606,367.40 to create a trail from the corner of Oak Road and Highway 78 to T.W. Briscoe Park off of Lenora Church Road. The new trail way will link to phase one of the project which runs through the Historic Cemetery, behind Wisteria Drive and into The Grove at Towne Center.

The cost of the project will be covered by $385,000 in Community Development Block Grant money and Special Local Option Sales Tax funds.

Last year, Mayor and Council approved a $1.1 million contract to the Dickerson Group for Phase 1 of the Greenway Trail.

Phase one of the project, the Towne Center Spine, is a .7-mile trail running parallel to Wisteria Drive along a mostly dry creek bed. Phase two of the project, the expected to start within a month, will travel from Oak Road to Main Street on the side of Church on Main – the former First Baptist Church Snellville - to Church Street to Fremont Street. It will then connect to a path off Fremont Street into the Briscoe Park public use area. Phase two could be completed within nine months, City Manager Butch Sanders said.

For the future, the Greenway Trail Plan also calls for a 4.5-mile path from Snellville to Lawrenceville mostly following North Road and Old Snellville Highway, providing an additional connection to Alexander Park, outside Snellville city limits.

There are also plans for a Main Street West / US-78 trail. At almost 5 miles in length, this is the longest and most ambitious of the greenways being planned by the city and Gwinnett County for the area. The goal is to give Snellville and the South Gwinnett area a connection to the existing trail network around Stone Mountain. This is a key connection for the future, as it links the growing Gwinnett County greenway network to the web of trails and greenways in the rest of Atlanta Metro and beyond.

View The Greenway Trail Master Plan.

Mayor and Council awarded the city’s annual street resurfacing, patching and milling projects to Snellville-based E.R. Snell Contractors, Monday.

The streets scheduled for the annual project are: Summit Chase Drive, Masters Lane, Summit Links and Fountain Drive.

The contract of $694,895.78 will come from Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Funds, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax monies and the city’s Public Works Capital Paving Expense line.

If additional funds are remaining after the scheduled road work, Englewood Way, Street Deville and Hugh Drive may see repairs.

North Road to be closed from Oak Road to Wisteria Drive Aug. 30-Nov. 15.

City officials were notified recently that a small stretch of North Road will be closed until Nov. 15 to make way for construction of The Grove at Towne Center.

Construction crews will close North Road from Oak Road to Wisteria Drive as heavy machinery will be moving in and out of the site and construction of the multilevel parking deck takes place.

A flagman will be at the closure full-time to adjust

barricades, flag precast deliveries, and keep local business traffic flowing.

Snellville officials thank you for your patience as this development takes shape.

SNELLVILLE — Mayor and Council adopted a millage rate of 4.588 mills for the seventh consecutive year Monday.

Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic, the city did see new tax revenue growth of $31.29 million over last year. Just four years ago, new growth was on $8.6 million.

Because the proposed levy is slightly higher than the Rollback Millage Rate, Mayor and Council had to hold three public hearings. Citizens did not speak at any hearing.

Last month, Mayor and Council unanimously adopted the staff proposed $13.61 million General Fund budget covering July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.

The budget allows the city to maintain a competitive salary structure in all service areas and addresses infrastructure needs in several areas: $750,000 is budgeted for street resurfacing, needed stormwater repairs/replacement is funded at $950,800 and sanitation/recycling services are maintained with a subsidy of $800,000. Capital equipment spending includes state-mandated election equipment of $53,000, a new dump truck for public works of $70,000 and the aforementioned $385,000 for Phase 2 of the city Greenway which will extend from City Hall to Briscoe Park.