2021 County Annual Report

Forsyth County Government’s Annual Report for 2021

Forsyth County, Georgia Quick Facts The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is made up of five Date of members, each living in a specific district and elected by their Incorporation district to serve four-year terms. Each January, the five members elect officers for the coming year. December 3, 1832 The mission of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is to exercise Form of the powers, duties and responsibilities vested in and imposed upon it as the duly Government constituted governing authority of Forsyth County. Commission- The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meets in regular session twice a month, County Manager on the first and third Thursdays. The board also holds a work session twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays. The meetings are held in the County Administration Total Area Building. The meetings are open to the public, and they also can be viewed on TV 247 Square Miles Forsyth (Xfinity Channel 23 and AT&T Channel 99) and online at forsythco.com. 2021 Population Forsyth County operates under the commission-county manager form of government. 251,283* County Government Employees 1,534 Full-Time 1,200 Part-Time *Source: U.S. Census Bureau as of April 1, 2020 2022 Board of Commissioners Administration DISTRICT 1 DISTRICT 2 DISTRICT 3 DISTRICT 4 DISTRICT 5 Molly Cooper Alfred John Todd Levent Cindy Jones Mills Laura Semanson Kevin Tanner Vice Chairwoman Chairman Secretary Member Member County Manager

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YEAR IN REVIEW 2021 Several major road projects saw progress with the beginning of the Forsyth County joined the Atlanta BIG CREEK GREENWAY (PHASE V) widening of SR 369 as well as a new Regional Commission in the summer overpass at SR 400. An extension of of 2021. This partnership Ronald Reagan Blvd. also began work between the ARC and County along with the widening of Pilgrim Mill Rd. and more. leaders gives Forsyth an opportunity to have more In November, the Board of resources when Commissioners approved the addressing the future installation of a water intake facility of transportation, water and pump station along Lake infrastructure and Lanier to provide security, reliability economic development. and resiliency of the water supply for the County. This will also create water The Big Creek Greenway > > > independence and annual savings opened Phase V in June which added over four and a upwards of $3 million. half miles to the system ending at Sawnee Mountain. Along with a renovated section in the south, the trail now stretches over 15 miles across the County. The Fowler Water Reclamation Facility received a big upgrade and expansion leading operational capacity from 2.5 million gallons per day to 5 million. This allows operations to run more efficiently for residents now and in the future.

The County hosted several vaccine New and revamped digital tools were introduced to events in partnership with the state and residents over the year as the County continues to find Northside Hospital Forsyth. Elected officials more ways to connect with the community. Some of these and state leaders, including Lt. Gov. Geoff tools include the newly designed County website and a Duncan and House Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, mobile app, Connect2Forsyth, that allows residents to visited these sites to see how Forsyth County report concerns, pay water bills, read County news and more. effectively and safely administered vaccines to the public. In May, the Board of Commissioners approved a waterline extension policy that outlines how residents can apply for County water services in areas currently not served by the County. The application can be found on the County’s website. Forsyth County’s Ground was broken on an expansion project for Lanierland Park that will feature social media presence several tennis courts, baseball fields, an inclusive playground and more. A park continued to grow with improvement project also began at Sawnee Mountain Park that will update ballfields, the Fire Department lighting and add an inclusive playground. launching their Facebook page in April and the County taking its recruiting efforts to new heights with LinkedIn.

HOW IS THE Finance GOVERNMENT FUNDED? General Fund Revenue Four sources comprise the majority of the General Fund. Taxes 78.3% includes taxes from property, motor vehicles, cable television, alcohol excise, intangible property, real estate transfer tax, financial institutions and the local option sales tax. Charges for Services 12.7% includes parks and recreational fees, judicial fees, sheriff and correctional fees and sales of printed materials. Licenses and Permits 4% includes business licenses, a portion of motor vehicle tag fees, alcohol licenses and permits throughout unincorporated Forsyth County. Fines and Forfeitures 1.6% related to the courts and restitution.

HOW ARE PROPERTY TAXES CALCULATED? Millage Rate A millage rate is the amount per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. The Board of Commissioners sets the millage rates for the Maintenance & Operations, Fire District and Bonds (the Forsyth County Board of Education sets the millage rate levied to fund schools). In 2021, the Board of Commissioners decreased the Bond millage rate by .040 mills and kept the same rate for M&O and Fire, for a total millage rate of 7.896. This rate is used to calculate the property taxes that will fund the 2022 budget. • 4.791 mills – M&O • 2.175 mills – Fire District • 0.930 mills – Bond HOW ARE COUNTY The County Maintenance & FUNDS EXPENDED? Operations millage rate funds: • Judicial System • Parks & Recreation • Tax Commissioner • Libraries • Sheriff’s Office • Tax Assessor • Board of Commissioners • Code Enforcement • Coroner • Planning & • Health and Welfare Community including Senior Services Development

House Ads Videos: Newsletter: Podcast: tvforsyth.com yourforsyth.com FoCo15.podbean.com fb.com/ instagram.com/ tvforsyth.com twitter.com/ linkedin.com/ forsythcounty forsythcountyga forsythcogov company/forsyth- government county-government Forsyth County Government’s Annual Report for 2021 Board of Commissioners • 110 E. Main Street, Suite 210, Cumming, Georgia 30040 • (770) 781-2101 forsythco.com • TV Forsyth: AT&T 99, Comcast 23 or tvforsyth.com