A reorganization of the Gwinnett Juvenile Court system is coming as a result of a Board of Commission approval this week. The decision will establish a new administrative department and move administration of Juvenile Court to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Vereen
Under the approved structure, employee positions would be transferred to the newly created Department of Child Advocacy and Juvenile Services and report to the County Administrator. The department will be headed up by Michelle Vereen, a veteran staff member in Gwinnett County Juvenile Court. The changes go into effect May 28, 2022.
As it now stands, the guardian ad litem, court-appointed special advocates and probation officers under the court report to the juvenile court judges. This could cause potential or perceived conflicts with employees’ ability to independently investigate cases and offer recommendations to the court. The reorganization will allow for the independence required and open up opportunities for the new department to apply for grants, prepare for future legislative changes and tap into County resources.
Matic is new county chief deputy tax commissioner
New Tax Commissioner Denise R. Mitchell has appointed Lisa Matic as Gwinnett County’s chief deputy tax commissioner.
Matic
Matic joined the Gwinnett Tax Commissioner’s Office in 2002 and has been director of property tax since 2021. She has held progressively responsible positions, beginning her career as an assistant manager, then being promoted to branch manager, senior tax business manager at the Lawrenceville tag office, then senior tax business manager in charge of delinquent collections.
Mitchell
Mitchell says: “Ms. Matic has more than 20 years of experience with our office and possesses expertise in both motor vehicle and property tax. She is proactive and extremely knowledgeable about the laws, rules and regulations that govern the operations of this office.”
Matic earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Columbia Southern University, and is a graduate of Gwinnett County’s LEAD Academy and the EXCEL Leadership Program.
Born in Long Beach, Calif., she has been a resident of Gwinnett since 1984, and lives in Lawrenceville with her husband. They have a son and daughter, both graduates of the University of Georgia. Her son is a mechanical engineer and her daughter is in her first year at the UGA vet school.
Jackson EMC participating in 68-megawatt solar project
Jackson EMC participated in a dedication event to “flip the switch” on a new 68-megawatt (MWAC) Houston Solar Project that provides clean energy for members in Houston County, Ga. Jackson EMC is among 30 Georgia electric cooperatives that will collectively share in the site’s power production.
Green Power EMC, the renewable energy provider owned by 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs) including Jackson EMC, is purchasing all the energy and environmental attributes generated by the Houston Solar site on behalf of its member cooperatives. Jackson EMC’s share of the Houston Solar Project will bring the cooperative’s total solar capacity to 44 megawatts, enough to completely power roughly 10,000 homes.
As a clean energy source, the solar site’s environmental offset is equivalent to approximately 124,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The Houston Solar site also co-locates renewable energy production with regenerative agriculture practices on the same land, including land management using planned sheep grazing.
Lamme elected vice president of state conservation group
Lamme
Georgia Association of Conservation Districts elected Ellis Lamme as vice president at its Annual Meeting. He is a native of Portsmouth, Ohio and has lived in the suburbs of Atlanta for almost 30 years. In 2000, he was elected as chairman of the Gwinnett County Soil and Water Conservation District Board and has since been re-elected for three terms. He also currently serves as President of the Upper Ocmulgee River Resource Conservation and Development Council, a multi-county environmental organization based out of Lawrenceville. He and his wife of 24 years, Phyllis, live on a 12-acre farm in Dacula, where they plant and maintain a huge summer garden, grow blueberries and Muscadine grapes, black walnuts, and care for several chickens. Phyllis Lamme is president of a civil engineering/surveying firm based in Gwinnett County, McFarland-Dyer and Associates, Inc.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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