The City of Sugar Hill is unveiling a new web-based Digital Budget Book powered by ClearGov, a provider of Budget Clear Management software for local governments in 2024. Sugar Hill’s comprehensive Digital Budget Book will include the general fund and capital improvement project budgets.
These budgets will be accessible online through an easy-to-navigate website with interactive content to make complex financial data easy to understand for all. .
City Manager Paul Radford says: “We are excited to partner with ClearGov to provide comprehensive and transparent explanations of our budgeting processes. We encourage residents to dive into the platform to discover all of the city’s services and the resources necessary to deliver them.”
The ClearGov platform allows residents to understand better what is included in the budget broken down by department. The public can see how funds are generated and allocated and have an understanding of how the city’s annual budget impacts community programs and services. The Digital Budget Book will be accessible through the city’s website. Residents can access this data 24/7 to provide feedback or ask questions about a highlighted project.
Mayor Pro Tem Marc Cohen maintains: “With this platform, the City Council continues its commitment to enhancing transparency, fostering active community engagement, and streamlining operations within our city.”
Pet adoption fees waived this weekend at shelter
Gwinnett County is seeking to help shelter pets find their forever homes during this weekend. The Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center will host Shelter Pets Rock on Saturday, November 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with family-friendly activities, music, entertainment and local vendors.
Pet adoption fees will be waived at the annual event, hosted by Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement.
Animal Center Director Vernon Sawyer says: “Shelter Pets Rock is a wonderful opportunity for people to come out to the center, meet all of the amazing animals we have here and enjoy an afternoon of fun. Shelter animals make great pets with their companionship and unconditional love. We’re excited to help our pets find their forever families.”
Gwinnett Animal Welfare takes in approximately 7,000 lost, stray and surrendered animals each year. All adoptable cats and dogs come with a microchip, spay/neuter services and rabies vaccinations. Adoptions are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- For more information about Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement, visit GwinnettAnimalWelfare.com and follow @GwinnettAnimalShelter on Facebook. The At Center is located at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville.
Student shares his success with 1st generation students
A pitch for a business competition at Georgia State University in 2016 was the impetus behind the establishment of the Georgia First Generation Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Gwinnett County, which has helped more than 750 students consider next steps after high school graduation.
Aoun
The Georgia FirstGen brochure begins like a novel. “On a cold and rainy February morning, Charbel Aoun, MS ’21 (PharmD ’25) and Francisco Martinez, MS ‘21 were in a college study area when they entered the competition.
“Being the first in their families to graduate from high school and attend college, Aoun and Martinez understood the real, yet not impossible barriers that students face when working to achieve a college education.”
Though they did not win the competition, a wave of interest from the community spurred the two on to forming a nonprofit organization to support the growth and success of first generation high school students and, just as importantly, to create a sense of belonging and community for these students.
Aoun, a third-year pharmacy student at PCOM Georgia, is the founding executive director. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University in physics and astronomy, Martinez, a Lanier High School graduate from Sugar Hill, completed a master’s degree in physics from Georgia Tech and works as a data analyst.
To date, Georgia FirstGen has student chapters at seven Gwinnett County high schools and has served 750 first generation students who have more than a 95 percent acceptance rate into college, according to Aoun. In addition, Aoun has helped organize more than 45 educational meetings and conferences.
“These events have served as a platform for students from underrepresented backgrounds to gain valuable insights into higher education and career opportunities,” he says. “Witnessing the impact of these events on students’ lives has been incredibly gratifying. It reaffirms my belief that education can transform lives and break down barriers.”
Last year, Aoun was named to the 35 Under 35 class by the Gwinnett Young Professionals, which is sponsored by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. This year, Georgia Trend magazine recognized Aoun, 27, as a member of the 2023 class of 40 Under 40 and placed his photo on the cover of the magazine as the youngest to receive this year’s recognition.
Aoun grew up in Gwinnett County and is a product of Gwinnett County Public Schools, graduating from Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville. The first of five children, he was born in the early ‘90s shortly after his parents met and were married following their immigration to the United States in hopes of pursuing a fresh start – his father from Lebanon and his mother from Syria.
Aoun earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Georgia State University, before matriculating into PCOM Georgia in Suwanee in 2018 where he earned a Master of Science degree in organizational development and leadership. He then enrolled in the Doctor of Pharmacy program.
His plans include merging his passion for pharmacy with his commitment to leadership and education.
Georgia Archives recognizes local authors for Gwinnett book
From left are Drs. Ashwani Monga, executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer of the University System of Georgia; Michael Gagnon; Matthew Hild; and Toby Graham dean of University of Georgia Libraries). Dr. Hild’s certificate contains a photo of the historic Gwinnett County Court House.
The Georgia Archives has recognized Gwinnett College historian Michael Gagnon, and co-editor, Matthew Hild of Georgia Tech, with a Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council award for “Excellence in Documenting Georgia History.” This is for the publication of Gwinnett County, Georgia, and the Transformation of the American South, 1818-2018.
Other contributors to this book include Georgia Gwinnett College history faculty Drs. Richard Cook, Jr., David Mason, and Carey Shellman, as well as former GGC history faculty, Dr. Erica Metcalfe. GGC history alumna, Katheryn Nikolich, also contributed a chapter to this volume.
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