Monday, May 13, 2013
The City of Dacula has received bids related to the plan update and is likely to award the best, most responsive bid during the special called meeting.
The Mayor and Dacula City Council will hold a special called work session and special called city council meeting on May 15, 2013. The work session will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the special called city council meeting at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss matters concerning the 2030 Comprehensive Plan update The City of Dacula received bids through 3 p.m. on May 8, 2013 for professional services in the update of the City 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The bid opening was at 3:05 p.m. at City Hall. Seven companies provided bids that ranged from $120,400 to $19,000. The bids varied widely, but out of the seven, the City received three competitive bids well within the range of costs expected by the City Staff. The bids are being…
Monday, May 6, 2013
Does anyone have a feel for what is considered fine art, and if you do, what is that art worth?
Most think of art in terms of visual arts, i.e. painting, sculpture, jewelry, and the like. Many think of artists in terms of Michelangelo, Rubens, or companies like Tiffany or Faberge, and others. But most modern art isn’t created by folks with innate ability. Artists learn it and develop the sales skills needed to make a living. More likely they are the Warhols of our age. Most of us don’t appreciate some of the fine arts because we don’t like how it looks. After all a pile of sticks is just a pile of sticks no matter how cleverly they are stacked up. Yet the art market in the United States is over a billion dollars per year. Millionaires stalk each other at art auction in places like Christie’s and pay enormous prices for some items …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Do you know anything about this branding effort that greatly affects nearly 40 percent of Georgia’s population?
The innovation crescent is a geographic area and a coalition of more than a dozen counties and entities. It includes Gwinnett County and all of the City of Dacula. This is Georgia’s hub for life sciences. It is Georgia’s answer to the Research Triangle in North Carolina. It includes top research organizations such as Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Georgia, Georgia Gwinnett College, and our Gwinnett Tech. It includes a wide range of science companies, large and small. The Innovation Crescent is becoming the hub of life science in the Southeast. When you consider that Athens is one end of the crescent and Emory, CDC, and Georgia Tech are at the other end, you see that the City of Dacula is at the center…
Monday, April 22, 2013
Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks explains how zoning works and why it is often a contentious issue.
I served as mayor in the early 1970s when there was no comprehensive planning, no zoning (or development regulations) in either Gwinnett County or the City of Dacula. Now we have zoning rules for almost every possible scenario. In the former situation, a resident could build a pig sty, on his own property, adjacent to his neighbor’s bedroom window. Our current zoning resolution (and building regulations) sets up regulations, where certain kinds of building can be built, how large a structure may be, and the like. I suppose arguments could be made for either less zoning or more zoning requirements. The City’s Comprehensive Plan is the overarching suggestion of how the City should look, a guess at how land use may change over time, and …
Monday, April 15, 2013
A country based on a Ponzi scheme tax structure and thousands of pages of regulation, that takes two Philadelphia lawyers to guess at what the correct tax treatment is for any item on the tax return, isn’t long for this world.
Welcome to Tax Day 2013. Was it Mark Twain who said, “There are two sure things in this life: death and taxes?” Let start with the premise, no one likes to pay taxes. Taxes are the necessary inconveniences which supports the services your government provides. In our country at the federal level, we have a progressive tax on the income a person receives. If you make a lot of money, you pay a lot of federal income taxes. On the other hand, if you make little money, you pay less. We are to the point in the United States that about 50 percent of our citizens pay taxes to support federal services for 100 percent of our citizens and residents. Some kinds of income are treated differently from other. Some incomes have special tax treatments. In…
Monday, March 18, 2013
Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks answers questions about our community.
In this week's "Three Questions With the Mayor," Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks provides an update on the latest city news and discusses the upcoming vote on the SPLOST extension. Dacula Patch: What's new in Dacula this week? Mayor Wilbanks: The Dacula Business Association meets this week on Tuesday, March 19, at the Trophy Club (1008 Dacula Road) at 11:45 a.m. Dacula Patch: What is something Dacula residents need to know this week? Mayor Wilbanks: The Planning & Zoning Work Session is on Thursday, March 21, at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Dacula Patch: Do you do any gardening? If so, what is your favorite thing to grow and why? Mayor Wilbanks: I’m not much of a gardener. In my family, my father had the green thumb. I made such an out two years ago, …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks answers questions about our community.
In this week's "Three Questions With the Mayor," Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks provides an update on the latest city news and discusses the worst intersection in Dacula. Dacula Patch: What's new in Dacula this week? Mayor Wilbanks: This seems to be a quiet week for the folks at City Hall which is good in that it allows some time to catch up with things that have been postponed. Dacula Patch: What is something Dacula residents need to know this week? Mayor Wilbanks: One thing I hope folks will never say about me, “The Mayor is not engaged.” I hope everyone understands that I am engaged and am passionate about all things “Dacula.” Dacula Patch: In your opinion, what is the worst intersection in the Dacula area and why? Mayor Wilbanks: The very…
Monday, February 25, 2013
Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks answers questions about our community.
In this week's "Three Questions With the Mayor," Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks provides an update on the latest city news and discusses the Second Amendment. Dacula Patch: What's new in Dacula this week? Mayor Wilbanks: More soaking rains are coming, and perhaps we will see higher than normal winds today (Monday). Since the ground is already saturated, be aware that we may see some tree damage this week. If you are out and about, be aware of your surroundings, and be especially wary of falling debris from the trees above and around you. Dacula Patch: What is something Dacula residents need to know this week? Mayor Wilbanks: Rep. Paul Broun’s staffers will be at Dacula City Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 9 a.m. to noon to assist the …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks delivers biannual stormwater address at Jan. 3, 2013 council meeting.
The City of Dacula has several ordinances designed to prevent damage and contamination from stormwater runoff. At the Jan. 3 Dacula City Council meeting, Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks reminded citizens of the need to avoid polluting area streams, rivers and lakes. Watch the video for Mayor Wilbanks' remarks. You might also be interested in reading:
Monday, December 31, 2012
Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks answers questions about our community.
In this week's "Three Questions With the Mayor," Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks provides an update on the latest city news and discusses the importance of perception. Dacula Patch: What's new in Dacula this week? Mayor Wilbanks: City staff is completing work on all the state-mandated, but not funded, reporting requirements that are due today. These reports are of no value to city residents and provide no benefits for municipal taxpayers -- yet our taxpayers pay for them. They are unfunded mandates from the State Legislature, and will most likely find a place of dusty repose somewhere in state government never again to be seen by any human being. Dacula Patch: What is something Dacula residents need to know this week? Mayor Wilbanks: Speaking …
Jennifer Lott
8:56 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Best original oil on canvas in Atlanta area found at http://mayflowerfineart.com Thank you for the article! :) more ›