Building the City
- Took over planning and zoning from Gwinnett County on January 1, 2025
- Lifted the moratorium on new development activity and now handle every request from residents and developers
- Stood up the Mulberry Planning and Development Department from scratch
- Designed and implemented a transfer permit process within 24 hours of Gwinnett County cancelling all in-process Mulberry permits on January 2, 2025
- Officially opened Mulberry City Hall
- Set up two office suites within the first ten months of operation
- Launched the City of Mulberry public website
- Launched the City's GIS Web App for public use
- Implemented the Municode platform so residents can access every city ordinance
- Implemented JustFOIA to handle public records requests
- Built out IT infrastructure including cybersecurity, cameras, and access control for City Hall and the Marshal's Office
- Resolved 202 of 205 IT support requests in year one (98.5%)
- Created the City of Mulberry's Official Seal
- Held the first City Council Retreat and the first City Staff Retreat
Serving Residents and Businesses
- Issued 1,714 building permits in year one
- Issued 261 new business licenses
- Completed 5,799 inspections
- Completed 1,293 plan reviews
- Issued 228 certificates of occupancy and 50 certificates of completion
- Handled more than 12,000 phone calls and 20,000 emails — providing hands-on guidance to applicants navigating new processes
- Welcomed 8 new businesses to Mulberry with ribbon cuttings
- Completed 59 Open Records Requests
- Supported 33 City Council meetings, 7 Court sessions, 9 Planning Commission hearings, and 3 Zoning Board of Appeals hearings
- Earned U.S. Census Bureau certification for population and housing in our first year of operation
Setting the Rules of the Road
- Adopted an interim Comprehensive Plan to guide growth in alignment with Council's vision
- Reviewed and adjusted the inherited Gwinnett County Unified Development Ordinance before initial adoption
- Facilitated adoption of the city's zoning map
- Processed 11 text amendments addressing quasi-judicial timeframes, build-to-rent standards, short-term rental regulations, planned unit developments, water and sewer standards, access easement requirements, and more
- Made five separate adjustments to the development moratorium, incrementally loosening restrictions as internal capacity grew
- Established and trained the Planning Commission, including drafting rules of procedure and bylaws
- Established and trained the Zoning Board of Appeals, including drafting rules of procedure and bylaws
- Processed 9 rezoning cases and 6 variance cases through the new boards in their inaugural year
- Implemented a third-party plan review process as required by state law
- Adopted a non-combustible construction ordinance to strengthen life-safety standards
- Created 14 application processes within the city's permitting system
Standing Up Public Safety
- Established the Mulberry Marshal's Office
- Hired the city's first sworn Marshal in September 2025
- Hired the city's first Sergeant in October 2025
- Earned formal recognition from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) as a Law Enforcement Agency
- Established the Marshal's Office Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) for access to Georgia Crime Information Center data
- Re-striped three patrol vehicles for Marshal use
- Acquired the Justice One records management system for the field and in-office operations
- Acquired tasers, radios, body cameras, and in-car cameras for patrol
- Established the Mulberry Municipal Court, including drafting enabling ordinances and supporting implementation
- Directed approximately $400,000 in court fees and code-enforcement funds back into the remediation and restoration of property and land impacted within the city
Building a Sound Financial Foundation
- Closed FY 2025 with $3,404,490 in revenue
- Held FY 2025 expenditures to $2,176,269
- Closed the year with a fund balance of $1,228,221
- Achieved a 77.19% fund balance ratio — equivalent to roughly 9.26 months of operating coverage
- Adopted and refined the city's fee schedule, generating $2.19 million in Planning and Development fees in year one
- Established the occupational tax certificate program — Mulberry's first business-related revenue stream
- Created the hotel/motel tax program tied to ongoing economic activity
- Secured Local Issuing Authority (LIA) status within 90 days of incorporation, allowing erosion control plan reviews for projects under one acre to be handled in-house
- Initiated a Memorandum of Agreement to bring all erosion control plan review fully in-house
Setting the Foundation for the Long Term
- Initiated the transition of stormwater services from Gwinnett County to the City of Mulberry
- Identified Mulberry's stormwater inventory: 123.87 miles of conduits; 9,978 inlets (catch basins, junction boxes, headwalls, yard inlets, plumes, weirs); 2 ponds; 4 dams; 506 BMP facilities
- Projected FY 2027 stormwater utility revenue of approximately $1.94 million
- Conducted a comprehensive legal review of Gwinnett County's 10-Year Service Delivery Strategy
- Identified services for immediate City assumption — comprehensive long-range planning, municipal court and indigent defense, development and code enforcement, economic development, municipal elections, probation services, zoning, and stormwater
- Negotiated 800-MHz radio service arrangements on terms consistent with similarly situated municipalities
Putting Mulberry on the Map
- Held a feature publication in James Magazine
- Built and refined the city's website with dedicated pages for Planning and Development, Marshal, Court, and citizen services
- Welcomed 8 new businesses with ribbon cuttings — establishing Mulberry as a city open for business
- Created the City of Mulberry's Official Seal as a lasting symbol of civic identity
