Gwinnett Daily Post

SNELLVILLE -- City council members voted unanimously Monday to engage the services of Cumming attorney Kevin Tallant to serve as the city's legal counsel. Tallant, founding partner of Miles, Patterson, Hansford and Tallant, was appointed by Snellville Mayor Kelly Kautz following interim city attorney Stuart Oberman's recent resignation. The attorney will bill the city $185 an hour, a rate considerably lower than his firm's normal billing rate.

City councilmen Dave Emanuel and Bobby Howard both remarked Monday that Tallant will be a welcome addition to the "team" of Snellville leadership.

City presents $10K check to Partnership Gwinnett

Nick Masino, Senior Vice President of Economic Development and Partnership Gwinnett (a Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce program, was on hand at Monday's city council meeting. The city of Snellville presented Masino with a $10,000 check for another year of participation in the Partnership Gwinnett initiative, a coordinated effort to grow community development, the local work force, redevelopment and publicity for Gwinnett County and its cities.

"Our relationship with Partnership Gwinnett has grown considerably over the past year," said Eric Van Otteren, Snellville's Economic Development Director.

Committee moving ahead on Towne Center design

Snellville's Urban Redevelopment Authority, chaired by former city councilman Tod Warner, is looking ahead with respect to designing the planned Towne Center, a city gathering and event venue concept. A Feb. 21 meeting led by Kevin McComber, Vice President of Clark Patterson Lee (surveyors and architects) and Suwanee city councilman, was "inspiring and rousing," according to Warner.

Referring to the Authority -- vice-chaired by former mayor Jerry Oberholtzer -- Warner said, "We're looking to be a catalyst for moving the Towne Center design forward."