City Government

From the Mayor’s Desk- Addressing Power Outages

Published

4 years ago

February 15, 2021

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

Why Are There So Many Power Outages in Our City?

When the electricity goes out in our homes, it disrupts everything. Power outages occur everywhere, and certainly Peachtree Corners has experienced quite a few outages of late. While the City does not control how Georgia Power manages power outages, there are several things that each of us as property owners can do to avoid losing electricity as often as we have in the past.

What are some of the main reasons our power goes out?

• Trees are the most common cause of outages. Anything from a broken limb to a branch
simply touching the line can cause a service interruption. During high winds, trees or debris often falls onto power lines and can cause significant interruptions.
• Animals, particularly squirrels, can affect your power supply.
• Snow and ice can cause outages as trees and power lines are weighed down by accumulations.
• Lightning strikes frequently cause trees to fall onto power lines, and those strikes directly onto towers, poles, distribution lines or transformers can cause lengthy outages.

Why does it take so long to fix a power outage?

When responding to a major outage, Georgia Power’s crews first address problems along distribution lines that serve critical facilities such as hospitals, water filtration plants, and fire and police stations. Therefore, the time it takes to restore power can vary depending on prioritized locations related to public safety and health care needs. The volume of debris down in a storm can also adversely affect the time required for power restoration. Separate crews are needed to remove the cause of an outage, clear paths for other crews to access the locations and remove the debris so that new lines or equipment can be installed.

Why does my neighbor have power and I do not?

There are a couple of possible reasons. One, you may be on a separate feeder system or transformer from your neighbor. Another reason might be the service line to your home may have been damaged and in need of repair before your home can be reconnected.

Does Georgia Power have any plans to clear trees that could cause power outages?

Georgia Power representatives are planning on conducting extensive tree trimming in the city’s rights of way this year and in the years to come as part of their Grid Improvement Program. They hope to be more aggressive with clearing vegetation that is directly adjacent to their electrical distribution system.

I have beautiful trees that grow near the right of way. How much will they be cut back?

Georgia Power representatives say they do their best to avoid trimming to the point of
jeopardizing the health of trees, however, keep in mind the ultimate purpose for cutting and
trimming trees that are close to power lines is to minimize power outages.

How often does Georgia Power plan on coming through our city to cut and trim trees that are
adjacent to the city’s rights of way?

Georgia Power plans on a 36-month cycle of thorough tree pruning, but they will also do an
annual field inspection of their facilities and infrastructure to identify spot locations that need
additional effort.

What about tall, dead, or diseased trees that are on private property but do not hang over the city’s right of way? Can they be trimmed or cut down by Georgia Power with the property owner’s permission?

Georgia Power has tree arborists on staff who can come out at a property owner’s request and
assess whether a tree is in danger of falling onto power lines. They can consider making
arrangements to have trees removed or pruned in coordination with a property owner’s input.

What can we, as homeowners, do to ensure fewer power outages?

Keep trees or bushes on your property pruned back as far away as possible from your service
line and the lines along the road frontage.

Stay Safe
Mike Mason, Mayor

Source: City of Peachtree Corners Press Release

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City Government

The Future of Law Enforcement in Peachtree Corners: Community Meeting

Published

7 days ago

April 14, 2025

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

Flyer for a community meeting regarding law enforcement in Peachtree Corners.

The City of Peachtree Corners will hold an important public meeting on May 8 to discuss the future of law enforcement in our community — including the potential creation of a city police department.

This meeting will feature a presentation by City Manager Brian Johnson on the findings of a comprehensive Police Analysis & Staffing Study that evaluated the feasibility and projected costs of forming a city police department based on current workload, crime levels and community demographics.

The presentation will also include budgetary considerations, comparative models and the advantages and disadvantages of a county vs. city police department.

Following the presentation, there will be time for a Q&A and open dialogue.

In-person attendance is limited to 300. First come, first served. A livestream option will be available for those who can’t attend in person.

After the meeting, a follow-up survey will be available on the city’s project page.

Meeting details

The Future of Law Enforcement in Peachtree Corners

Date/Time: May 8, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Location: Christ the King Lutheran Church (5775 Peachtree Parkway)

For more information, visit peachtreecornersga.gov.

City Government

Councilmember Eric Christ: 2025 Peachtree Corners Municipal Elections

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2025

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

A white man with glasses, wearing a dark colored jacket walking in the road alongside a line of vintage cars.

Source: Peachtree Corners Post 2 Councilmember Eric Christ’s recent newsletter.

Peachtree Corners Municipal Elections Tuesday, November 4 in white font on a blue background.

On Tuesday, November 4, we will have municipal elections here in the City of Peachtree Corners for three council seats. [And] for the first time since 2013, there will be a state-wide election on the same day as our city general election.

The state-wide election is to fill two seats on the Public Service Commission, which regulates Georgia Power and other utilities.

For the PSC election, the Gwinnett County Board of Elections will have all 156 county precincts open on November 4. Historically, Peachtree Corners has had a single voting location for city elections — at City Hall.

If we do the same this year, citizens who want to vote in both the PSC and the City Council elections will need to go to two places to cast their ballots.

A few years ago, I convinced the County Board of Elections to remove their prohibition against the Gwinnett Elections Department managing city elections. (Every county surrounding Gwinnett already offered this service to their cities.)

This means there is the potential of adding our city council elections to the county ballot.

I would like to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons of combining our city council races with the county’s for this year’s elections.

Please complete my brief survey by clicking here.

To sign up for Councilmember Christ’s newsletter or find him on social media, visit linktr.ee/votechrist.

You can read more from his latest newsletter updates here and here.

City Government

City of Peachtree Corners Receives Distinguished Budget Presentation Award

Published

3 months ago

January 31, 2025

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

For the eighth year in a row, the City of Peachtree Corners has been esteemed with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This award was presented by the Georgia Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the City’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget submission.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. To receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a:

policy document
financial plan
operations guide
communications device

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories to receive the award.

Certificate of Recognition

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award.

“Congratulations to the entire finance team on receiving this award,” said City Manager Brian Johnson.

“This recognition is a testament to our team’s hard work, professionalism and commitment to excellence.”

There are over 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website.

Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

About the GFOA

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 21,000 members and the communities they serve.

About the City of Peachtree Corners, Georgia

As the heart of what is being called #SiliconOrchard in the metro Atlanta region, Peachtree Corners is a vibrant municipality that’s home to more than 45,000 residents and an innovation hub that houses some of the world’s most disruptive technology companies.

As the United States’ premier smart city powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G, Peachtree Corners serves as the model for how government and private industry can better collaborate to create a better future for society and business.

From the world’s first deployment of teleoperated e-scooters to fully autonomous shuttles being utilized by actual residents, and from a solar roadway to the largest electric vehicle charging hub in the region, Peachtree Corners is where the most future-forward Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainable technologies come to life for the benefit of its people and the world.

For more information, visit peachtreecornersga.gov.