Photos by George Hunter
Consider a high-performance vehicle — bright, shiny and powerful. It leaps ahead quickly when it needs to, but can also settle back to a comfortable cruising speed. It’s nimble, able to turn on a dime or smoothly reverse direction, if need be.
Ever wished for a vehicle like that? The good news is that if you live within the city limits of Peachtree Corners, you already have one.
Gwinnett County’s largest and newest city has a most efficient “vehicle” for governing its home turf — a staff helmed by experienced department heads who put their shoulders to the wheel, are adept at balancing the sometimes-clashing interests of residents, the business community and other constituencies and aren’t afraid to embrace unconventional approaches.
Financial Director- Cory Salley
Cory Salley, the city’s financial director, is another of those people who stretch over a broader landscape than is the norm.
Salley arrived in the Corners after stints in Garden City and Anniston, Ala. Johnson brought him to suburban Atlanta.
His suite of responsibilities includes being in charge of the administrative functions of the city budget, accounting, tracking where city money is spent and making sure it’s done appropriately, working with the city’s independent auditors, payroll, business license applications and alcohol permits.
“We pay all the bills and receive all the money that comes to the city as well,” he added.
Most of Peachtree Corner’s income derives from business licenses and franchise fees as the city has no property tax. That may make it a bit more challenging, because the city can’t increase the millage rate like other communities can, but Salley stressed that “even cities with property taxes have to make projections and live within their means like we do.”
And it must be pointed out that having no property tax is a major selling point.
His journey to handling money for Peachtree Corners was a bit circuitous. After getting an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Georgia, Salley realized that the field was a broad category, and he wanted to continue to a master’s degree.
A master’s in public administration with a specialization in public finance from the University of Georgia resulted. That, plus tagging along with a relative’s wife who worked for a regional planning commission, piqued his interest in local government.
Like Ramsey, Salley laments having to tell folks no sometimes, but he recognizes its inevitability.
He started with the then 8-year-old city in March of 2020, just in time for the COVID-19 epidemic to roar to life. He helped with the handling and disbursement of federal aid money to businesses.
Riffing off of that rapidly evolving situation, Salley said he’s glad to be working with a young, vibrant city, as opposed to an older city with legacy costs and more bureaucracy. “It allows us to be pretty flexible. If we see a need arise, we’re able to pivot and meet it pretty quickly,” he explained. “This is probably the most responsive government I’ve ever worked for.”
Some late nights become a necessity during budget season. He doesn’t mind coming early and staying later, “although I do have six small kids, so if I stay late, my wife might kill me,” he joked.
When not perched over the metaphorical adding machine, Salley said, he likes to play tennis and hang out with his family.
