LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The City of Lawrenceville is moving forward with a major annexation proposal that would bring thousands of residents and businesses into its city limits after reaching an agreement with Gwinnett County.
City officials say the plan, which would add approximately 19,000 new residents from unincorporated Lawrenceville into the city limits, will provide more efficient services and create a stronger sense of community.
The Lawrenceville City Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution during a special meeting Wednesday evening.
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“This will actually take our city limits to major roadways and clear up that confusion of where our city boundaries are,” City Manager Chuck Warbington said. “Most of these individuals already have a Lawrenceville zip code. They already feel like they are in the city.”
The annexation will bring additional tax revenue to Lawrenceville, reducing the percentage of tax-exempt properties in the city and allowing for expanded services, including police, sanitation, and code enforcement. Warbington emphasized that Lawrenceville’s millage rate will remain the same for residents in the annexed area.
“It is not a double taxation,” he said. “Gwinnett County will remove 3.2 mills from their county bill, and then the city of Lawrenceville will add that amount, so the millage rate will be the same. There is no change there.”
The proposal sparked concerns from Gwinnett County in December over the potential of $8.6 million in annual revenue loss and additional public safety impacts, according to a fact sheet presented during the Gwinnett Legislative Breakfast in 2024. Since then, officials say the annexation plan has been adjusted.
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“We worked with the county,” said Warbington. “The county asked to for several areas to be scaled back.”
A county spokesperson said officials worked with the city to modify the plan in a way that aligns with both local and countywide goals.
“While the County expressed concerns with the proposed annexation as originally presented, the county honored the request of our legislative delegation to work with the city to modify the annexation proposal to address the city’s goals and the county’s concerns,” said Gwinnett County spokesperson Deborah Tuff in a statement.
With county opposition now resolved, the next step is state legislative approval. If passed, the measure will go before voters in May 2026, with annexation taking effect in January 2027.
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