Suwanee City Council selects Mayor Pro Tem., hears FY 2014 audit

SUWANEE - Beth Hilscher will serve a second consecutive term as Mayor Pro Tempore of Suwanee.<br /> <br /> She was approved unanimously by the council at its meeting Tuesday evening.<br /> <br /> "I'm pleased. I'm happy to have my colleagues re-elect me to that position," said Hilscher.<br /> <br /> The position serves a one-year term, and functions as the mayor should he be absent, functioning as a second-in-command.<br /> <br /> Hilscher, an attorney, was elected to City Council in 2012, filling an unexpired post.<br /> <br /> <b>COUNCIL HEARS RESULTS OF FISCAL YEAR 2014 AUDIT</b><br /> <br /> Joel Black from Mauldin & Jenkins, a financial group that audits more than 250 government entities, gave the council the results of the FY 2014 audit.<br /> <br /> Overall, he said the city is doing well, especially shrinking its debt.<br /> <br /> According to Black, the city's deficit has dropped from $957 million in 2010 to $742 million in 2014.<br /> <br /> "(Suwanee) is making (its) scheduled payments on time," said Black.<br /> <br /> One item that Black complimented the city on was its transparency, saying that his team had no trouble finding information when they needed it.<br /> <br /> "The city's very open,...very clean, very professional," said Black.<br /> <br /> He says that one thing that helps is that there are no disagreements from the city's management when it comes to accounting concerns.<br /> <br /> Overall, he said the city is headed in the right direction with no serious problems.<br /> <br /> <b>OTHER BUSINESS</b><br /> <br /> -Council approved a special use permit to allow a massage therapy practice to move into a new location on Suwanee Dam Road.<br /> <br /> -A speed zone ordinance was approved for law enforcement to use speed detection devices on Interstate 85 within the city limits. This needed to be updated since the DOT upped the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph.<br /> <br /> -Elvira Rogers took the oath of office as the city's Election Superintendent.