Gwinnett adopts new land-buying rules

LAWRENCEVILLE - The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has adopted new rules for buying land that require the county to report all land acquisitions to a grand jury every three months.

Under the rules adopted Tuesday, the county will be prohibited from buying land to settle zoning lawsuits, and employees will be required to report any contact with someone advocating a land purchase.

The new rules, which take effect immediately, stem from accusations that commissioners paid too much for land in deals that benefited friends at the expense of taxpayers.

Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash says it's difficult to say whether the rules would have prohibited the questionable deals if they had been in place.

Nash was elected in March. She hopes to present a revised ethics policy to commissioners by early September.