MULBERRY, Ga. — A city that promised residents no city taxes may now have to raise taxes in order to pay for a police force.
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Right now, when you call 911 in Mulberry, you get a police officer from the Gwinnett County Police Department. Some residents say this is how they want it, but some city leaders say it is time to consider other options.
Mulberry City Councilman Doug Ingram chairs the committee weighing whether Mulberry should swap Gwinnett County Patrols for a city police force.
Gwinnett police are still looking for a woman wanted for opening fire on another driver in Mulberry last week in a road rage encounter.
“When we hear about incidents involving road rage and gunfire, it certainly is a call to action,” Ingram said.
Committee records show Mulberry property owners already pay Gwinnett nearly $10 million a year for policing.
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“Our objective today is to receive the most amount of services for the existing cost structure that we have today,” Ingram said.
One resident, Henry Eason, has lived in Mulberry for 53 years. He said he’s been against a city force from the start.
“I don’t think we need one because Gwinnett County does an accurate job here,” Eason said. “If they did add a police department, it’s going to come up, raise our taxes, which they say we wasn’t going to have taxes.”
Mulberry became a city in 2025 on a charter that barred a city property tax. The city moved to strike that language in April with Gwinnett already suing the dissolve Mulberry.
The city manager’s July estimate of $12.5 million a year for a Mulberry police department tops what reside4nts now pay Gwinnett.
Ingram said he is seeking public input before anything is finalized.
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