How the city works · Two-county city
Buford Government
Buford runs under a commission form of government. A three-person, at-large city commission sets policy, an appointed city manager runs the day-to-day administration, and the city itself provides police, water, sewer, and sanitation across both of its counties.
The commission structure was re-established by the city charter approved in December 1937, and the same commission system has governed the city since. Meetings are public, and the commission's schedule comes from the city itself.
The structure
Three commissioners and a city manager
The commission
Three commissioners are elected at large: a commission chairman, a vice chairman, and one commissioner. The commission is the legislative and policy-making body for the city.
The city manager
An appointed city manager handles the day-to-day operations of the city, under the commission's direction. The current chairman, Phillip Beard, has served since 1975.
The city's own work
What Buford runs, and what the counties keep
The city operates its own police department, water and sewer utility, sanitation, and parks. The county side is the layer the city cannot touch: public schools for addresses outside the city limits, property tax, elections, and parts of emergency response all follow the Gwinnett or Hall county line of the address.
Meetings
Public meetings on a regular schedule
Commission meetings are open to the public and run on a regular schedule published by the city. The commission agenda, the meeting calendar, and the department contacts all live on the official city of Buford website, which is the source to check for the current dates.
An editorial guide, not a listings site. Updated September 13, 2026. Real-estate guidance on this page is provided by Rob Dietrich, REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC.