How the city works · Gwinnett County
Mulberry City Government
The City of Mulberry uses a council-manager form of government: five council members, one elected from each of five districts, a mayor chosen by the council from among its own members, and a professional city manager who runs day-to-day administration.
The council meets in public on a regular monthly schedule, with a public-comment period built into every meeting, and it publishes agendas and minutes ahead of time. For a city this new, the structure is deliberately plain: five districts, one clear chain of decision, and citizen boards that hear the planning work first.
The structure
Council, mayor, and city manager
The charter sets up a five-member city council, and each member represents one district inside the city rather than running county-wide. The council selects one of its own as mayor, so the mayor is also a district council member, and a mayor pro tem fills in when the mayor is away. Professional staff, led by a city manager, handle the day-to-day operations under the council's direction.
In its first term the city elected a council by district and chose Michael Coker of District 2 as its first mayor, with the council order and membership set at the first organizing meetings. Seats change by election like any Georgia city, so the staff list on the city's official site, not any guide, is the current source for who holds which seat.
The office work
What the city government actually does
Remember the limited-service design and the government's job list stays short. The planning commission and zoning board of appeals hear land-use and zone applications first, and the council makes the final votes on planning and zoning, code enforcement policy, and the stormwater program. Those three areas are the whole of the city's own work; everything else still sits with Gwinnett County.
One limit is worth knowing before you call: the city cannot raise a property-tax millage without a public vote, and it does not own the schools, the police, or the parks. Questions in those areas go to the county.
Meetings
When the council meets, and how to follow along
Regular council meetings are held in public on a monthly schedule approved by the council, generally in the evening, with special called meetings when urgent business comes up. Agendas are published ahead of the meeting, and minutes become the permanent record.
Every regular meeting includes a public-comment period, which is the direct way to speak to the whole council on the record. Meetings are also streamed so residents can follow without attending, and the agenda center on the city's official website collects the calendar, the agendas, and the recordings in one place.
Engagement
How residents engage with the city
- Find your district and contact your council member directly; every seat has one neighborhood it represents.
- Attend a meeting and use the public-comment period to speak on the record.
- Serve on the citizen boards, starting with the planning commission and zoning board of appeals.
- Check the official agenda center for anything scheduled before you write or call.
- Vote in city elections through the county election office, which runs the city's elections too.
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.