Capitol Connection E-Newsletter – September 2018

ACCG Policy Council Proposes 2019 Legislative Agenda and Recommends Priorities

The ACCG Policy Council met on Thursday, September 13 in Athens-Clarke County to review the recommendations of each of the association's seven standing policy committees. The Council approved the recommendations, which will go before the entire ACCG membership during the Legislative Leadership Conference (LLC) business session, and recommended issues as the top five 2019 Legislative Priorities.

During the meeting, members of the Policy Council proposed an amendment to the policy position on Tag and Title Agent Fees under the Revenue and Finance section. The amendment, highlighted in red text, is as follows:

*Issue: Tag and Title Agent Fees

Although tag and title administration is a state function, counties currently provide most of the equipment and personnel for administering the tag and title system but have not received an increase in compensation for such services. The costs to counties for these functions are increasing, particularly in light of the state’s transition to a new computerized title, tag, and driver records system. Currently, counties receive only $.50 for each title processed and $1.00 for each tag processed. ACCG recommends that title fees and the tag fee be raised to an amount that fully funds the cost of providing the service, with all of these additional funds being paid to the counties to help pay for the operations of county tax commissioners' offices. 

Please click here to review the proposed 2019 Legislative Agenda and Priorities. County officials are strongly encouraged to review the proposed Agenda, as well the association's Guiding Principles, in preparation for the LLC business session.

Remember to Appoint your County Voting Delegate

ACCG is asking for each county to designate a voting delegate to represent their local government during the business session at the 2018 Legislative Leadership Conference. Voting delegates will vote on the 2019 Legislative Agenda and Legislative Priorities which will guide the association’s legislative advocacy efforts before the General Assembly and Congress.

Click here to obtain the voting delegate form. Once completed, all forms must be submitted to Nicole Butler via fax at (404) 525-2477 or scanned in an email to nbutler@accg.org. 

Join Us at Jekyll for the 2018 Legislative Leadership Conference

Registration for the 2018 Legislative Leadership Conference (LLC) is now available! This year's conference will take place October 10-12 at the Jekyll Island Convention Center in Glynn County. Georgia's county officials will embark on three days full of continuing education opportunities in the ACCG Lifelong Learning Academy and hot topics sessions. County officials will also engage in policy discussions to finalize the 2019 ACCG Legislative Agenda and Legislative Priorities. Contact your county clerk to register today! For more information on the 2018 LLC click here .

Register for District Meetings

Registration is now open for the 2018 District Meetings. Starting in late October, county officials can attend a meeting of their choice in either of ACCG's 12 districts throughout the state for an opportunity to interact with state lawmakers and partake in discussions on significant policy issues as outlined in the ACCG Legislative Agenda and Legislative Priorities. More details on District Meetings can be found here .

Please contact Nicole Logan ( nlogan@accg.org ) if you have any questions.

GMA Workshop on Rural Broadband Projects

On Thursday, September 20, the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) will host a one-day statewide Rural Broadband Summit in Houston County to share information with local officials about rural broadband planning in Georgia. Participants will learn from experts and their peers about cultivating a broadband planning approach that engages stakeholders and mitigates risks as well as accessing federal agency resources for technical assistance and infrastructure. More information can be found in the flyer below.

Informational Flyer

GMA – ACCG Regional Workshops on Small Cells and Rural Broadband

ACCG and GMA are co-hosting a Regional Workshop series entitled, “Workshop Series: Managing Rights of Way in the Wireless Age”. The purpose of these workshops is to inform local officials about telecommunications issues in Georgia, including the technology and equipment needed to provide wireless and fiber broadband service to Georgia’s urban and metro areas, current telecom law, franchise and right-of-way agreements, and federal and state legislation.

Attendees will also learn about the State of Georgia’s ‘Achieving Connectivity Everywhere’ (ACE) Act, including the potential roles of local governments to engage in the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative. There is no cost to attend these workshops and registration is available on the GMA website . Dates and locations can be found on this flyer.

If you need more information, please feel free to contact Becky Taylor of the GMA staff at btaylor@gmanet.com or 678-686-6276 or ACCG Deputy Legislative Director Todd Edwards at tedwards@accg.org.  

U.S. Department of Justice Fetanyl Safety Recommendations

The U.S. Department of Justice released an informational video on the powerful opioid known as Fetanyl. In this video, they discuss the Fentanyl safety recommendations for first responders in case they come into contact with the opioid. County officials are highly encouraged to share this video with the first responders in their communities to aide them while in the line of duty.

View the video released by the DOJ here .

FCC Announces Plan to Accelerate 5G Deployment,Limiting Local Control

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr recently announced a proposed order aimed at accelerating next-generation 5G wireless networks that would significantly limit local authority. The National Association of Counties (NACo) released an article that outlines the potential impact the proposed order will have on county governments.

Click here to access the article .