June 2025

Join Us at A County Legislative Forum Near You

The first round of County Legislative Forums takes place next week. Don't miss the opportunity to attend; your input is essential to shaping state policy. The Forums offer an opportunity to connect with legislators and your county peers, share challenges your community is facing, and explore practical solutions. Many of the ideas and suggestions made at these meetings will be further considered at one of ACCG’s seven policy committees to be held later this summer and may be included in ACCG’s 2026 Policy Priorities. All county officials and county staff are welcome to attend.

To register, contact your county clerk or the county staff member who handles ACCG event registrations. For non-county officials or staff members, please register by emailing register@accg.org.

More information can be found here. A list of confirmed legislators for each meeting can be viewed here.

Save the Date: 2025 ACCG Policy Committee Meetings

Registration for the Summer Policy Committee Meetings will open soon. Attend the meeting(s) of your choice to recommend 2026 policy priorities for the Association to focus on during the next legislative session. Committee policy recommendations will be considered by the ACCG Policy Council before heading to the full membership for a vote during the 2025 Legislative Leadership Conference. Meeting dates are below.

South Meetings

August 6 - 7 | Colquitt County

North Meetings

August 20 - 21 | Pickens County

Federal Meeting

August 26 | Putnam County

Click here for more information. Regularly monitor the ACCG website and your inbox for the latest updates.

ACCG TREES Act Webinar - Recording Now Available

ACCG, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Revenue and the Georgia Forestry Commission, recently hosted a webinar on the TREES Act (HB 223). Authored by Rep. James Burchett, HB 223 incorporates provisions from SB 52, originally authored by Sen. Russ Goodman, which is also referred to as the TREES Act. This legislation allows local governments to waive timber tax collections for Q4 of 2024 and all of 2025 by passing a resolution to forgive the tax.

Click here to watch the webinar recording and access additional HB 223 resources.

ACCG-GMA HB 92 Resources

ACCG and the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) hosted a House Bill (HB) 92 webinar last month on changes to HB 581 (2024), the statewide floating homestead exemption statute. The presentation focused on general property tax updates, revisions to HB 581, sales tax updates, and changes to the estimated roll-back rate, which are effective for the 2025 taxable year. In addition to the webinar, the associations partnered to provide several Statewide Homestead Exemption resources for local governments to use.

Click here to access those resources.

Georgia County Officials Make Federal Connections in Washington D.C. 

Several Georgia county officials, along with ACCG leadership, traveled to Washington, D.C., for the White House State Leadership Conference to discuss key issues affecting Georgia counties with top federal officials. While there, county officials met with members of the state’s congressional delegation and received briefings from White House cabinet members ranging from the Department of Veterans Affairs to Health and Human Services. 

ACCG Honors Legislators with 2025 Legislative Service Awards

ACCG Director of Governmental Affairs Todd Edwards presented two Legislative Service Awards to legislators who made significant contributions to county government this past session. Rep. Sam Park was recognized for his diligence in understanding complex bills and their implications in county government. Rep. Will Wade was honored for sponsoring HB 423, the law that began the process of modernizing Georgia’s 911 system by implementing Next Generation 911 (NG 911) services. 

A full write-up of these award recipients and legislation can be found here.

Rep. Sam Park receiving the Legislative Service Award in Gwinnett County.

Rep. Will Wade receiving the Legislative Service Award in Dawson County.

Be Aware of Legislation Effective July 1

Many bills impacting counties that passed during the 2025 legislative session will become effective on July 1, 2025. Review ACCG's Final Legislative Report to see the bills that will become law soon. The effective date of each bill is listed immediately following the bill’s title and the name of its sponsor.

Georgia Senate Appoints 2025 Study Committees

Lt. Governor Burt Jones has made appointments to several of the Georgia Senate’s 2025 study committees. These committees will meet throughout the interim, hear from experts, stakeholders and the public, and compile a report of specific findings or legislative recommendations ahead of the 2026 legislative session. ACCG will closely monitor and engage on issues impacting Georgia counties. 

The Senate’s study committees and their appointed members can be viewed here. The House of Representatives’ study committees and their appointed members can be viewed here.  

2025 House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures Meeting Details Announced

Rep. Victor Anderson, chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Committee and vice chairman of the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures, recently announced the dates and locations for this year's committee meetings. The Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures will study and evaluate Georgia’s current election laws, policies and procedures, as well as the statewide and local elected officials and boards that oversee the administration of Georgia’s elections. 

The meeting dates and locations for the meetings are as follows:

• Tuesday, July 15 – Atlanta
• Friday, August 8 – Rockmart
• Thursday, August 28 – Cornelia/Gainesville
• Thursday, September 18 – Savannah
• Thursday, October 2 – Covington
• Thursday, October 16 – Americus

To access the full article, click here.

Georgia High Court Rejects Election Board Rules for Hand Counts

On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the Georgia Supreme Court determined four rules set by the State Election Board prior to the 2024 presidential election were invalid. While invalidating these rules, the justices upheld another regulation mandating that ballot drop boxes be eliminated unless they are under continuous surveillance. Furthermore, a lower court must revisit two additional rules concerning access for poll watchers and the daily tallying of vote counts. In all, the Supreme Court took the following actions:

Rejected

• Requiring county election boards to conduct an undefined “reasonable inquiry” before certifying results.
• Mandating an election night hand count to verify the number of ballots. Poll workers would have counted the number of ballots but not votes.
• Empowering county election board members to examine any election-related materials before certifying results.
• Requiring family members or caregivers to provide a signature and photo ID if they drop off an absentee ballot for someone else.

Validated

• Requiring the removal of ballot drop boxes if they are not under constant video surveillance outside of voting hours.

Remanded to lower court

• Expanding access for partisan poll watchers inside vote tabulation areas.
• Publicizing daily reports of the number of early and absentee voters, accessible 24 hours a day, categorized by partisan and nonpartisan races.

For further reading, please visit this AJC Article.  

Deadline Approaching for Local Road Assistance Administration Funding

The deadline to apply for Local Road Assistance Administration (LRA) funds is this Sunday, June 15. Counties are strongly encouraged to submit their applications to promptly address their infrastructure needs. LRA funds will require no local match and will be administered through GDOT's GRANTS (LMIG) Application System. 

More information on LRA funds can be found here.

Georgia Energy Grant Program Application Period Now Open

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority is accepting applications for its Georgia Energy Grant Program until Friday, June 13. Grants will be awarded to projects in the areas of energy planning, energy efficiency, workforce development, and energy resiliency. Grant requests can range from $50,000 to $150,000, but due to limited funding, only a small number of highly competitive projects will receive awards.

Click here to learn more.

Rural Workforce Housing Initiative Notice of Funding Availability

OneGeorgia Authority recently announced a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative. Funding will assist local communities with housing development to address a shortage of housing stock that impacts the workforce economy.

Click here for more information on the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.

EPD Funding Available for Local Landfill Remediation

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has funding available through the state’s Hazardous Waste Trust Fund to reimburse local governments for the investigation and cleanup of leaking landfills. Only sites on the state’s Hazardous Site Inventory list are eligible. 

To learn more about your county’s eligibility and application for funding, click here.   

Application Window for SCRC Funding Opens on June 20

The full application window to apply for funding through the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) will open on Friday, June 20. SCRC is a federal-state partnership authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill to promote and encourage economic development in select counties, including Georgia. Funding will be awarded to projects that support basic infrastructure, business development, natural resources, and workforce/labor development. A map of eligible Georgia counties, along with the state's strategic goals, can be found here.

For more information, click here.

Participate in Town Hall Briefing on the Ground-Level Impacts of Federal Budget Cuts

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN) invites Georgia county commissioners to attend a virtual data briefing on Friday, June 27, at 9 a.m. that will analyze the impacts of the federal budget on county operations. Subject matter experts will present Georgia-specific and local data on potential impacts to core county responsibilities, including court system burdens, health service disruption, social service demands, economic development and tourism risks, and workforce support issues. This strategic information session provides essential intelligence for county budget planning and partnership coordination and will include recommendations that may reduce pressures on county systems. GCN works to create thriving communities by helping nonprofits in Georgia succeed.

Click here to register for the town hall briefing.

EDA FY2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently launched the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, making $1.45 billion available to help communities recover from natural disasters and build long-term economic resilience. Counties affected by major disaster declarations in 2023 or 2024 are eligible to apply for any of the three different grant pathways to rebuild infrastructure, strengthen local economies, and prepare for future disruptions.

For more information on the grant program, click here.

SBA Disaster Relief Grants

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers disaster assistance for homeowners, business owners, and non-profit organizations who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Assistance includes loans for physical damage to homes or businesses, as well as for economic injury. The SBA can help whether you’ve applied for FEMA grants or if you are insured, underinsured, or uninsured.

For more information on SBA Disaster Relief Grants and the application process, click here.

USDOT Accepting SS4A Grant Applications

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) application deadline is Thursday, June 26, at 5 p.m. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent deaths and serious injuries on our nation's roadways. 

Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval. Details on the application process can be found on the How to Apply page of the SS4A website.  

Attend the 2025 NACo Annual Conference

The 2025 NACo Annual Conference & Exposition will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 11-14. Join ACCG staff and county officials from across the nation to discuss federal policies that impact counties, engage in general sessions, and attend mobile workshops with peers. NACo is currently accepting policy resolutions and platform changes to be considered during the conference. The NACo resolutions process provides members with the ability to participate in national policy decisions affecting county governments. All policy resolutions and platform changes must be submitted electronically today, June 11, by end of day.

Click here to learn more about the conference and the resolutions submission process.