September 2026

ACCG Policy Committees Recommend 2027 Policy Priorities

Thank you to everyone who participated in ACCG’s policy development and committee process this summer. ACCG’s seven standing Policy Committees have recommended their 2027 state and federal Policy Priorities. The General County Government Committee has also recommended revising ACCG’s Guiding Principles.  

ACCG’s Policy Council will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 16, in Macon-Bibb County to review and possibly amend the Policy Committees’ recommended Policy Priorities and the revision to the Guiding Principles. If you have any comments on these recommendations, you may contact members of the ACCG Policy Council.    

The Policy Council’s proposed Policy Priorities and Guiding Principles will then be submitted for approval by ACCG’s membership on Thursday, Oct. 8 during the Business Session at the ACCG Legislative Leadership Conference (LLC). Notice of the Policy Council’s proposed Policy Priorities and the amendment process will be provided to all counties in advance of the LLC.

To view the Policy Committees’ proposed Policy Priorities, click here.

Presentations from the committee meetings can be accessed here.

Photos from the Summer Policy Committee meetings are also available. Click here to view them.

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) Commissioner Kevin Tanner speaking at the Health and Human Services Policy Committee meeting.

Attendees engaged in discussion at the Federal Policy Committee meeting held in Henry County.

Registration Now Open for the 2026 Legislative Leadership Conference

Registration is now open for the 2026 Legislative Leadership Conference (LLC). This year's conference will take place Oct. 7-9 at The Classic Center in Athens-Clarke County. The key purpose of the LLC is to determine the association’s 2027 Policy Priorities, which will guide its focus for the upcoming legislative session. Attend this conference to make your county's voice count. Additionally, take advantage of the opportunity to explore, in greater depth, topics that affect your county through various conference educational opportunities.

Visit the conference website to learn more about what to expect at the LLC.

*Note: County chairs have been notified via email about selecting a voting delegate. If you are a county chair, CEO, or sole commissioner and have not received an email, please email Stephanie Wright at swright@accg.org for more information.

ACCG Salary Guide Now Available

The "Computing County Official Salaries for 2027" guidebook is now available. ACCG publishes this guidebook annually to assist counties in calculating salaries (effective as of Jan. 1, 2027) of certain county officials, as well as state officials who receive supplements to their salaries from the county.

ACCG and GMA Present During the Rockdale County Town Hall

ACCG's Nathan Corbitt joined the Georgia Municipal Association's Ryan Bowersox for a special town hall breakfast and conversation in Rockdale County with House Reps. Viola Davis and Rhonda Taylor. During the informative session, Nathan and Ryan discussed Georgia’s various local option sales taxes and answered questions regarding the state's newest local option sales taxes, FLOST and LHOST. 

Rep. Lynn Smith Receives 2026 Legislative Service Award

On Tuesday, Aug. 25, ACCG’s Governmental Affairs Team members Todd Edwards and Joel Truss presented Rep. Lynn Smith with a 2026 Legislative Service Award during a Coweta County Board of Commissioners meeting. Rep. Smith served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and will be retiring at the end of 2026. She’s been Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee since 2004, championing sound environmental policies that protect the environment, as well as the economy of Georgia. Over this distinguished tenure, she’s worked closely with ACCG on developing Georgia’s State Water Plan, Water Stewardship Act, and other meaningful environmental policies impacting counties.  

A full write-up of this year's award recipients and the legislation in which they were involved can be found here.

GECA Advisory Committee Continues Work on NextGen 9-1-1 Implementation

The Georgia Emergency Communications Authority’s (GECA) 911 Advisory Committee held a meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the 911 Command Center in Henry County, focusing on Next Generation 9-1-1 legislation. Along with members of the ACCG Governmental Affairs Team, Reps. Beth Camp and Clint Crowe were also in attendance and are expected to be involved with 911 legislation next session. During the meeting, representatives from nine states (Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Kentucky) joined virtually to discuss what funding they received, the amount of their 911 fees, and how it was divided up among 911 providers. Handouts were also reviewed from other states as the Advisory Council continues to gather knowledge and look into best practices for fee distribution. While all nine states differ in formula complexity and how much each dollar is utilized and where, they all fund 911 through a per-connection or per-transaction surcharge collected centrally. Some of the shares are disbursed to local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) or counties, while the remainder is retained for shared statewide services, administration, or grant programs. ACCG will continue to provide updates on the committee's work.

For more information on the Advisory Committee’s work, including past and upcoming meetings, click here.

Election Equipment Committee Holds Second Meeting

On Thurs, Sept. 3, the Joint Election Equipment Specifications & Standards Committee held its second meeting as it continues developing recommendations for Georgia’s next statewide election system. The meeting focused heavily on input from local election officials, including Election Directors from Greene, Irwin, Douglas, Glynn, and Gwinnett counties. The Committee also heard testimony from election officials in Florida and Virginia to help draw comparisons between election systems.

County election officials emphasized that the Committee’s recommendations should consider not only voting equipment, but the entire election administration process—including ballot production, tabulation, reconciliation, reporting, maintenance, training, cybersecurity, and the ability of all 159 counties to successfully implement a new system. Options discussed included ballot-on-demand printing, continued use of ballot-marking devices for accessibility, and whether the State could retain or upgrade components of its existing election infrastructure rather than replace them entirely. If interested in hearing these remarks or viewing the meeting in its entirety, click here.

As required by SB 3EX, the Committee must submit its recommendations by January 2027 to help guide funding and implementation of a new uniform election system for the 2028 election cycle. ACCG will continue to emphasize the importance of considering county implementation costs, staffing and training needs, and administrative efficiency as these recommendations are considered.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, to discuss cybersecurity and accessibility further. Additional information, presentations and a full calendar of upcoming meetings is available here. ACCG will continue to provide updates as the Committee’s work progresses this fall.

GMA to Host Georgia Broadband Summit

The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) is hosting Georgia’s 7th Annual Broadband Summit on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Oconee Fall Line Technical College in Dublin, Ga. (Laurens County). The Broadband Summit is a statewide gathering of community leaders, elected officials, policymakers, internet service providers, economic development professionals, public safety officials, utility leaders, and state and federal partners working to expand high-speed internet access across Georgia. Attend the Summit to receive practical strategies, funding insights, and real-world examples to help your community move forward. Registration is $25 per person.

Click here for more information. To register, visit https://www.gacities.com/events/georgia-broadband-summit.

Deadline to Apply for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program Extended to October

The deadline to apply for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program has been extended to Monday, Oct. 5. The CDBG-DR Program works to rebuild areas affected by disaster through grants for unmet housing needs, infrastructure, and business needs. $50,000,000 has been allocated for communities still in need of infrastructure improvements following the 2023-2024 hurricanes. Eligible counties are encouraged to apply for assistance.

Visit the CDBG-DR Program webpage to learn more about the program.

EPD SWTF Grant Funding Cycles to Open this Month

The application window for two grant tracks under the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) Solid Waste Trust Fund (SWTF) Grant Program is now open. Applications for the FY27 Recycling and Waste Diversion (RWD) and Tire Products (Tire) grants will be accepted online through the SWTF Grant Program Administration Portal until Wednesday, Sept. 30. The RWD Grant supports a wide range of projects, including recycling and waste diversion infrastructure, hub and spoke development, hard-to-recycle materials, recovery of additional materials, waste reduction, and innovation. Click here to access the RWD Grant Portal.

The Tire Grant is for projects that incorporate scrap tire-derived products into paving, trail, and playground surfaces or that identify innovative uses for these products through research. The Tire Grant Portal can be accessed here.

EPD will host two workshops this month to outline the grants, eligibility criteria, and the application process. Click one of the links below to register for the meeting of your choice.

September 14 Workshop | September 28 Workshop

Two Georgia DNR Grant Programs Available to Counties

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is currently accepting applications for its Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program (GOSP)and Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant. The GOSP grant was established to provide stewardship to state parks; state lands and wildlife management areas; to support local parks and trails; and to protect critical conservation lands. Pre-applications are due by Friday, Oct. 16. 

The LWCF Program is a federal program authorized by Congress for the purpose of acquiring federal lands and assisting states and local governments with funds to acquire lands and develop and renovate outdoor recreation facilities. More than $19 million is available to local governments in good standing with LWCF during this cycle. Pre-applications are due by Friday, Oct. 2.

For more information on both grants, click here. Questions should be directed to DNR Program Coordinator Rayne Gaston at rayne.gaston1@dnr.ga.gov or 404.290.7958.

Fourth Round of Rural Site Development Grants Now Open

The fourth round of grants from the Rural Site Development Initiative (RSDI) within the OneGeorgia Authority is available for local projects across the state. RSDI grants are awarded for either site improvement or to assist with the costs of seeking Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certification on approved projects critical to economic development in that area of the state.

To learn more about the application process, click here.

USDA Rural Development Extends Deadline to Apply for its Single Family Housing Disaster Assistance Fund Program

The deadline to apply for assistance through the USDA Rural Development's Single Family Housing Disaster Assistance Fund Program has been extended to Wednesday, Sept. 30. The Program was created to provide grants and loans to very-low- and low‑income homeowners to repair homes damaged in a Presidentially declared disaster or a disaster declared by the Secretary of State or Governor. Rural homeowners impacted during Hurricane Helene are encouraged to apply. Grants up to $32,420 are available for disaster-related home repair expenses.

More information about the program, including eligibility requirements, can be found here.