Capitol Connection E-Newsletter – November 2019

2020 ACCG Legislative Toolkit Now Available

As the 2020 legislative session approaches, Georgia counties should be in full gear to stay informed, get involved, and make a difference on helping craft sound public policy for the State of Georgia.  ACCG’s Legislative Toolkit is designed to inform individuals about major issues and concerns that counties share in an effort to spark dialogue amongst communities and promote awareness of the Guiding Principles and the Policy Agenda ACCG will actively pursue on their behalf. Before the legislative session begins, county officials are encouraged to take time to review the toolkit and discuss these top issues with their state legislators. County officials are also encouraged to use the toolkit as a guide throughout the session.

Questions regarding any issues outlined in the Toolkit should be directed to a member of the policy staff.

Registration Still Open for  District Meetings

There's still time to register for the remaining District Meetings! Don't miss out on this opportunity to receive updates on the ACCG's various programs, engage with state legislators, and participate in discussions on significant policy issues as outlined in the ACCG Toolkit. More details on District Meetings can be found  here . Don't forget to contact your county clerk to register.

Time to Update Your CLC Network

ACCG is asking for your assistance with updating the list of County Legislative Coordinators (CLCs) for the 2020 session of the Georgia General Assembly. The CLC network is a communication tool that helps county commissioners and county management stay updated on legislation of importance to counties and provides county-specific information to ACCG to help legislators assess the impact of proposed bills during the session. Further details on the responsibilities of a CLC can be found   here .  County chairmen are asked to designate the CLC and have it approved by the Board via the passage of a    resolution  at a commission meeting. An email soliciting any updates or changes to your county’s CLC will be mailed to your county clerk in the coming days. 

Legislative Study Committees Continue to Meet

Several of the study committees created by the General Assembly during the 2019 session continue to hold hearings and solicit feedback on issues of importance to Georgia counties. Of particular importance, the House Rural Development Council (RDC) met in Kingsland/Camden County on Oct. 29-30 to explore transportation, trade, timber, labor, solar panel and agriculture issues facing rural Georgia. The RDC then met on Nov. 12-13 in Eatonton/Putnam County to focus on rural healthcare issues. In addition, the House Study Committee on “Workforce Housing” met on Sept. 30 in Dahlonega/Lumpkin County to hear from various development industries on the need for the state to preempt local government design standards on residential housing, multi-family and manufactured housing, and commercial development within their communities.   

To view the videos, agendas and presentation of these House study committee meetings, please click here.

For an update on the Senate’s study committees, please click here. 

ACCG Asks Counties to Adopt Resolution Supporting Local Government Design Standards

ACCG sincerely appreciates Georgia’s counties actively participating in advocacy efforts important to preserving home rule and local control. Both will be threatened next legislative session as two bills ( HB 302 and SB 172) would prohibit local governments from adopting any design standards on single family homes and duplexes – with very limited exceptions. Whether your county supports adopting design standards or not, this is a decision that should be made by you and your constituents at the local government level. ACCG and GMA have developed this draft resolution for your county to consider adopting in showing support for keeping this a local decision. 

For a brief background and update on this issue, please click here.

Model Resolution for Sales Tax Information Requests

As a reminder, SB 171 from 2018 (an ACCG priority) allows local governments to request information related to vendors that are currently paying sales taxes that are attributable to that local government. For those counties that have not previously made such a request, ACCG’s model resolution (found here ) can serve as a starting point. The Georgia Department of Revenue’s 2019 Policy Bulletin providing more detail on submittal of request for vendor lists may be found here . Please contact Larry Ramsey at [email protected] with any questions regarding this process.

Register Now for GOMI Webinar for County Officials and Staff

ACCG in partnership with the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), will be hosting a webinar in November on how to complete the Government Management Indicators Survey (GOMI). In addition to providing an overview about this report and how it should be submitted, staff from ACCG and DCA will also discuss the most common errors made in submitting the report and best practices counties can utilize to provide more accurate information. This mandatory report plays a vital role in the way that ACCG collects and analyzes data, therefore helping the association better serve you, our counties. Click here to register for the webinar.

If you want to submit questions in advance of the webinar, please send them to Michele NeSmith at [email protected]. This is a great opportunity for both staff and commissioners to learn more about this report.

**Thanks to everyone who attended the Report of Local Government Finances (RLGF) Webinar in October. If you missed it, you can watch it at  Report of Local Government Finance Overview with DCA_10-22-19 .

Georgia ReConnect Broadband Workshop in Atlanta

The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA) to host a Georgia ReConnect Broadband workshop on December 5, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Sign up to learn about the planning process and resources available to help expand broadband infrastructure in your county. For all the details and to register, click here.

Do You Know Your GDOT District Engineer?

Do you know your Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) District Engineer? GDOT has seven districts and each has a District Engineer who is responsible for all of the Department’s activities within their district. As part of their job responsibilities, they meet with local elected officials, soliciting input and keeping them informed regarding transportation activities affecting their communities. Check out the GDOT District map to find your District Engineer’s name and contact info.

NACo Flag Box Program

The National Association of Counties (NACo) has asked ACCG and Georgia counties to participate in a program they have launched to help properly retire American flags. NACo will provide each Georgia county with a box to use in order to collect the flags. Counties are asked to: 1) find a location to display the box that is both secure and easily accessible, and 2) identify a community partner who will check the box and properly retire the flags as needed. NACo anticipates shipping a flag box to each Georgia county in December. More details can be found here .