Governor Brian Kemp’s office issued a press release on Wednesday, October 14 detailing his plans for remaining $1.5 billion in CARES funding received by the state. The press release explains the funds will be used to address the depleted reserve in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, limiting possible future unemployment tax increases on employers. This action includes the funding that was expected to be disbursed to local governments. While counties had hoped for additional CRF allocations from the state to cover expenses and implement community-based relief programs, U.S. Congress guidance gave Governors across the country the flexibility to direct these funds to address COVID-19 impacts within their state as needed.

This action is a simple and efficient way to keep money in the economy and spread the benefit across state. By not having to pay higher unemployment taxes to replace the depleted reserve, business owners can use those funds for other purposes.

ACCG will continue to work on behalf of Georgia counties and in partnership with the Governor and state agencies to implement measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and foster economic recovery in the months to come.

This November, there will be three ballot questions put before Georgia voters: two Constitutional Amendments and one property tax referendum. All three ballot questions impact county governments. View descriptions of each here.

The state’s “2020 Georgia Broadband Report” was recently released. This report is part of the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative that was launched in 2018 and details the efforts underway, including mapping of unserved areas, local broadband planning, and the development of a state grant program.

The pre-application period for the 2020-2021 funding cycle of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program is still open. Pre-applications will be accepted until Oct.16 for both the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program and Land and Water Conservation Fund. For more details, click here.

The application period for the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) is open through Oct. 23. The program provides up to $10 million in loan funding for transportation infrastructure projects, and awards are expected to be announced in the first quarter of 2021. Since 2009 GTIB has awarded $151 million in grants and loans to eligible transportation projects throughout the state. Interested applicants are encouraged to review eligibility requirements and submit supporting documents by the application deadline. Click here for more details.

NACo’s first-ever Virtual Federal Policy Summit will take place on Oct. 21- 22, 2020. The two-day summit will feature informative speakers with practical advice on a range of policy issues and updates on the federal policy landscape – broadband, healthcare, infrastructure, COVID-19 relief, public lands, disaster assistance and more. Click here to register.

Between now and the end of the year, members of Congress will likely be back in their home districts for more days than they will be in Washington D.C. This provides a great opportunity for county leaders to communicate with legislators, demonstrate the impact of county programs in your communities, and advocate for the federal programs that help to strengthen local initiatives. To help local leaders advocate for top county priorities, the National Association of Counties (NACo) has developed an online Advocacy Toolkit.