Capitol Connection E-Newsletter – September 2019

ACCG Policy Council Proposes 2020 Policy Agenda and Legislative Priorities

The ACCG Policy Council met on Thursday, September 12 in Athens-Clarke County to review the recommendations of each of the association's seven standing policy committees. The Council recommended the 2020 Policy Agenda and Legislative Priorities, which will go before the entire ACCG membership during the Legislative Leadership Conference (LLC) business session.

Please click here to review the proposed 2020 Policy Agenda and Legislative Priorities. County officials are strongly encouraged to review the proposed Agenda, as well as the association's Guiding Principles, in preparation for the LLC business session.

 

Final Deadline to Appoint Your County's Voting Delegate is this Friday, September 20

ACCG is asking for each county to designate a voting delegate to represent their local government during the business session at the 2019 Legislative Leadership Conference. Voting delegates will vote on the 2020 Policy 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   (only ONE FORM per county). Once completed, return it to   Monique Jackson by emailing   mjackson@accg.org  or faxing (678) 626-9642. The deadline to submit the voting delegate form is Friday, September 20 .

*Note: If your county does not designate a voting delegate, the voting delegate shall be the chair or sole commissioner or his or her designated member of the governing body (a county commissioner).

Georgia’s Small Cell/5G Law Resource Page

ACCG has created a one-stop shop resource page for all materials explaining the new small cell technology. The page also include various aspects of the law that local governments must know; local permitting conditions and requirements; what can be expected in the roll out of small cells; and crafting appropriate local ordinances to comply with the law. Click here to view the resource page .

2019 Policy Committee Meetings

Policy committee meetings are designed for the association's seven standing policy committees to develop their positions on particular issues for incorporation in the 2020 ACCG Policy Agenda. Click here to access the presentations from this year's General County Government, Natural Resources and the Environment, Economic Development and Transportation, and Federal committee meetings.

Join Us in Athens for the  2019 Legislative Leadership Conference

The 2019 Legislative Leadership Conference website is now available! The conference website will serve as your one-stop-shop for all things LLC. Visit  2019llc.myaccg.com  for the latest conference information. Don't forget, if you signed up for classes on Wednesday you can take advantage of early registration on Tuesday evening from 4 - 5pm in the Classic Center lobby.

If you haven't registered yet, there's still time to join your county peers in Athens-Clarke County on October 2 - 4. Contact your county clerk to register today!

2019 ACCG District Meetings

Mark your calendars! Starting in late October, the ACCG policy team will travel to each of ACCG’s 12 districts throughout the state for District Meetings. These meetings allow county officials to engage in candid town hall discussions with some of Georgia’s state legislators and receive information on key county issues as well as an update from the ACCG policy staff on what to expect for the upcoming legislative session.

Click here for meeting dates and locations.

State Revolving Fund Call for Projects Period is Opening in September

The 2020 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and Drinking Water SRF call for projects opened on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. The SRFs provide low-interest financing for publicly-owned water and wastewater projects. Pre-applications for eligible projects will be evaluated for inclusion on the 2020 Clean Water SRF or Drinking Water SRF Intended Use Plan.

Pre-applications will be accepted until January 31, 2020, at gefa.georgia.gov/call-for-projects. Please call 404-584-1000 or email waterresources@gefa.ga.gov for more information.

Georgia Smart 2019-2020 Webinar Series

Georgia Smart is hosting a series of free webinars starting this month. The first webinar " Designing The Infrastructures of Digital Civics " takes place on Friday, September 20 from 12 - 1pm. Click here to register for the webinar(s) of your choice. If you are unable to view the live webinars, the sessions will be recorded and available to all registrants. *Registration is required to access the recordings.

Rural Prosperity Summit

The 2019 Rural Prosperity Summit takes place on October 1-2 at UGA's Tifton Conference Center. This annual event brings together business leaders and elected officials to discuss how to create vibrant, robust rural communities throughout the state.

A tentative agenda can be found here. To register for the summit, click here.

Transportation Grant and Loan Opportunities  

The State Road and Tollway Authority will be accepting applications for transportation grants and loans made available through the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) through October 15th. Local, regional and state government entities as well as CIDs are eligible and encouraged to apply. Additional details about GTIB funding can be found by clicking  here.

Federal Highway Administration DC-5 Value Capture Webinar Innovation Series

Registration is available for the following EDC-5 Value Capture strategies and Case Studies Webinars on September 19th, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.  The session features experts sharing their experiences in Value Capture Public-Private-partnership in Joint Development and alternative uses of highway Right-of-Way such as renewable energy and fiber optic technology. These emerging technologies are essential to economic development, job creation, improve safety, and save money.  Register to learn how Value Capture Strategies can help your state and local authorities generate reliable and sustainable revenue streams to fund future transportation improvements. Select the webinar(s) below to register. Note:   non-DOT users including State DOTs must request access to the FHWA External Portal for webinars by clicking  here . Step-by step instructions on how to request an account can be found here . Once complete, you can log in to register.

Value Capture: Joint Development, Use ROW Agreement, and Case Studies  

Thursday, September 19 (1pm- 3pm)

Value Capture & Asset Recycling - Capture Value from Existing Assets to Fund Previously Unfunded Infrastructure Projects & Case Studies

Thursday, October 24 (1pm - 3pm)