City of Sandy Springs Moves Back to Virtual Meetings In response to a growing number of COVID-19 cases, the City is moving its scheduled City Council meetings back to virtual-only meetings. Planning Commission and Board of Appeals meetings are suspended as of Dec. 3, 2020, until in-person meetings are able to return.
Sandy Springs City Council Awards Additional COVID Relief Funds The Sandy Springs City Council has approved additional funding for several local non-profit agencies connected with federal COVID-19 relief funds provided through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. During its November 17, 2020 meeting, the City Council approved allocating those funds to support programs implemented by the Community Assistance Center (CAC), Los Ninos Primero, and Sandy Springs Mission.
HB 879: Required Alcoholic Beverage Home Delivery Training Curriculum This new law permits the sale of alcohol for home delivery, as referenced in the section above. The Georgia Department of Revenue finalized rules for how this law will be carried out. This includes a required curriculum for any business wanting to be certified as a home deliverer of alcoholic beverages.
Toni Jo Howard Selected as Finance Director for City of Sandy Springs As Finance Director, Howard will be responsible for the strategic leadership and management of the City’s Finance Department and will serve as a key member of the City’s management team. She will provide technical leadership in budgeting, debt administration, and purchasing administration. She assumed her new role November 16, 2020.
Sandy Springs Alerts The City wants you to be alerted in case of emergency, including severe weather. The Sandy Springs Alerts app will send emergency alerts to you via email or text. You can also opt-in for Smart911, which provides first responders with valuable information they need about you and your family at a time when every second matters.
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Annual Business License Renewal
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It's that time of year! Business Licenses expire on December 31 of each calendar year so it's time to renew for 2021. You can renew online or in-person. In-person renewals require making an appointment. If you have questions about this process, contact [email protected] or call 770-206-2075.
As a courtesy, the City extends/offers a 90-day grace period making the deadline for renewal March 31. Failure to renew prior to 03/31/21 will result in a one-time 10% penalty.
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Business & Networking Events
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MAC: Georgia's Second Chances Bill - The Impact on Employers
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Georgia’s Second Chances Bill (SB 288) was signed by Gov. Kemp in August and goes into effect 1/1/21. Under current GA law almost all convictions stay on a person’s record forever, creating lifetime barriers to employment, housing, and other opportunities. SB288 changed GA’s law to allow for certain convictions to be restricted and sealed after a period of time to give a second chance to thousands of Georgians who are held back by their criminal history. Join the Metro Atlanta Chamber to learn from legal experts at Georgia Justice Project how this impacts your business.
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SSPC & Aprio: Small Business Webinar: Survive & Thrive in 2021
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SSPC & Aprio invite you to an info-packed webinar with Tommy Lee, leader of Aprio’s retail, restaurant and hospitality team. Tommy has a expertise in helping small business navigate PPP forgiveness, and regional liquidity relief. He’ll share strategies to keep your small business open and poised to thrive.
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TAG: 2020 Trends in the Blockchain and Digital Assets
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Free for Members / $10 Non-Members
The Blockchain industry continues to grow and mature, and trends indicate blockchain will continue to act as a catalyst for digital transformation. The webinar will examine the trends with speakers from the industry.
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Ongoing Free Training Opportunities
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SBDC Online Education Training Free Through End of 2020
To help small businesses recover from the effects of COVID-19, the UGA Small Business Development Centers network is offering all continuing education programming free of charge through 2020 thanks to special funding from the CARES Act.
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Career Reboot Fulton Digital Literacy Program
Fulton County, in partnership with Select Fulton, Goodwill of North Georgia, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber are offering a FREE digital literacy and computer skills training program for all Fulton County residents impacted by the economic fallout of COVID-19.
Career ReBoot Fulton provides training and certifications from basic computer skills to Microsoft Office training and Google G-suite training. It also offers career services such as resume writing and review, career counseling, and employment connections.
To enroll in Career ReBoot Fulton, go to careerconnector.org; email [email protected]; call 844.344.WORK (9675); or visit one of Goodwill of North Georgia’s Career Centers. Career ReBoot Fulton will run through the end of 2020.
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Executive Orders Extended
Governor Brian Kemp has extended the Public Health State of Emergency until Jan 8, 2021, and the Empowering a Healthy Georgia Executive Order until Dec. 15, 2020, with no notable changes made to the Orders. The emphasis remains to wear a mask, keep a distance, and limit large gatherings. The Orders can be found on the City's website.
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Sandy Springs Mask Ordinance
The Ordinance, which requires individuals to wear a mask or face covering when in public spaces and not able to maintain a six-foot distance. In keeping with the Governor’s Order, private businesses can choose to require or not; however, the City’s ordinance requires that businesses that opt-out must post a notice to that effect at its entranceways.
For Businesses which choose to require masks, we have created a poster and handbill in English & Spanish that promote mask wear. For Businesses which choose to opt out of the mask requirement, we’ve provided a sign that can be downloaded and placed at the business entranceways. The language matches the requirements in the ordinance.
Enforcement: It is up to the individual business to enforce mask wear within the business.
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Has lunch become an endless stream of reheated leftovers, PB&J, and canned soup? Your office may be your living room, but you can still add a little excitement to your midday meal and support your local restaurants in the process. Whether you're ordering delivery for a virtual lunch meeting, or picking up something for a picnic at the park, we’ve made it a little easier to decide by compiling this list of restaurants who are currently open for lunch in Sandy Springs. So, give your fridge a break, and #Let’sDoLunch!
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Your Business, Moving Forward
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Your Economic Development Team
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Our team is here and ready to assist you however we can. We know each business has its own unique circumstances and challenges during this time, and we stand ready to do all we can to help you navigate this uncertain time. Please let us know how we can help!
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Economic Development Director
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Economic Development Specialist
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This newsletter is prepared by the City of Sandy Springs. You can learn more about the City on our website at sandyspringsga.gov. You can also telephone our Call Center 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 770-730-5600.
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