May 2025

ACCG's 2025 Final Legislative Report

County officials may now access the 2025 ACCG Final Legislative Report by clicking here. This report is designed to serve as a guide to legislation from the 2025 session of the Georgia General Assembly and includes brief summaries, effective dates, and the county impact(s) of each bill and resolution. A recording of the Final Virtual Legislative Update hosted on April 18, 2025, can be viewed here.  

Please contact a member of the ACCG Governmental Affairs team should you have any questions regarding specific legislation. 

Registration is Now Open for the 2025 County Legislative Forums

Registration for the ACCG County Legislative Forums is now open. The newly branded District Meetings offer an opportunity for state legislators and county leaders to engage in discussions about significant issues that counties often face. Attend a forum near you to interact with various legislators and hear from the ACCG Governmental Affairs Team. All county officials and county staff are welcome to attend.

To register, contact your county clerk or the county staff member who handles ACCG event registrations. For non-county officials or staff members, please register by emailing register@accg.org.

More information can be found here.

ACCG-GMA HB 92 Resources

ACCG and the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) hosted a House Bill (HB) 92 webinar last month on changes to HB 581 (2024), the statewide floating homestead exemption statute. The presentation focused on general property tax updates, revisions to HB 581, sales tax updates, and changes to the estimated roll-back rate, which are effective for the 2025 taxable year. In addition to the webinar, the associations partnered to provide several Statewide Homestead Exemption resources for local governments to use.

Click here to access those resources.

2025 Legislative Service Award Recipients Announced

ACCG is happy to announce the recipients of its 2025 Legislative Service Awards program for their hard work and dedication in working with the Association on behalf of Georgia counties during the 2025 legislative session. Each of these distinguished legislators played a key role in the passage of ACCG Policy Agenda items and other supported legislation. A full write-up of these award recipients and legislation can be found here.

ACCG Honors 2025 Legislative Advocate of the Year

At a Paulding County Board of Commissioners meeting, ACCG's Associate Director of Governmental Affairs Dante Handel awarded Paulding County Chief Appraiser James Stokes the 2025 Legislative Advocate of the Year Award. Stokes, the current legislative chair of the Georgia Association of Assessing Officials, has been a committed advocate for local governments and the tax assessor profession. His advocacy efforts were instrumental in helping ACCG accomplish several of its recent legislative priorities, particularly with HB 581 (the 2024 Statewide Homestead Exemption Act) and HB 92 (the 2025 legislation that revises several provisions from HB 581).

ACCG Policy Committee Leadership Selected for 2025 - 2026

ACCG President and Dougherty County Commissioner Clinton Johnson recently selected the chairs and vice chairs of ACCG’s seven standing Policy Committees, which comprise part of the Policy Council membership. The backbone of ACCG’s policy development process, these committees will meet twice in August this year to make recommendations for the Association’s 2026 Priorities. 

Click here to view the leadership appointments. 

ACCG Connects with State Agencies to Discuss Next Generation 9-1-1 Implementation

ACCG's Clint Mueller and Doug Reineke met with leadership from the Georgia Emergency Management/Homeland Security Agency and other key stakeholders to discuss next steps for implementing Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) in Georgia, including a collaborative government affairs strategy, current and new funding mechanisms, and coordination with the new House Study Committee on NG9-1-1 Funding and Implementation. This will be an ongoing effort throughout the year and during the 2026 Legislative Session. 

ACCG Policy Committee Issues Survey

Your Input is Needed!

As ACCG prepares for the new policy year, we would like to get a better idea of what issues your county is facing that need state or federal assistance, a change to state or federal law, or a change to state or federal agency rules and regulations. To help us plan for ACCG’s upcoming County Legislative Forums and policy committee meetings in August, we ask you to complete this survey by Friday, May 30.

Gov. Kemp Signs Next Generation 9-1-1 Bill into Law

On May 8, Gov. Kemp held a signing ceremony for HB 423, the NG9-1-1 bill. Members of the ACCG Governmental Affairs Team, Todd Edwards and Doug Reineke, were present for the signing. The bill amends Georgia’s emergency communications laws to modernize the state’s 9-1-1 system by implementing NG9-1-1 services. It also revises definitions and updates the responsibilities of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA) to oversee and enforce standards for a statewide NG9-1-1 network.

In addition to the HB 423 bill signing, ACCG's Kaylon Day and Todd Edwards were present for the Governor's signing of HB 155 (annexation arbitration) and HB 137 (public works bid threshold).

Governor's signing of HB 155 with staff members from ACCG and the Georgia Municipal Association, along with Rep. Victor Anderson, Sen. Drew Echols, and House Speaker Jon Burns.

Governor's signing of HB 137 with staff members from ACCG and the Georgia Municipal Association, along with Rep. Victor Anderson and House Speaker Jon Burns.

Georgia House Appoints 2025 Study Committees

Speaker Jon Burns has made appointments to the Georgia House of Representatives’ 2025 study committees, including those studying a possible increase to 9-1-1 fees and election law revisions. These committees will meet throughout the interim, hear from experts, stakeholders and the public, and compile a report of specific findings or legislative recommendations ahead of the 2026 legislative session. ACCG will closely monitor and engage on issues impacting Georgia counties. 

To view these study committees and their appointed members, please click here.  

Deadline Approaching for Local Road Assistance Administration Funding

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is accepting applications for the Local Road Assistance Administration (LRA) funds. All applications must be received no later than Sunday, June 15. Counties are strongly encouraged to submit their applications to promptly address their infrastructure needs. LRA funds will require no local match and will be administered through GDOT's GRANTS (LMIG) Application System. 

More information on LRA funds can be found here.

Rural Workforce Housing Initiative Notice of Funding Availability

OneGeorgia Authority recently announced a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative. Funding will assist local communities with housing development to address a shortage of housing stock that impacts the workforce economy.

Click here for more information on the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.

EPD Funding Available for Local Landfill Remediation

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has funding available through the state’s Hazardous Waste Trust Fund to reimburse local governments for the investigation and cleanup of leaking landfills. Only sites on the State’s Hazardous Site Inventory list are eligible. 

To learn more about your county’s eligibility and application for funding, click here.   

Southeast Crescent Regional Commission Funding Available

The pre-application window to apply for funding through the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) is now open. SCRC is a federal-state partnership authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill to promote and encourage economic development in select counties, including Georgia. Funding will be awarded to projects that support basic infrastructure, business development, natural resources, and workforce/labor development. A map of eligible Georgia counties, along with the state's strategic goals, can be found here.

For more information, click here.

WaterFirst Informational Workshop

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) is hosting a 2025 WaterFirst Informational Workshop on Monday, June 2, in Savannah/Chatham County. The workshop will provide a general overview of the WaterFirst program and discuss water, wastewater, and stormwater funding options. This workshop is offered at no cost to Georgia water utilities, counties, cities, and other stakeholders interested in obtaining a WaterFirst designation and learning about funding sources.

Click here to register.  

USDOT Accepting SS4A Grant Applications

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) application deadline is Thursday, June 26, at 5 p.m. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent deaths and serious injuries on our nation's roadways. 

Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval. Details on the application process can be found on the How to Apply page of the SS4A website.  

NACo Accepting Policy Resolutions for the 2025 NACo Annual Conference

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is now accepting policy resolutions and platform changes for its 2025 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 11-14. The NACo resolutions process provides members with the ability to participate in national policy decisions affecting county governments. All policy resolutions and platform changes must be submitted electronically by Wednesday, June 11.

Click here to submit a resolution or platform change.