ACCG Needs County Legislative Coordinators

The 2011 legislative session will soon begin!  As state budget and policy decisions increasingly impact local governments, it is very important that Georgia counties remain actively engaged in the legislative process and have improved communications regarding potential and pending legislation. 

While the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) has an excellent policy team and legislative reporting tools, many commissioners are unaware of what’s happening at the State Capitol until long after the General Assembly has taken action.  In addition, there are situations in which the ACCG policy team needs assistance on a particular issue or specific data that can only be provided by counties. 

In order to facilitate information exchange and increase county involvement in the legislative process, ACCG is asking each county to designate a County Legislative Coordinator (CLC).

View map to see if your county has already designated a CLC.

The County Legislative Coordinator must be designated by the County Commission Chairman.  ACCG has developed a draft resolution for use in taking this action.

The primary responsibilities of a County Legislative Coordinator:

• Monitors and evaluates on a continuing basis legislative reports and alerts from ACCG for their impact on county government operations.
• Presents a brief legislative report or update to the Board of Commissioners at each commission meeting during the legislative session.
• Informs Commissioners and other county officials of ACCG’s position on legislation affecting counties.
• Ensures that Commissioners, county officials and staff receive the ACCG legislative reports and action alerts.
• Informs and trains Commissioners, County Officials and staff on the use of the legislative tracking feature on the ACCG website and references the resources available at www.accg.org.
• Initiates action in response to action alerts from ACCG and coordinates that response with the ACCG policy team.
• Coordinates the counties response to requests for information made by ACCG.
• Receives notification when local legislation is introduced for the county.
• Works to strengthen the relationship between the Board of Commissioners and the local legislative delegation.
• Maintains contact information on the local legislative delegation.
• Assists ACCG Policy staff in contacting and communicating with local legislative delegation.

The person designed to serve in this capacity should have:  

• Access to all department heads and county officials to obtain information and data.
• Access to the Board of Commissioners.
• Working knowledge of county operations.
• Ability and time to respond to requests for information from the ACCG policy staff in a timely manner – even brief responses are helpful. 
• Authority within the county government structure to receive timely responses to request for information.
• Knowledge of the various departments within the county and the point of contact within each to obtain information and feedback.
• Ability to provide periodic reports to the Commissioners and other county officials on the legislative reports and activities of ACCG.

ACCG and Georgia counties will be more effective at the General Assembly by working together as a team.  These coordinators will serve as a valuable asset to county advocacy efforts.        

Please forward the County Legislative Coordinator’s contact information to Kathy Nilsson at knilsson@accg.org or (404) 522-5022. 

Name & Title:
County:
Email:
Office Phone:
Cell Phone:

Georgia Job Tax Credit Program

Each year the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) ranks all 159 counties in Georgia based on certain economic factors and divides them into tiers as required by the Georgia Job Tax Credit Law.

The Georgia Job Tax Credit Program provides for a statewide job tax credit for any business or headquarters of any such business engaged in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, processing, telecommunications, tourism, or research and development industries, but does not include retail businesses. If other requirements are met, job tax credits are available to businesses of any nature, including retail businesses, in counties recognized and designated as the 40 least developed counties.

Counties and certain census tracts in the state are ranked and placed in economic tiers using the following factors:

1. highest unemployment rate;
2. lowest per capita income; and
3. highest percentage of residents whose incomes are below the poverty level.

The 2011 Job Tax Credit Memo with the County Rankings and Less Developed Census Tract Listing are now available and may be accessed here (link)
 
A map of the 2011 County Tier map may be accessed directly here (link)
 
Additional information on the Job Tax Credit Program, including regulations and forms, may be found on DCA’s Job Tax Credit webpage (link)
 
Questions?
Contact: Brian Williamson at (404) 679-1587 or brian.williamson@dca.ga.gov, or Dawn Sturbaum at (404) 679-1585 or dawn.sturbaum@dca.ga.gov

LGRMS New Hire and Upcoming Training

James E. Spooner, Jr.
James Spooner has joined LGRMS to replace Rene Azar, who is retiring after 21 years of service.  He will serve as a field rep in the southern part of the state.  

Spooner was previously a Captain, Departmental Training Officer and an Emergency Response Team Commander with the Decatur County Sheriff's Office. He has completed numerous specialized training and instructor certifications. Spooner earned an Associate of Science in Emergency Medical Services degree from Darton College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Thomas University and a Master's in Public Administration degree from Columbus State University. 

LGRMS Training
During the months of January, February and March, LGRMS will offer training courses on Accident Investigation, Safety Coordinator Duties, Workers Compensation, Personnel Liability Issues and Work Zone Safety. There's no charge for members of the ACCG Insurance Programs.

LGRMS Training Calendar(link)

What is LGRMS?
Local Government Risk Management Services (LGRMS) is a safety and loss control organization that the ACCG Insurance Programs depend on to help create the safest possible environment for Georgia counties most valuable resource – its citizens and employees. More information can be found here.