ACCG Recognizes Spring Interns

ACCG welcomed Lynn Laseter, Ankur Patel, Laura Hernandez and Daniel Hendrix in January to assist the association’s policy, research, communications and legal staff with various projects through May. Each intern has been afforded the opportunity to learn about the legislative process, attend meetings, perform research on a number of topics and interact with ACCG staff as they perform their daily duties for the association.

Lynne Laseter is a senior at Piedmont College and will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. While at Piedmont, she played four years on the Piedmont College women’s golf team and served as team captain for three years. She recently participated in the Georgia County Intern Program for Morgan County, where she helped to create an energy efficiency community outreach plan. After graduating, Lynne plans to attend law school. While at ACCG, she has served as a policy intern, assisting the policy team with research requests, meetings, budget analysis and tracking legislation.

Ankur Patel is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Administration at Kennesaw State University, with a concentration in government and city administration, and will finish his degree in May. He received his bachelor’s degrees from the University of Georgia in May 2009 in both Criminal Justice and Psychology.  In addition to his internship, Ankur also serves as a research assistant at KSU where he investigates current public policy disputes in Georgia, such as the interstate water dispute.  As a policy intern, Ankur has assisted the policy staff by attending legislative meetings, researching tax and immigration issues and tracking legislation.

Laura A. Hernandez is a senior at the University of Georgia, majoring in International Affairs with a minor in Speech Communication and will complete here degree in May. Prior to this internship, Laura worked in local government communications at Gwinnett County. As the communications and policy intern, Laura has had an opportunity to work with both the communications and policy team by attending legislative meetings, writing and editing articles and other publications, and researching many issues relating to the 2011 legislative session.

Daniel Hendrix is a third year law student at the Georgia State University Law School where he serves as the Research Editor on the Georgia State Law Review.  He graduated from the University of Georgia in three years with a triple major in History, Latin, and Classical Cultures.  Daniel intends to pursue public interest law with an emphasis on government and constitutional law after he graduates in May.  He has served as the ACCG legal intern for the fall and spring semester programs. During his tenure, Daniel has assisted the legal team by researching numerous legal issues and by editing several legal publications.  His major project has focused on election law in Georgia and will culminate in the completion of an elections guide for counties.

ACCG Mobile Classroom
May 19 & 20

Ever wondered why northwest Georgia is often called the Carpet Capital of the World?  Find out by participating ACCG Spring Mobile Classroom, scheduled for May 19 – 20, 2011 which will take you on a "Magic Carpet Ride" through Bartow, Floyd, Dade and Whitfield counties.  Stops include a boat tour of the Coosa River, a visit to Cloudland Canyon State Park, and a behind-the-scenes look at Shaw Industries (flooring manufacturer) and an Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Additional Details (pdf)

ACCG Summer Training - Commissioners Training Program
June 2 & 3
Sea Palms, St. Simons Island - Glynn County

Additional Details (pdf)

Questions? Contact Carol Baker: cbaker@accg.org / 404.522.5022

2011 ACCG Directory

The 2011 ACCG Directory will be arriving soon!  Each year, ACCG solicits photos from counties to use on the cover and inside the directory. 

This year’s membership directory cover features a photo of the Stephens County Courthouse that was taken by Dale Moseley, a member of the Historic Courthouse Restoration Committee. 

Other photos that were used for the page headers within the directory feature locations in Carroll, Mitchell and Dougherty counties. 

Membership directories are provided at no cost to county commissioners, managers/administrators, clerks, attorneys and ACCG partners. 

Additional copies will be available for $50 plus the cost of shipping.

Evaluating Water Conservation Workshop

Join the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on May 9 in Atlanta or May 11 in Brunswick to discuss new state conservation requirements and assistance programs and learn the benefits of using conservation planning and tracking tools.

Georgia water providers face new conservation and efficiency requirements, so investing in cost effective programs is of critical importance.  Experts from the Alliance for Water Efficiency (www.a4we.org) will walk participants through the basics of conservation planning using a utility‐specific tracking tool that can help identify effective programs and track impacts on your water use, system/community revenues, and customer bills.  AWE will utilize Georgia case studies to demonstrate the benefits and challenges of applying this model to systems throughout our state.

• Compare alternative conservation measures in terms of their water savings potential, impact on system costs, and potential benefits to utility customers.
• Develop long‐range conservation plans. Construct conservation portfolios containing up to 50 separate conservation program activities.
• Track the implementation, water savings, costs and benefits of actual conservation activities over time.
• Evaluate a utility’s changing revenue requirement with conservation

Monday, May 9
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
GA Environmental Protection Division
Tradeport Offices - Training Center
4244 International Pkwy
Atlanta, GA 30354
RSVP: mlangston@atlanta.gov / 404-546-1259
Flyer

Wednesday, May 11
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
GA Environmental Protection Division
Coastal District Offices - Training Center
400 Commerce Center Drive
Brunswick, GA 31523
RSVP: alice_keyes@dnr.state.ga.us / 912.262.3185
Flyer

NACo Announces Availability of Technical Assistance for Community Health Needs Assessments in Rural Counties

NACo is currently accepting applications from rural counties to receive technical assistance to assess their local health needs and improve and strengthen their health care delivery systems.

County officials and local health departments can be actively engaged in community health needs assessments, which the Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals to conduct to demonstrate they are taking on uncompensated care in their communities. County involvement in this process is important to help ensure that the health care safety net burden is shared among local providers. To help facilitate this process, Dr. Gerald Doeksen and Val Schott from the National Center for Rural Health Works have developed a community health needs assessment template designed specifically for rural areas.

NACo will grant a total of three technical assistance awards to rural counties on a competitive basis. Selected counties will work with the National Center for Rural Health Works consultants to implement the community health needs assessment tool to:

•  Identify local health care needs and factors affecting the local delivery of health care
• Assess the economic impact of the local health care sector and determine how the health care system can better meet community needs
• Strengthen relationships with community partners to improve local health care delivery

Applications are due April 29, 2011.  For more information, please click here for the announcement and click here for the application form and instructions, or visit the Training Opportunities section at www.naco.org/ruralhealth.