The 2018 legislative session is just around the corner and, as usual, there will be no shortage of bills significantly impacting Georgia’s counties. As we prepare for the session and in our going mission to heighten county involvement in the legislative process, ACCG is updating its list of County Legislative Coordinators (CLCs) and needs your assistance.

ACCG established the CLC network in 2010 to help improve communications among and between counties and legislators while the General Assembly is in session. The CLC will serve two primary roles: 
help keep county commissioners and county management updated on legislation of importance to counties (this information is provided by ACCG’s weekly Legislative Updates), and

         -  help keep county commissioners and county management updated on legislation of importance to counties (this information is              provided by ACCG’s weekly Legislative Updates), and
         -  provide your county-specific information to ACCG and your legislative delegation to help policymakers assess the impact of                  proposed legislation on your county.

Further details on the responsibilities of a CLC can be found here.

ACCG is requesting counties’ assistance in the following areas:

1. Please review the list of 2017 county-appointed CLCs as a reference;
2. If your CLC remains the same, please confirm that this is correct;
3. If your county’s CLC will be someone else, or your county did not designate a CLC for 2017 but you would like to do so this year, please let us know.

County chairmen are asked to designate the CLC. ACCG recommends that counties then officially designate their CLC by passing a resolution at a commission meeting. Once the resolution passes, ACCG will need a copy of it for our files as well as the name, title, office and cell phone numbers and email address for your CLC.

To update, confirm or appoint a CLC, or to provide ACCG your CLC resolution, please contact Nicole Logan at nlogan@accg.org (fax: 404-589-7820). She will be able to answer any questions and provide additional information if needed.

 

 

 

The Georgia County Internship Program (GCIP) is accepting applications for the 2018 summer grant program. The GCIP helps connect college students with internship opportunities in county government. Each year, the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation provides funding to cover the costs of up to 40 county internships in counties across the state through the GCIP. To date, 365 internship opportunities in 68 counties have been provided through GCIP. In order to apply for a grant, counties must complete review the grant application packet and submit the grant application. All applications should include a substantive county project that provides a benefit to the county and to the intern. Prior participation does not bar applicants from participating in the upcoming program and special consideration is given to counties that have not previously participated. If you have any questions about the application process or general questions about the GCIP, please contact Michele NeSmith at mnesmith@accg.org or at 404-522-5022.

Note: The GCIP application deadline is Friday, December 15.

 

 

ACCG Executive Director Ross King recently was elected by his peers to serve as president of the National Council of County Association Executives (NCCAE). King has served as executive director since May 2010 and has been recognized by his peers as an innovator and a strategic thinker who leads one of the most diverse county associations in the country.

"There is no higher honor than to be selected for a leadership position by your peers," said King. "This appointment reflects the continued support and vision from the ACCG Board of Managers to promote organizational excellence, as well as our extremely talented and dedicated staff team that I am so fortunate to work with every day. I look forward to the opportunity to lead NCCAE over the next year and foster even greater information sharing among my colleagues to make every county association across the country stronger."

NCCAE is the county association for the managers of all 47 states in the nation that have state associations for counties. It provides a forum for county association executives to come together for continuing education, program assessment, policy development, association management best practices and networking. King is recognized for completing the Certified County Association Executives Program which is offered in partnership with NCCAE and Cornell University. He also has served as the chairman of NCCAE’s Non-Dues Revenue Committee and hosted an insurance programs forum for his peers from other states here in Georgia.

"It is certainly an honor for Ross to be recognized and elected by his peers to serve in this leadership role," said ACCG President and Haralson County Chairman Allen Poole. "However, it is also a reflection on the outstanding work and service provided by Ross and the entire ACCG staff to Georgia’s counties. This staff team continues to innovate, not only helping our own membership but also serving as a national model – in continuing education, civic engagement, insurance and retirement programs and legislative advocacy, just to name a few areas."

He also serves on the National County Reinsurance Limited Board of Directors, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Foundation and the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council. He has been recognized as one of Georgia Trends Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for the last eight years.

Please join the ACCG Board of Managers and staff in congratulating Ross King on this national recognition. You can drop him a note of congratulations to rking@accg.org.

Pictured below is the new National Council of County Association Executives (NCCAE) Executive Committee.

 

ACCG is pleased to welcome Jarrett Faber as policy and research intern. Initially hired to work with ACCG during the fall semester, Faber has been retained to work during the legislative session as well. He is currently a senior at Georgia State University and will be graduating in December with a degree in Public Policy and Philosophy. After graduation, Faber plans to attend law school. A Paulding County native, in his free time he enjoys running, cooking, and reading. During his time with ACCG, Faber will assist the research and policy staff by helping to collect, review, and analyze survey results for the law enforcement compensation and aging surveys, analyze trends in sales tax and TAVT revenues, attend study committee and policy meetings, and provide research assistance as needed.

 

Clayton State University Student, Jacob Suarez, Interns with the Clayton County Communications Department

Jacob Suarez, a film production major at Clayton State University, interned with the Clayton County Communication Department. Suarez’s responsibilities included filming events and shows, editing the footage, and planning future shows for the Clayton County Television (CCTV) channel and website.
 

When asked about the most enjoyable part of the internship, Suarez noted the ability to be creative while learning to develop and cultivate skills important to a future career. Throughout the internship, he was given creative freedom to choose the direction of his videos and allowed to edit them into showable programs, with the CCTV team assisting in making adjustments as necessary.

Upon graduation, Suarez plans on working on the production side of programming.. He credits the internship with providing him with skills beyond video production. He learned how to run a multi-cam switcher and shoot a multi-cam production. The internship further taught Juarez how to be attentive and think one step ahead to get the best footage in a moment, which he considered to be a highly valuable tool in film production.

Suarez highly recommends this internship as it allows for students to learn about the broadcasting and communication field while also having the ability to be creative and serving a greater purpose. He is now considering a career in county government if given the opportunity.

For more information on the GCIP, please visit the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation website at http://www.civicaffairs.org.

 

 

Southface is hosting a one day training event in Tift (11/28), Hall (11/29), Fulton (12/12) and Chatham (12/19) Counties on green infrastructure and low impact development. This is a good opportunity for the counties that want to learn how to enforce Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development (GI/LID) installation requirements. This training seminar will help county inspectors understand the issues of GI/LID installations. Further, counties can promote this among contractor, builder and developer communities for better GI/LID installations in jurisdictions. Click here for further details.