| October 2018, Vol.12 , No.10 | Past issues | Subscribe | Printer Friendly | Advertise | eMagazine Archives |
The ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation is seeking grant applications from counties for the 2019 Summer Georgia County Internship Program (GCIP). Since 2010, the GCIP has provided over 400 internship opportunities in over 70 counties to college students and recent graduates. Projects that have been funded in the past include GIS, records management, budget and tax analysis, updates to manuals, ordinances, guidebooks, and policies, inventory audits, social media campaigns, website creation and updates, parks and recreation, legal research and writing, senior services, forestry, communications, marketing, photography, service delivery, planning, economic development, and much more. Need ideas for internship projects for your county? Check out the 2018 GCIP Highlights article at https://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ACGQ/ACGQ0318/index.php#/62.
Applications and grant packets have been sent via email to every county and can be found on the Foundation’s website at https://www.accg.org/caf_countyinfo.php. The deadline to submit the 2019 application is Friday, December 14, 2018. The grant provides funding for a 200 hour internship (wages, FICA, and a stipend towards workers’ compensation costs). All internships must be performed between May 1, 2019 and September 1, 2019. Questions about the application process for the GCIP should be directed to Michele NeSmith at mnesmith@accg.org or at 404-522-5022.  Pictured: Allen Bush (left) and Andrew Smith (right) ACCG welcomes fall policy and research intern Andrew Smith and returning legal intern Allen Bush. The interns will assist the policy, research, and legal staff with various projects and research assignments throughout the summer. Andrew Smith is originally from Valdosta and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of Georgia. He is currently enrolled in the Master of City and Regional Planning program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, specializing in transportation, and will graduate in May 2019. Before arriving at ACCG, he interned with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission in Valdosta. While employed there, he produced several reports for the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization, including Valdosta and Lowndes County Complete Streets Suitability, which received a 2017 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and was named 2017 Outstanding Initiative by the Georgia Planning Association. Andrew is an Eagle Scout and is interested in bicycle and pedestrian planning initiatives in small and medium-sized cities. By working with ACCG, he hopes to understand how counties can play a role in improving transportation options for Georgia residents and visitors.
Allen Bush began his third year of law school at Georgia State University College of Law (GSU Law) where he is working toward a certification in Environmental and Land Use Law. Prior to law school, Bush graduated from Auburn University in 2012 with a degree in Chemistry. Bush is an Urban Fellow with the Center for Comparative Metropolitan Studies at GSU Law. He has worked with private law firms performing work in a number of areas of law, including property, bankruptcy, criminal, and family law. Following law school, Bush hopes to work in private practice in land use and zoning law.
Over the course of his internship, Smith will assist policy and research staff by compiling and analyzing county election results, reviewing data on county occupation tax methods, examining TAVT revenues, analyzing county survey data related to the opioid crisis, gathering data for and helping to prepare presentations for legislative study committees and pending legislation, and providing general research and meeting assistance as needed. Bush will assist the legal department by performing deed research, reviewing contracts, aiding with a records retention project, updating publications, and performing general legal research assistance as requested.
 Photo courtesy of Macon-Bibb County. Mercer University School of Law Student, Quintesha Williams, Interns with the Macon-Bibb County Attorney’s Office Quintesha Williams, a 2L student at Mercer University School of Law, interned with the Macon Bibb County Attorney’s Office as a law clerk during the summer. Prior to working for Macon-Bibb County, Williams had limited knowledge of county government. However, over the course of her internship, she learned that county government is a very complex organization that is operated by people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Williams was tasked with researching and applying relevant case law and statutes to memoranda and resolutions for the mayor and county commissioners. When asked about her most significant accomplishments, she claimed that being able to proactively complete all contract and memoranda were at the top of her list. This was no mean feat in that prior to her work with the county, Williams had never drafted a contract nor had instruction on contract drafting in law school. The internship provided her with the on-the-job training necessary to be able to draft contracts between the county and various accountability courts. It further gave Williams the opportunity to enhance her legal research and writing skills. In terms of her favorite part of the internship, Williams noted that it was being able to fulfill her dream of serving her community, through working hand and hand with the public and being able to address public concerns. Based upon her experience working with the county and the invaluable skills she gained, Williams is now considering a career in county government. Funding for the Macon-Bibb County Attorney’s Office internship was made possible through a grant provided by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Inc. For more information on the GCIP, please visit the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation website at http://www.civicaffairs.org.
Although states' economies have improved overall in 2018, just 20 have enough financial reserves to weather the first year of another economic recession, according to a recent report by S&P Global Ratings.
Although it's impractical for governments to ever be 100 percent prepared with reserves to completely shoulder a downtown, budget officials can arm themselves with the necessary tools and strategies to stay afloat. CSLF's upcoming class in treasury and investment management can help public finance leaders think through their options. The class explores treasury operations by introducing strategies to balance cash availability while maximizing asset returns. Participants will focus on improving cash management, developing investment policies, evaluating brokers' security offers and more. Guests include Laura Glenn, portfolio officer, with the Georgia state treasurer’s office, and Katherine Maxey, a treasury services sales associate with J.P. Morgan.Stay prepared for the next economic downturn, and register for the November class today. The deadline to sign up is Oct. 24.To register or learn more about CSLF’s Course, visit: https://cslf.gsu.edu/training/treasury-investment-management/ |
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