Start off the new year by nominating an outstanding individual in your county for a 2019 ACCG Award. Nominations can be submitted for the Emory Greene Leadership Award, Jerry Griffin Leadership Award, Youth Leadership, and Clerk of the Year. All nominations must be submitted by February 8, 2019. 

ACCG has provided a step-by-step guide to properly navigate the Legislative Tracking Database. This database can be used to track the status of various bills produced by the state Legislature and monitored by ACCG. Use this guide to learn how to operate the database during the Legislative Session. 

ACCG and GMA are co-hosting a regional workshop series to provide information on how communities can ensure a good census count by organizing local complete count committees. These workshops are ideal for elected and appointed officials. Registration is free and is available through GMA’s website.

Check out this month's intern spotlight to learn more about the benefits of providing a county internship to college students. For more information on the GCIP, please visit the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation website. 

ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation, Inc. Receives $25,000 Grant from the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. to Fund County Internships.

NACo is inviting counties to enter the MetroLabNetwork Civic Innovation Challenge through January 31, 2019 with challenges your county faces with equity and access, resilience, the built environment, and mobility. Webinars about the challenge are available on Tuesday, January 8th and Tuesday, January 15th.

On December 13, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that its new ReConnect Program is offering up to $600 million in loans and grants to help fund broadband infrastructure in rural America.  Telecommunications companies, rural electric cooperatives, internet service providers and local governments are eligible to apply. 

The Georgia EMS Association (GEMSA) is currently accepting applications for Year 8 of the Georgia EMS Leadership Program for 2019. This is a great opportunity for counties to enhance the quality of EMS operations. All application materials must be MAILED to Kim Littleton, Leadership Program Director & GEMSA Executive Director, postmarked no later than February 1, 2019.