Georgia County Government-August 2008

AIRPORT continued from page 19 And for the City of Thomaston and Upson County, the dividends began paying off before the airport officially opened in 1994. Quad/Graphics, one of the nation’s largest printing companies, made the decision to open an operation at an industrial park adjacent to the airport, based on the promise from local officials that they would build a new airport facility. County Airport and more than 105 others throughout the state. Through the Office of Intermodal Programs-Aviation Programs, the Department works to maintain and promote the use of aviation facilities with initiatives like the Airport Aid Program. This program provides funding assistance to local governments in making capital improvements, maintaining airfields and assisting with navigational aids for approaches. The capital improvement programs may include everything from the addition, extension or widening of a runway, taxiway or aircraft parking apron to engineering design costs. Maintenance projects may include everything from constructing runway safety areas to repairing lighting systems. Additionally, the Aviation Programs office participates in airport planning projects that include Airport Master Plans, Airport Layout Plans, obstruction evaluations and air service studies, as well as managing its inspection and licensing responsibilities. The Georgia DOT and FAA also continue to serve as partners in providing funding assistance. Funding for projects, particularly state funding for development, maintenance, approach aid and planning projects are funded at 75 percent state assistance in most cases. Federally funded projects are typically funded at 95 percent by the FAA. Federal projects that are eligible for state funding assistance are funded by the state at 2.5 percent of the project cost. Airports interested in securing state funding assistance for a state project should complete and submit an Application for State Assistance. For more information, visit the Georgia DOT Web site at www.dot.ga.gov and follow the link to Local Government and Aviation Programs. Additional funding for airports is available through the Airport Initiative in Rural Georgia (AIRGeorgia) program created by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2006. The program operates under the OneGeorgia Authority and is committed to extending rural airport runways to 5,000 feet, placing citizens and businesses within a 30-minute drive of an airport capable of serving 85 percent of the corporate aircraft flying today. The program underscores the state’s commitment to investing in its infrastructure and expanding the state’s economy. Georgia DOT serves as a technical adviser to the AirGeorgia program, in addition to assisting with the evaluation of project applications and providing construction oversight, inspection and testing on airport projects that are awarded. For more information about the AirGeorgia Program, visit www.onegeorgia.org and follow the link to AirGeorgia. ■ Partnering With Communities Today, Georgia DOT remains an active partner with the Thomaston-Upson qPublic.net Your On-Line Data & GIS Experts Georgia’s Leading Provider qPublic provides websites for Georgia Tax Commissioners & Assessors. Tax Commissioner’s website visitors query your data by Name, Address, or Parcel/Account Number. Search result webpages display the account information with a convenient Pay Now button. In addition to the searchable database features, all of our websites provide static webpages for general county information, downloadable forms, jurisdiction information, important dates, tax estimator, etc., making it a convenient, efficient community service tool. Reduce your phone calls and office visits by 80%! Virtually keeps your office open 24/7! Satisfaction Guaranteed! qPublic specializes in cross-linking the data from the Assessor’s office with the Tax Commissioner’s data! qPublic provides automated data transfers. qPublic works with ALL systems, including YOURS. qPublic –GET HOOKED TODAY! For more information contact John Cox: john@qpublic.net | (386) 801-5249 | Fax (866) 800-8637 20 GEORGIA COUNTY 326768_Q_public.indd 1 GOVERNMENT 5/7/07 2:23:53 PM http://www.qpublic.net http://www.dot.ga.gov http://www.onegeorgia.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government-August 2008

Georgia County Government- August 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters Georgia’s Transportation Issues More Critical to Counties than Ever Expanding Rural Airports: Partnering for Economic Development in Upson County Meet DOT Commissioner Gena Abraham Bridge Infrastructure and Risk Counties and the Law: Georgia’s Fair Employment Practices Act Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Coffee County Extension News: Infrastructure Investments Save County Funds Research Corner: Getting the Most Out of Your Research Discover the New Georgia Encyclopedia NACo News Staff News County Parade Index of Advertisers

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