Georgia County Government - December 2008 - (Page 11)

County elected officials came from all regions to convene at the annual ACCG Fall Policy Conference, held Oct. 8-10 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Special guests included Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, who delivered the keynote address at the event’s luncheon, speaking on anticipated state budget shortfalls and ways to keep Georgia competitive in an uncertain economy. As outlined in greater detail in the 2009 2 20 09 County Platform, here follow key ke y priorities identified by the ACCG membership, membership, following from the consensus-building se se nsus-building policy process guided b deliberations among ACCG’s six d by standing policy committees: Economic standing ta n Development De De velopment and Transpor tation; Revenue Re ve nue and Finance; Health and ev Human H Hu m a n Services; Public Safety and the Co Courts; Natural Resources and the the Co Environment; and General County En vi ro nment; nv i ro Government. G ver Government. Commissioners are urged to fam iliarize themselves with these familiarize f am am legislative priorities, refer to the 2009 legislat ive eg l County County Platform for further informaon tion, t o and tion, and call the relevant ACCG policy staff s taf st a f contact with any questions. (See sidebar sd a sidebar on the ACCG Policy Staff.) Legis Legislators are predicted to appr approach funding decisions more conservatively in the com coming session than in many years, and to allocate fund funding in a manner that guar guarantees Georgians a sure return on their tax dolla dollar investment. Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n , t r a n s p o r t a t i o n f u nd i ng rema i n s t he top pr iority of the Economic Development and t Transportation Committee this year, as Transp p well as one of the top three legislative s goals o the association overall, for the of 2009 General Assembly. Counties overG whelmingly support adequate funding whelm m of the Local Assistance Road Program (LARP) (LARP administered by the Georgia P Department of Transportation, as well Depart t as Stat Aid and the creation of new State t funding fundin mechanisms for investing in n transportation. As the third-fastest transp p growing growin state in the nation, Georgia n counties counti face tremendous demand for i Ec n Economic Economic Development an and Transportation and Transportation Ac co rd Accord i ng to Mat t hew H ick s , cc Associate Legislative Director for fo r E c onom ic D e velopment a nd o new capacity, multimodal options, and the resources to ensure a safe and wellmaintained transportation network. Meeting these demands could well make or break Georgia’s economic future, especially in terms of enabling the state to compete for industrial and business investment in rural areas. Investments made in Georgia’s transportation network during the last 100 years have driven the state’s economic vitality, provided ongoing economic stimulus, and allowed Georgia to be globally competitive. However, current funding – including local property and sales taxes – cannot keep up with demand. Additional funding is needed to keep Georgia’s position as a leader among Southeastern states and maintain the state’s high quality of life and environmental sustainability. Governor Sonny Perduer released much-anticipated findings from his “Investing in OUTLOOK continued on page 13 DECEMBER 2008 www.accg.org 11 http://www.accg.org

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

Georgia County Government - December 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters 2009 Legislative Forecast: ACCG's Platform for the Coming Legislative Session ACCG Policy Staff 2008 Legislative Awards Honor Georgia Lawmakers Cell Towers and Local Governments Oglethorpe Power Plans Biomass Electric Facilities Georgia's Grand Old Courthouses: Dawson County Extension News: Biofuels Development Research Corner: Implementing a Record Retention Policy County Parade Index of Advertisers/Advertiser.com

Georgia County Government - December 2008

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