January/February 2021

January/February 2021

ADVOCACY. SERVICE. INNOVATION.

Columns & Features In This Issue 2021 Legislative Session Guide | COVID-19 Update with Dr. Fauci GMA’s Equity & Inclusion Efforts | Winners of the Visionary City Award

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Table of Contents FEATURES CITIES CONNECT: EQUITY & INCLUSION...................................................... 5 COVID-19 UPDATE WITH DR. ANTHONY FAUCI ........................................... 10 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION GUIDE............................................................ 15

CITYSCAPES......................................................................................................13 + GMA President Editorial + GMA Executive Director Editorial + Moving Commerce on Georgia’s Infrastructure

CITY DESK........................................................................................................ 20 + Small Town, Big Impact: Fitzgerald + City Spotlight: Santa Claus + Cities Get Back to “Normal” + Winners of Visionary City Award

INSIDE GMA..................................................................................................... 26 + GMA Adopts Core Values + GMA Cares Committee + Value of Georgia’s Cities + Georgia Cities Foundation: Years in Review + Advocacy + Service + Innovation

ADDITIONAL + Towns & Law: Virtual Public Hearings...............................................................44 + Federal Focus: Cities Still Need Federal Support ...............................................45 + ENGAGE: Connecting with Georgia’s Children and Youth...................................46 + Downtown Developments: Tax Advantaged Incentives for Georgia Communities........ 48

CITYLITES......................................................................................................... 50 + Fairs & Fests + Georgia Gem: King’s Dream in Dublin

FOLLOW GMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook & LinkedIn: Georgia Municipal Association & Twitter: @GaCities SIGN UP FOR GMA’S CITIES IN THE NEWS: This daily email shares news from across the state.

Visit: www.gacities.com/News/Cities-in-the-News

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CITIES CONNECT: EQUITY & INCLUSION EFFORTS

How Cities Handle

HISTORIC MONUMENTS

BY NIKKI PERRY

As the largest social justice movement in U.S. history sweeps the country, Georgia’s cities face increasing demands to remove Confederate monuments that glorify an oppressive ideology.

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ost Confederate monuments represent the “Lost Cause” vision of the late 1800s and early 1900s, a then-politically correct image of the Southern rebellion as a battle for states’ rights rather than Black enslavement.

“Monuments are never a pure representation of history.

They get put up (or taken down) for a multitude of reasons, and historical study is usually only a small component of the dynamic,” said Matthew Pinsker, a renowned Civil War historian at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Penn.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of the Confederate Veterans have installed more than 700 memorials across the

South. However, Black heroes, white Southern Unionists, and converted Confederates “have been mostly forgotten on the memorial landscape,” Pinsker said.

“Everyone who is currently debating the merits of preserving Southern history should address what they would be willing to support in the name of diversifying Southern history, because the story of the American South involves a whole lot more than just Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson,” Pinsker said.

The debate is hot in Georgia’s cities, as municipalities navigate difficult conversations in a state that removed the Confederate battle emblem from its flag only 20 years ago.

DIFFICULT DECISIONS Georgia law prevents the removal of Confederate monuments with few exceptions. Cities are finding ways to be responsive to their community’s desires without breaking the law.

As tension mounted in the summer of 2020, the 30-foot Confederate monument in Decatur Square was defaced with graffiti and social media rumblings threatened removal by force. The city of Decatur responded to the public outcry by filing a lawsuit for abatement of a nuisance. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger ruled in the city’s favor, and the county legally moved the monument to an undisclosed location on Juneteenth, a day celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people.

“As part of the unrest and frustration that people felt after George Floyd, they pointed to the monument and the fact that it was a very visible reminder of slavery, of Jim Crow,” Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett said. “Even the wording of the monument referred to the ‘covenant race.’ The monument was an offensive reminder of the suppression of Black people in our country.”

Athens-Clarke County Consolidated Government used another legal exception for transportation project impediments to remove a Confederate monument in College Square. Mayor Kelly Girtz recalled a University of Georgia graduate who said she felt hurt every time she passed the monument. Stories like that motivated him to support this move to continue the process of healing deep wounds in the community.

“Monument removal is an important part of a community’s story,” Girtz said. “People rightfully want a lot more than just that. Symbols are important. They can’t be disregarded. But the work has to be accompanied by substantive changes.”

Rather than merely reacting to complaints, Girtz recommends that city officials face the issues head on. If a city removes a monument but avoids the hard conversations about equity and inclusion, they open themselves up to criticism.

“Every community does good to look itself honestly in the mirror,” Girtz said. “To ask, ‘How could we have done better?’ And recognizing there are mistakes in the past, how can we do better now.”

HARD CONVERSATIONS Cities have found that opening the floor for a community discussion about monuments, as well as the larger issues of racial inequity, is not as easy as calling a meeting.

Following the death of Ahmaud Arbery, the city of Brunswick hosted public meetings with the goal of an open discussion about how the city could improve the participation, equality and livelihood of residents. However, the overwhelming topic of public comment was a Confederate statue in the city’s historic district, Brunswick Mayor Cornell Harvey said.

The Brunswick City Commission asked a nine-member advisory committee to make a recommendation on the statue’s future. However, the committee became gridlocked in the debate. In November, the commission ultimately voted to remove the monument after other legal challenges throughout the state have been resolved. In the meantime, interpretive markers will be placed by the monument to explain the prevailing ideologies of the period in which the marker was erected.

Though it was a long and intense process, Harvey said that level of community involvement is critical.

“The process of having numerous public meetings allowed many to build enough courage to voice their opinions,” Harvey said.

“Some who were too shy to speak at earlier meetings were moved by

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the words and actions of others to sign-up and partake in the public discussion. In real-time I was able to see the dichotomy of others shift.”

Decatur has hosted community roundtables, virtual forums and panel discussions about equity and racial justice to encourage continued dialogue. Garrett recommends that cities retain a facilitator to lead these conversations.

“Passions run high. Sometimes having someone who can guide and facilitate those conversations can be helpful,” Garrett said.

GMA’s new Equity and Inclusion Division is designed to help cities lead constructive dialogue with residents about these issues. The Equity and Inclusion Commission is preparing to recommend actions that promote the principles of justice, equality and fairness.

Visit www.gacities.com to find more resources in the Equity and Inclusion Toolkit.

RESOURCES for CITIES CONFEDERATE MONUMENT INTERPRETATION GUIDE: A research guide including historical context, case studies, and resources for structuring productive conversations.

Atlanta History Center www.atlantahistorycenter.com EQUITY AND INCLUSION TOOLKIT: Updates, key resources and news about the issues.

GMA www.gacities.com

Freddie Broome, GMA’s director of diversity and inclusion, is leading the association’s efforts to equip cities to combat institutional and systematic racism, violence, acts of injustice, inequity and intolerance, and to foster healthy lines of communication that yield sustainable change. To learn more about the below classes and how GMA can bring these to your city, email Freddie Broome at fbroome@gacities.com.

Having Difficult Conversations: This three-hour, customizable course will meet individual needs. As human beings, we all have conscious and unconscious biases that affect how we perceive and engage in our communities. Although biases are normal, it is essential to learn to channel biases to engage in dialogues about systemic racism and social injustice. This training provides the critical skills that help city officials gain the confidence to engage in courageous conversations around current events through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion to develop relationships and deliver efficient government.

Another Seat at the Table Diversity and Inclusion Training: This is a three-hour or six-hour course customizable to a city’s needs. Organizations work to improve employee engagement and mitigate the risk of adverse financial and legal consequences due to the lack of culturally sensitive training. This training provides a basic overview of diversity and inclusion by expressing the importance of working together to appreciate the differences and strengths of all team members to affect change. The overall goal is for individuals of all ranges of diversity to feel safe to engage in conversations and make a positive change to feel valued and included in their organization.

Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute’s Making Cultural Diversity Work: Cultural diversity is essential because our county, states, cities and organizations are comprised of individuals from various cultural, racial and ethnic groups. As we work to improve relationships within our organizations and communities, we must learn how to facilitate conversations within our various groups that will lead to collaborative efforts to ensure efficient and effective government.

CITIES CONNECT: EQUITY & INCLUSION EFFORTS

GMA Offers Classes to Build Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive Communities

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 7

GMA‘S EQUITY & INCLUSION COMMISSION MID-YEAR REPORT Originally published December 2020

Where it Started The Formation of GMA’s Equity & Inclusion Commission 2020 was a turbulent year across the globe in communities of all sizes and regions. In addition to the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, people of color nationwide experienced racial injustice and police brutality, including here in Georgia. These actions led to a wave of civil unrest and protests in opposition to systemic racism toward communities of color.

In early June 2020, GMA’s officers, led by Dublin Mayor Phil Best (GMA Immediate Past President) and Union City Mayor Vince Williams (GMA President), sent a statement to the membership that expressed the association’s strong opposition to racism, violence and acts of injustice, inequity and inequality that were occurring across the nation.

In July 2020, GMA surveyed elected officials to serve as a baseline measure for how city officials were coping, managing and addressing issues of equity and inclusion in their communities and in their capacities as elected officials. Based on feedback received in the survey, it became clear that GMA could support cities as they address these issues.

Also, in July, GMA created its first Equity and Inclusion Commission. The role of the 25-member Equity and Inclusion Commission is to recommend actions that bear witness to the principles of justice, equality and fairness, develop a long-term plan of action to address institutional and systemic racism, and equip city leaders to

listen thoughtfully and dialogue constructively with the residents they serve. GMA officers and leadership named LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton (GMA First Vice President) and Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis as the co-chairs of the commission.

Commission Work Groups The work of the commission is divided into eight work programs.

• Housing, Healthcare, Education, Monument Removal • Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform/Legislation • Training and Education; Municipal E&I Certification • Community & Economic Development • Workforce Development & Employment • City Policies • Stakeholder Engagement • Diversity in Leadership

WORK BY THE NUMBERS: 31: Number of meetings 46: Hours worked during commission meetings and work group 9: City officials on the agenda 18: Participating experts

THE WORK BEGINS The Commission & GMA Staff Work to Change Georgia’s Cities Meetings at a Glance The full commission has met five times since August 2020.

On Thursday, Aug. 20, GMA hosted the first meeting of its Equity & Inclusion Commission. Ambassador Andrew Young delivered a 8

virtual keynote address to the group. GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson reminded commission members of the importance of listening deeply, uniting widely and acting boldly in order to bring justice to the complex systems that shape and influence today’s society.

CITIES CONNECT: EQUITY & INCLUSION EFFORTS

During the commission’s September meeting, members focused on The central focus of the commission’s December meeting was training impediments to Equity and Inclusion as they relate to housing. Leon and education. Commission members received an overview and perAndrews, Director of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Race, Equity spective on these topics from experts from the city of San Antonio, and Leadership (REAL) initiative, urged the commission to create an Texas, and Young Harris College, as well as from Decatur Mayor Patti intentional space to discuss matters of racial inequity; to work to norGarrett about the city’s Better Together initiative. Members engaged malize consideration of equity and justice; and to commit to changing in facilitated breakout groups to discuss challenges and opportunities all systems andTpolicies.

In addition, NLC staff provided an overview for equity and inclusion in training and education in their communities.

HE WORK BEGINS of the housing landscape in the U.S. prior to COVID-19 and noted that The meeting also included an update on GMA’s Equity & Inclusion CerThe Commission & GMA Staff Work to Change to Georgia’s Cities homelessness disproportionately impacts Black individuals, who make tification program and GMA’s Diversity and Inclusion training program. up 13% of the U.S. population but 40% of the homeless population.

Equity & Inclusion Commission Meetings at a Glance was dedicated tohas education, healthcare andsince well-being.

GMA’s Efforts Toward Diversity, Equity & Inclusion The October full Commission met five times August 2020.

Expert presenters stressed that while city officials often don’t have Conversations, Connections & Resources On Thursday, Aug. 20, GMA hosted the first meeting of its Equity & Inclusion Commission. Ambassador Andrew Young delivered direct involvement in schools, city leaders have the power to convene, a virtual keynote address to the group. GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson reminded commission members of the importance build partnerships, anduniting use their bully pulpit to stand up forinpolicies • justice GMA formed its complex internal staff Equity and coof listening deeply, widely and acting boldly order to bring to the systems thatInclusion shape Task and Force, influence today’s society. and programs that bring equity to education. With regard to healthchaired by Kelli Bennett and Bill Thornton. This 12-member group care, presenters stressed the need to consider heightened issues of meets bimonthly to strategize and implement ways to improve During the commission’s September meeting, members focused on impediments to Equity and Inclusion as they relate to housing.

Leonthe Andrews, Director of the how National League Equityand and Leadership inequity during COVID crisis and discussed local leaders canof Cities’ Race, GMA’s equity inclusion efforts. (REAL) initiative, urged the Commission to create an intentional space to discuss matters of racial inequity; to work to normalize consideration of equity and take part in efforts to address the determinants of health with a focus justice; and to commit to changing all systems and policies. In addition, NLC staff provided an overview of the housing landscape onthe housing, planning, and design economic • “Cities United-The to Equity and Inclusion” Town Hall: GMAof in U.S. city prior to COVID-19 andand noted thatopportunity. homelessness disproportionately impactsRoad Black individuals, who make up 13% the U.S. population but 40% of the homeless population.

In November, the commission took a deep dive into impediments partnered with Georgia Public Broadcasting to present this town to equity and inclusion as they relate to public safety and the criminal hall, which featured four mayors from cities across Georgia to October was dedicated to education, healthcare and well-being. Expert presenters stressed that while city officials often don’t justicedirect system.

Mike Ayers, in executive director of the Georgia Peace begin a statewide conversation onand race,use equity andbully inclusion, andto have involvement schools, city leaders have the power to convene, build partnerships, their pulpit stand up for policies and programs that bring equity to education. With regard to healthcare, presenters stressed the need to Officer Standards and Training Council (POST),provided an overview how these issues impact Georgians. consider heightened issues of inequity during the COVID crisis and discussed how local leaders can take part in efforts to of the mission and activities of of health the agency.

Karaga with thecity planning and design and economic opportunity. address the determinants with Sarah a focus on housing, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offered support through • In September, GMA named Freddie Broome as the organization’s In November, the commission took a deep dive into impediments to equity and inclusion as they relate to public safety and the the organization’s free training programs for law enforcement agenfirst-ever Equity and Inclusion Director. criminal justice system. Mike Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST), cies. Former NathanofDeal as the provided anGov. overview theserved mission andmeeting’s activitieskeynote of the and agency, and Sarah Karaga with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offered support through the organization’s free training programs for lawhosting enforcement agencies.

Former Gov. Nathan discussed the impact of criminal justice reform policies implemented • GMA started monthly staff roundtable/breakout Deal, served as the meeting’s keynote, and discussed the impact of criminal justice reform policies implemented during his during his administration. discussions. administration.

Also in November, members of the commission discussed historic Also in November, members of the Commission discussed historic monuments and determined that while the ultimate goal monuments and determined that the ultimate goal should be legisla• GMA Launched “The Connection,” a monthly e-newsletter for GMA should be legislative change to provide more flexibility for local governments to make decisions about removal and relocation, tive first change to provideshould more flexibility for local governments to make that provides staff cities with insight from colleagues and tools to importantof the the approach be for GMA to develop a playbook with a good understanding ofhold all aspects issues around historic monuments to support local officials. decisions about removal and relocation. However, the first approach conversations. should be for focus GMA toofdevelop a playbook that December provides cities with a was training and education. Commission members received an The central the Commission’s meeting overview and perspective on these from experts from the City• ofInSan Antonio, Texas and College, as well as good understanding of all aspects of the topics issues around historic monu2020, GMA published eightYoung articlesHarris referencing diversity, from Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett about the city’s Better Together initiative. Members engaged in facilitated breakout groups to ments to support local officials. equity and inclusion in its Georgia’s Cities magazine. discuss challenges and opportunities for equity and inclusion in training and education in their communities. The meeting also included an update on GMA’s Equity & Inclusion Certification program and GMA’s Diversity and Inclusion training program.

Thank you to these organizations for sharing with GMA’s Equity & Inclusion Commission: Thank you to these organizations for sharing with GMA's Equity & Inclusion Commission:

GMA's Efforts Toward Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conversations, Connections & Resources

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 9

GMA formed its internal Equity and Inclusion Task Force, co-chaired by Kelli Bennett and Bill Thornton. This 12-

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

COVID-19 UPDATE

Dr. Anthony Fauci Talks with Georgia’s Cities In an interview with GMA’s Larry Hanson (Executive Director), Rusi Patel (General Counsel) and Kelli Bennett (Director of Communications) Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the President, shared an inside look into the COVID-19 vaccines, his professional opinion on a return to normal and what local leaders can do to engage with and protect their communities. Read excerpts from the interview below and watch the full interview online at www.gacities.com.

against the mutants, but we cannot be complacent. We have to follow this really carefully, and if they evolve more and become more resistant to the point where it interferes with the efficacy of the vaccine, then we have to upgrade our vaccines and maybe give a boost with a vaccine that covers those mutants. But for the time being, the best way to prevent the continuation of mutation is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as you possibly can.

RP How concerned are you about recent and potential mutations of the COVID-19 virus, and how likely are some of these mutations to be resistant to the current vaccines?

AF

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We take all the mutations seriously. Even though not every mutation has a functional significance, some of them do, including the ones that are circulating in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. These are apparently associated with an increased ability to transmit.

These do not appear to have a significant impact on virulence, namely not making you on a one-to-one basis sicker. However, the more people that get infected, the more people go to the hospital.

The more people that go to the hospital, the more people die. So, even though it doesn’t inherently make it more virulent, it’s not a good thing that it increases the transmissibility.

But importantly is the question of, “What impact do these mutations have on the monoclonal antibodies and on the vaccine-induced response?” We have found that the mutations, particularly the one circulating in South Africa, diminish the effectiveness of the vaccine but don’t obliterate it. In other words, it still looks like the vaccines that we are using are effective

KB

AF

How can local leaders bridge the gap between the first-hand accounts and advice of public health and medical workers and the public?

Local leaders are some of the most important components of getting the message to the community. This is one of the reasons why I was enthusiastic about speaking to you all [GMA], because you really want to make sure that the people who are on the ground and close to the community are very aware of the information in real-time. Everything from public health measures to prevent

infection to the smoothness with which we roll out vaccines is absolutely critical to get local organizations involved. Congratulations on what you do because it really is important.

KB

You’ve shared that the new administration’s goal of 100 million vaccines in 100 days is doable. What is your cause for optimism and what must be done differently to reach this goal?

AF

This is the highest priority for President Biden and Vice President Harris. The President has a five-part plan to do a few things that are going to make this [goal] quite feasible, including expanding the groups that get the vaccine by using everything in his power and urging pharmacies to involve community vaccine centers with mobile units to distribute the vaccine to people— particularly minorities—who are living in areas that are not accessible easily to pharmacies or community centers.

RP

What can city officials do to encourage their constituents, particularly those populations who lack trust, to take the vaccine?

What are some of the common fears that need to be allayed?

AF

I think we have to have a separate message for the Brown and Black people—particularly African Americans. We need to respect the fact that history tells us that they have not been treated well by federally funded public health issues—going back to the days of the Tuskegee incident. We have to let them know that we understand their hesitancy, but safeguards have been put in place since then that would make that type of thing essentially impossible to happen again.

Then, we have to go step by step and outreach in a collaborative way—not pejorative, not pointing fingers, not making people feel guilty—and address people’s concerns of the vaccine moving too quickly and its safety. [We have to] explain the speed from knowing what the virus was to having doses to put in people’s arms literally in 11 months, which is unprecedented and truly historic. But it’s historic in the good sense, because it really is the result of spectacular advances in the science of vaccine platform technologies.

So, safety was not compromised nor was scientific integrity compromised.

Some people are worried [and think] the federal government is trying to put something over on them or companies are trying to make money. That’s when we have to start looking at and basing things on facts, and the facts are that the determination of a vaccine’s safety and efficacy is made at the end of a clinical trial involving tens of thousands of people by an independent data and safety monitoring board of professionals that are representative of scientists, vaccinologists, virologists and statisticians.

These professionals are accountable to no one—not to the federal government nor to the company.

They look at it completely independently and when they determine that it’s safe and effective, then the company presents the data to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to be administered. The FDA then works with their own independent advisory committee to decide if it’s safe to administer [and] then it gets administered. So, the whole process is both independent and transparent and ultimately gets published in the scientific literature, where everybody can look at it.

KB

AF

KB

AF

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85% of the population vaccinated, and we get through and past this vaccine hesitancy, we could get an umbrella of herd immunity over society. If we do it correctly and expeditiously and vaccinate those people before we get to the middle and end of the summer, by the time we get to the fall we could be approaching “normal.”

It won’t be exactly normal. But I think we can get some degree of normality that, by the time we come to the end of the year, looking forward, that we can feel much different than we do now.

The CEO of Moderna shared that he believes COVID-19 would likely become an endemic. Do you agree, and if so, could it potentially require annual vaccinations?

We hope that it doesn’t become an endemic in the sense of having outbreaks every year. If endemic means, there’s a very low level of infection (since most of the people are vaccinated), then we don’t have a serious threat from it. But what we don’t want is to have a situation where we have significant outbreaks every year, but it is conceivable. We’re going to find out pretty quickly if we are going to require a boost of the vaccine.

KB

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are proving far more successful than many scientists could have imagined at the onset of the pandemic. What benefits might the technology used to create these vaccines yield in combating other infectious diseases in the future?

AF

We’re very excited about the surprisingly positive results. We never would have imagined that we were going to get 94 to 95% efficacy. Right now, even as we speak, there are a lot of scientists and vaccine companies already doing early studies in HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis and even in influenza. This breakthrough in vaccine platform technology was not only very good for COVID-19 but is going to have positive impacts on other diseases where we had difficulty in developing a good vaccine.

Please share the top three lessons local leaders should take away from this pandemic to better prepare for potential future pandemics?

Not necessarily in the order of priority, but one thing is that we need to make investments locally, but also from the federal government with help to the local areas.

Next, we need the ability to communicate in surveillance, because diseases emerge in the community, and we need to detect them early and communicate among yourselves and centrally, for example, with the CDC. Finally, we have to have a golden mean and a good balance between federal direction [to states], coordination, collaboration and support so that you don’t ask the federal government to do it all, and you don’t ask the local government to do it all, but you have a partnership.

RP

When do you think our return to normal would be, and why?

AF

That is going to be dependent on a lot of things, including the percentage of people that we get vaccinated. If we really do get

Watch the full interview online at www.gacities.com.

CITYSCAPES

Let Us Build Community to Uplift our Democracy

BY VINCE WILLIAMS, GMA PRESIDENT

My heart is aching. The destructive behavior on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol has tested our democracy, our democratic institutions and the ideals on which our country was founded.

UNCERTAINTY REGARDING OUR economy and the impact of the pandemic, among other issues, have caused very real and understandable anxiety for many Americans. But in order to move forward and address the challenges we face together as a nation; we cannot let fear and hate of “the other” become infused into our politics. We must ground our politics and ourselves in civility, respect, compassion and love.

What happened on Jan. 6 did not take place solely within our nation’s capital; it is an experience we share collectively. It will take more than actions in Washington, D.C., to overcome this trauma. Healing will need to occur in each of our hearts and in our communities.

As I search for clarity and certitude in this moment, I’m reminded of what previous GMA presidents have shared in this column in the past. These men and women—whose backgrounds, experiences and politics might be different than mine—are people whose leadership I admire and whom I’ve come to love and respect.

Dublin Mayor Phil Best, on the fact that most people in our nation feel that local communities can be laboratories for trust building, said this: “I tend to look at it as an opportunity to shine, to show others how to get things done in a way that honors our democratic ideals while working towards the common good.”

Former Albany Mayor Dorothy Hubbard said this on the need for more civility and kindness in politics: “It is at the local level where we live, work and play; where citizenship and community are formed and nurtured; and where the strength of our democracy is grounded. There is no better place than in our communities to begin healing the wounds our democracy and culture have sustained.”

And my good friend, Auburn Mayor Linda Blechinger, had this to say after the elections in 2018: “Whether you are happy with the current state of our politics or not, let’s take heart, have hope and continue to build our cities, remembering that civility, kindness and inclusion are fundamental building blocks to building strong communities.”

The wisdom of these leaders is something we all can embrace.

Friends, building community is a vital ingredient for our democracy and is needed to address the challenges we face. Moving forward we must commit to seeking the truth, ground our actions in dignity and maturity, and aspire to treat those that agree or disagree with us with love and generosity.

It is incumbent on us as city leaders to rise above the events of Jan. 6 and to work together to create those things in our communities that are beautiful, that have meaning, and that allow for our better angels to soar. To do so allows our nation and our communities to be the “shining city upon a hill.”

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 13

Legislative Advocacy for Cities is a Year-Round Commitment

BY LARRY HANSON, GMA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Cities and their residents are affected by the Georgia General Assembly and the United States Congress, as well as by the regulatory decisions made by state and federal agencies.

BECAUSE OF THE IMPLICATIONS of these actions for cities, GMA employs a team of governmental relations experts who advocate for sound public policy and work to mitigate or prevent measures that are not in the best interest of our members.

As we begin the 2021 legislative session, we can again anticipate that various bills will be aimed at addressing a perceived problem in one or a handful of communities. The problem with these proposals is their failure to recognize that the perceived problems do not exist in all 537 cities and 159 counties. Georgia is an extremely diverse state made up of cities of different sizes, economies, needs, challenges, strengths and community desires. That is why we so strongly advocate for home rule. We believe you—at the local level, in daily contact with your citizens—should be able to make the decisions right for your city.

We can also expect bills to give tax breaks to an industry or special interest. The reality is that tax breaks are merely tax shifts, and the question is, who bears the brunt of someone else’s break? At a time when the cost of government is increasing and revenues are declining due to COVID-19, we must examine the potential impacts of proposed changes to fiscal policy and protect the interests of cities.

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In this edition, you will read about our governmental relations staff and how they work on your behalf. Tom Gehl and his team of Charlotte Davis, Michael McPherson and Ryan Bowersox, with support from Rusi Patel and Emily Hirst from GMA’s legal department, work daily to fight for cities. We urge you to respond to their requests for your insights on legislation and closely follow the session by reading our weekly legislative alerts and website updates. We also need to count on you to maintain close contact with your state legislators. They respond to you, and we are most successful when our members are leading the charge.

At the federal level, the only thing certain is that there will be fundamental changes in the philosophy of governing. Becky Taylor, who leads our federal relations and research team, monitors Congress and works with our Federal Policy Council to advocate for municipal priorities. Please keep abreast of key issues as they emerge and share our policy positions with your congressional delegation members and staff.

Remember, we at GMA exist to serve you our members. We want to hear from you and count on you to make sure the interests of cities are always taken into consideration, both in Atlanta and Washington. Together, as Cities United, we can—and we will—make a difference.

2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION:

Constants Remain As 2021 Legislature Convenes By Baker Owens WHILE SOME WEIRD AND UNUSUAL THINGS happened in 2020—the pandemic, murder hornets, Jupiter and Saturn in alignment—what remained constant were opportunities and trials for municipalities at the state capitol. In 2021, expect more of the same from the General Assembly. Legislative challenges for Georgia’s cities are inevitable as they contend with the ongoing public health crisis, revenue and staffing struggle and their core responsibilities of code enforcement, fire protection, public safety and other municipal services.

As the legislature gathers at the capitol for the 2021 session, GMA is read for its 88th year of protecting the interests of cities.

“GMA’s Legislative Policy Council (LPC) has been briefed on many of the issues this year that GMA will be watching carefully,” said LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton, chair of the LPC, “and although many of them are perennial issues they still require continued vigilance from GMA’s membership.”

One of those recurring issues is a residential building design standards preemption bill that would restrict how cities can regulate housing elements, such as materials or construction practices.

“I can’t think of a more perfect example of an issue where the state should maintain local control. Homebuilders in Oconee County want the state to set the same design standards for Oconee County, Buford Highway in Brookhaven and Lake Oconee—three incredibly different communities,” said Rep. Matthew Wilson, D-Brookhaven. “The people who know what’s best for the look and feel of my community are my neighbors and the local leaders we elect, and I think nearly all Georgia citizens would agree with that.”

Another issue that has continued to percolate in the General Assembly for a couple of years is the regulation, or lack thereof, of short-term rentals such as Airbnb. Not only are communities often not aware of the existence of these rentals, but there is also the issue of revenue from hotels or innkeeper taxes. Legislation is anticipated that would limit the ability of cities to regulate them as they see fit, and GMA is wary of a state-level, one-size-fits-all approach.

Rep. Dave Belton, R-Buckhead, has seen the impact of this issue up close and personal in his Lake Oconee district.

“It’s a pretty quiet neighborhood and sometimes people come and have these wild parties. We’ve had our local governments pass some solid regulations on these issues. We want to be sure and keep local control over that,” Belton said. “We don’t want to have a state law that attempts to impose a top-down solution.”

Rep. Todd Jones, R-Cumming, agrees.

“I believe in home rule. I believe the city council and commissioners have the right to determine what fits best for their community,” Jones said “The idea that the capitol should control what’s going on with [shortterm rentals] in municipalities is wrong.”

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 15

Another issue at the fore for GMA involves the process a city uses to annex land. House Bill 24 is sponsored

by Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, and, among other things, would allow for objections to annexation based on proposed tax abatements or other financial issues.

Doraville Mayor Joseph Geierman is concerned the legislation may be too broad and have an unforeseen impact on Georgia’s cities.

“The legislation covers many important issues: annexation, economic development and revenue for our schools. What concerns me is that these issues are not necessarily related to each other, and there’s a huge

potential for unintended consequences in trying to shoehorn a solution for them—based on the circumstances that exist in one specific jurisdiction—onto all of Georgia’s cities,” Geierman said. “I will be following this legislation closely and hope that GMA is given a seat at the table in crafting and refining any bills related to these topics.”

“As association staff have been doing since 1933, GMA’s talented advocacy team will be working closely with members of the General Assembly and our dedicated city officials in protecting the interest of municipalities,” said Tom Gehl, director of governmental relations for GMA.

ADVOCACY IN ACTION:

Connecting to the Gold Dome 101 Plan Your Virtual Visit to the Capitol GMA staff works hard to make sure that Georgia’s cities are well represented at the capitol. But the most effective lobbyists for Georgia’s cities are elected officials and city staff. Each session, cities face the threat of preemption from the state legislature, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for each local official to reach out to their state legislators and inform them on the ways they are leading in their communities and how legislators can support.

During this year’s legislative session, GMA wants to keep its members safe and socially distant, which is why city leaders are encouraged to join GMA’s advocacy team virtually. See below ways to serve as a virtual advocate with GMA and contact Charlotte Davis at 678-686-6291 or cdavis@gacities.com with any questions.

Ways to Connect Virtually: Visit the new Georgia General Assembly webpage at www.legis.ga.gov.

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GMA’s Legislative Tracking Site: This tool, which can be found on the Advocacy section of GMA’s website (www.gacities.com/LegislativeSession), will keep you up to date on all bills that could impact municipalities that GMA is following.

Virtual Meeting Coordination: Not sure how to connect with legislators? Need help setting up a virtual meeting? GMA can help make sure city officials engage with the right lawmakers at the right time.

Legislative Emails: GMA works hard to stay in touch with its member cities, especially during the legislative session. Each week during the session GMA sends out The Gold Dome Update.

Get Social: Follow and engage with our official social media accounts where you’ll find regular updates and interactive posts: Facebook and LinkedIn: Georgia Municipal Association Twitter: @GaCities Social Media Hashtags: #GaCities, #CitiesUnited, #GaPol

ADVOCACY IN ACTION:

GMA Wants to Hear from You GMA’s legislative staff is listed below. Please feel free to direct all questions or comments on legislation during the session to members of this team. By accessing GMA’s Policy Center website, the legislative point-person for

each of the tracked bills pending at the capitol will be indicated in the GMA legislative tracking system.

Tom Gehl Director of Governmental Relations tgehl@gacities.com 678.686.6247-office • 404.444.8900-cell

Charlotte Davis Deputy Director of Governmental Relations cdavis@gacities.com 678.686.6291-office • 404.561.8636-cell

Michael McPherson Intergovernmental Coordinator mmcpherson@gacities.com 678.686.6390-office • 404.556.3661-cell

Rusi Patel General Counsel rpatel@gacities.com 678.686.6210-office • 404.821.2251-cell

Ryan Bowersox Governmental Relations Associate rbowersox@gacities.com 678.855.0763-office • 404.640.6590-cell

Emily Hirst Assistant General Counsel ehirst@gacities.com 678.686.6211-office • 404.217.7456-cell

Union City Mayor Vince Williams, GMA President Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz Savannah Mayor Van Johnson Atlanta Council President Felicia Moore GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson

CONGRATULATIONS! To the Georgia’s Cities Leaders Named by Georgia Trend as 100 Most Influential Georgians

This recognition demonstrates the respect that city officials have in the state. This also reflects that cities are recognized for their leadership during the challenges of 2020 and in identifying opportunities for 2021 and beyond.

PROVIDING GEORGIA WITH A

21ST CENTURY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

BY ROCKY MORETTI, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND RESEARCH, TRIP

Accessibility and connectivity are critical factors in a region’s quality of life and economic competitiveness.

The growth and development of a region hinges on the ability of people and businesses to efficiently and safely access employment, customers, commerce, recreation, education and healthcare via multiple transportation modes.

Over the last decade, Georgia has experienced remarkable progress in developing its transportation and infrastructure network.

The Peach State stabilized its road and bridge network in 2015 with HB170, its regional transit systems in 2018, and invested over $300 million in state money in the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. And, since 2012, over 70

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communities have passed local option sales taxes for infrastructure.

Georgians recognize that strong political leadership on transportation issues is a critical component of its economic success. Ninety-three percent of Georgians use automobiles as their primary source of transportation and 43% believe that their road network is its greatest asset. Forty-nine percent of Georgians believe the state has primary responsibility for transportation infrastructure investment, and 51% are more likely to re-elect a politician who votes to increase transportation funding. Transportation builds communities, and Georgians recognize that.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned how critical the state’s supply chain is to its quality of life and economic health. In April 2020, total vehicle travel in Georgia was 39% lower than the previous April; but by September, the decrease in travel had been reduced to 9% as Georgia’s economy began to recover.

Based on its location and strong economy, Georgia is uniquely positioned to become the transportation hub of the Southeast, if not the entire United States. Every year, $843 billion worth of goods are shipped to and from sites in Georgia, with trucks accounting for 76% of all shipping. The value of freight shipped annually in Georgia is anticipated to more than double by 2045, increasing by 115%.

But growing traffic congestion threatens to erode Georgia’s advantages as a logistics hub. More than half of Georgia’s urban interstate highways are congested. A recent report on the nation’s worst freight bottlenecks found that three out of the top ten nationally are in metro Atlanta.

Ensuring that Georgia provides a transportation system that is reliable, safe and well-maintained will be critical to achieving the state’s future economic potential. Working with the Georgia Transportation Alliance and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, recently released a report that found that 22% of county-maintained roads in the state are in poor condition. Yet current funding will only allow for 12% of the miles of county-maintained roads in need of resurfacing and 8% of county-maintained roads

in need of reconstruction to be addressed this year. The amount that county governments were able to spend on highways and bridges was 52% of the total amount needed. TRIP estimates that Georgia motorists are paying an additional $2.7 billion annually in vehicle operating costs due to driving on rough roads, which accelerates vehicle depreciation and increases the need for routine maintenance.

Fortunately, the Georgia Commission on Freight and Logistics has risen to the challenge. Established in 2019 by leaders at the State Capitol, this commission of business leaders and elected officials has been working hard to quantify Georgia’s opportunities for growth in the freight and logistics industry and is expected to produce substantive policy recommendations by the end of this year.

These recommendations will form the foundation of policy changes that can solidify Georgia’s position as a global leader in freight and logistics. A responsive solution that expands current investment strategies and creates a long-term, dedicated stream of investment for multi-modal projects of statewide impact will allow Georgia to continue as the No. 1 state in which to do business.

Providing a safe, efficient and well-maintained 21st century transportation system will require long-term, sustainable funding, and it is critical to supporting economic growth, improved safety and quality of life throughout the area. A lack of reliable and adequate transportation funding could jeopardize the condition, efficiency and connectivity of the region’s transportation network and hamper economic growth.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 19

CITY DESK

Small Town,

Big Impact FITZGERALD STRIVES TO SHOWCASE UNITY WHILE MANY GEORGIA COMMUNITIES ARE considering the future of Confederate monuments, the city of Fitzgerald is not one of them. The city has taken great care to continue the legacy of peaceful coexistence between the North and South.

The city was founded in 1896 by Union veterans who envisioned a place of reconciliation. There are no statues dedicated to Union or Confederate causes.

Streets are named for Union and Confederate generals, notable naval ships, and southern rivers and plants. Early residents held annual picnics in Blue and Gray Park to honor all veterans. The Blue and Gray Museum in the historic railroad depot houses 1,200 artifacts, photos and memorabilia from the Civil War era.

Though the city seeks to uphold the founders’ vision, the Civil War history continues to stir up controversy.

“We have to aggressively respond to those seeking to mischaracterize our community,” said Cam Jordan, deputy administrator for the city of Fitzgerald.

“We also vigorously defend the integrity of the original foursquare street names in the belief that aside from representing one of the few Georgia planned city grids, if we allow any name change then we have degraded the founding story of harmony through compromise and given up our moral standing as representing the end of hostilities rather than the perpetuation.”

Jordan said the city has had to come up with other creative ways to recognize important figures in post-Civil War history. In 2013, the city dedicated a portion of one of its main thoroughfares to Martin

Luther King Jr. However, an ordinance protects the original 16 city blocks and stipulates a rigorous procedure for the renaming of streets. An applicant must obtain signatures from 75 percent of property owners along the existing street within 90 days of submitting the application. The name change request must be reviewed by city departments, any other government agencies that may be affected, and the board of education. A public hearing and public notice are required. Finally, the city commission must vote to approve the renaming, which must meet a specific set of guidelines if the street is to be named after an individual.

So far, no one has submitted a name change application, Jordan said.

AB&A Historic Train Depot 20

Georgia Municipal Association | New Headquarters, Renovation, and Parking Deck

Pickens County | Courthouse

City Spotlight

City of Douglasville | Public Safety Complex

Santa Claus

For people who wish the holiday season lasted all year, the city of Santa Claus, Ga. is right there waiting for them.

The kitschy city not far from Vidalia started as a marketing scheme by local farmer C.G. Greene, according to a 1986 story in the Los Angeles Times. Greene wanted to catch drivers’ eyes when they were traveling along nearby highways and encourage them to make a pit stop.

Santa Claus sits near U.S. 1, U.S. 280 and Interstate 16.

POPULATION:

165

MAYOR:

Amy Lawler

Santa Claus was incorporated in 1941, with Greene as its first mayor. Streets in the town include Candy Cane Road, Reindeer Street and Rudolph Way. City Hall—located at 25 December Drive, of course—is always decorated for Christmas. The city’s post office also receives thousands of pieces of mail every holiday season seeking a Santa Claus postmark.

GMA DISTRICT:

6

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 21

Cities Work to Get Back to ‘Normal’

BY ALIA HOYT

Sometimes there’s no avoiding a change in the status quo, no matter how much we’d like to. Massive events like the Great Depression, 9/11 and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world and forced major, lasting changes to the way things are done.

WITH THE COVID-19 VACCINE NOW IN EARLY distribution, however, many city leaders across Georgia are cautiously optimistic that the worst will soon be behind us, and that things will get back to a relative normal as much as possible.

Wondering what the “new normal” is going to look like? You’re not alone.

“I think that’s a moving target. The new normal changes pretty frequently,” said Hogansville City Manager Jonathan Lynn.

Georgia’s Cities interviewed representatives from Lawrenceville, Gainesville and Hogansville, all of which have made plans for getting back on track in 2021 while keeping in mind lessons learned from the pandemic so far. To do that, creativity and flexibility are definitely the name of the game.

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Gainesville: ‘hALL IN’ this together From the beginning of the pandemic, Gainesville embraced the concept that community coordination is key to stopping COVID-19. In partnership with the Northeast Georgia Health System, Hall County and the other cities therein, Gainesville helped establish the “hALL IN” initiative to encourage the use of best health practices to curb the spread of the virus. In 2021, the city will continue this campaign as it eases back into a more normal calendar of public events.

“The rollout is going to be slow,” said Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey. “It’s not going to be cold turkey. Just because Jan. 1 hit doesn’t mean it’s all over.”

So, with one eye on the pandemic and the other on the future, the city has planned a full slate of events to get people back to a more community-driven lifestyle. This is perfectly timed, as 2021 is Gainesville’s 200th birthday. As COVID-19 numbers are still high, the celebration will start off largely virtual. January is focused on historical events, including the devastating tornado of 1936 and subsequent rebuild, rise of poultry industrialization and construction of the Lake Lanier Dam. February will continue the historic trend with highlights of the area’s many influential Black leaders in honor of Black History Month.

Then, pandemic willing, Gainesville’s beloved Chicken Festival should be back on for April.

“We are hopeful that people will be ready and able to get back to that,” Lackey said.

A series of other events, such as outdoor summer concerts and October’s Mule Camp Festival will lead up to the city’s birthday celebration the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

“It’s important to find a way to make those things happen again so people can gather together and celebrate as a community, but safely,” Lackey said.

Hogansville: New Logo. New Trail. New Outlook.

Hogansville used the downtime in 2020 to involve the community in a rebranding effort.

“We felt that people had been so disconnected since March that we wanted to give them as many opportunities to be involved as we possibly could,” City Manager Jonathan Lynn said.

They started by soliciting new designs for the city’s outdated logo. Everyone from local high school students to professional graphic designers submitted ideas. Nearly 100 variations were sent in, with a winner selected in November. The city will use the coming year to roll out the logo, which features a hummingbird.

“We are updating everything we can,” Lynn explained.

This modern logo is ushering Hogansville into 2021 with a fresh, positive attitude, something everyone can agree is a good idea following the challenges of 2020. No doubt it will be on display at the new Tower Trail expansion, a $340,000 improvement.

“This will literally connect downtown to the trail,” Lynn said. “It’s great because people need to get out and be active, not going stir crazy. The timing couldn’t have been any better!”

Lawrenceville: Upgrades All Around No one can accuse the city of Lawrenceville of letting the pandemic take over. Indeed, it has taken every opportunity to examine what can be done better, and how.

“We have found the pandemic to be both catastrophic and unifying at the same time,” said Melissa Hardegree, Lawrenceville’s director of community relations.

A couple of the most important changes focus squarely on helping citizens stay healthy and safe, while also keeping restaurants and businesses viable.

Looking forward to 2021, the Lawrenceville Performing Arts Center construction plan has been edited to reflect post-pandemic needs.

“The city has made a significant investment in facility upgrades to improve air quality, offer hands-free devices, create a safe physical environment and provide appropriate sanitizing equipment for patrons, performers and staff,” Hardegree notes.

Lawrenceville has also established a contingency plan for upcoming events, allowing for conversion to virtual or other forms if it becomes necessary.

As the world struggles to come out of the pandemic, Lawrenceville is continuing efforts that helped local restaurants in 2020.

“Restaurants with outdoor dining fared better than others,” Hardegree said. “So, we’re trying to help our downtown restaurants acquire more outdoor space.”

Lawrenceville marketed information about al fresco dining options to the public in 2020 and will keep up that effort in the coming year.

The city also capped off 2020 with a reimagined version of the annual Merry Little Christmas event. With activities spread throughout downtown, this not only kept people socially distant, but entertained as well.

This will continue in 2021, according to Hardegree.

“Normal for events is going to be spaced out, socially distant, encouraging masks and involving the businesses,” Hardegree explained. “It’s our task to figure out ways to plan things that allow people to be as open and out as they want to. We must be creative.”

Nine Cities Presented the 2021 Visionary City Award Nine cities across the state of Georgia were honored with the Visionary City Award, presented by Georgia Trend and GMA at this year’s virtual Cities United Summit.

Three cities each earned the award in three categories: small (population under 4,999), medium (5,000 to 24,999) and large (25,000 and over). Each city was recognized for actions and initiatives taken that increased civic engagement, created community partnerships and made people proud to call their city home.

“If ever there was a time for unity and togetherness, it is now, and these nine cities have illustrated this unity through their visionary projects,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “It’s our privilege to honor the elected officials, city staff and community leaders who made these initiatives possible. These cities exemplify what it means to be forward-thinking for their residents and generations to come. They serve as inspiring examples of civility, collaboration and what it means to create communities of positive change across Georgia.”

2021 VISIONARY CITIES: SMALL CITY CATEGORY Hahira: Recognized for expanding city literacy programs to foster community and bring residents downtown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hahira started a Main Street StoryWalk, in which residents could read a new book every month by reading one page on each Main Street storefront. The city also started a virtual book club to provide an opportunity for adults to socialize.

Tybee Island: Recognized for supporting local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city allowed $500 façade grants to be used for new features to protect workers and customers, waived certain late fees and gave businesses two free city parking spots each for curbside pick-up.

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Woodbury: Recognized for expanding internet access at a critical time.

Woodbury improved internet speeds at its municipal complex and added wireless mesh technology, allowing residents to receive service directly from the city.

MEDIUM CITY CATEGORY Auburn: Recognized for thoughtfully planning a new downtown development that will include a new city hall, 150 homes and up to 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The new Auburn City Center’s design is inspired by historic buildings and will feature amenities including a village green, trails and a sustainable farm.

Douglas: Recognized for taking action to confront the city’s mental health and addiction needs. Coffee County’s sole mental health clinic has regularly become overwhelmed by the demands of the community.

Douglas city leaders worked with the county and Unison Behavioral Health to build a second mental health facility with a $750,000 state grant.

Griffin: Recognized for its response to the summer unrest regarding racism and violence against Black people. A city-formed Ministerial Alliance led a prayer walk, and Griffin formed new groups to focus on diversity and inclusion efforts. The city also commissioned a downtown mural honoring Griffin native Janet Harmon Bragg, the first Black woman to hold a commercial pilot’s license.

LARGE CITY CATEGORY Brookhaven: Recognized for increasing outreach and accessibility for Spanish-speaking residents. Brookhaven partnered with local Latino community groups and provided city information in Spanish, including city forms and social media posts. The Brookhaven Police Department developed a Spanish-language Citizen Police Academy that has produced 80 graduates since 2016.

Dunwoody: Recognized for expanding outdoor dining capacity for restaurants amid the COVID-19 pandemic and starting the Picnic Table

Project. The project gave restaurants picnic tables decorated with city themes. The tables were used for a self-guided tour of local restaurants.

Statesboro: Recognized for taking action to improve housing stock and the availability of affordable housing. Statesboro revived the oncedefunct Statesboro Housing Authority and is working with community partners and private developers to create more affordable housing. The city also revised code enforcement ordinances and is working to secure funding to help homeowners make repairs.

Hahira’s Main Street StoryWalk Dunwoody’s Picnic Table Project

Griffin’s Janet Harmon Bragg Mural

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 25

INSIDE GMA

GMA Cares: Staff Serves The Community Through New Initiative IN A WEEKLY COMMUNICATION TO THE GMA STAFF TEAM IN September 2020, Executive Director Larry Hanson sought volunteers to identify and plan an effort in which GMA staff could support others during the challenging times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participation in the committee would be completely voluntary. The response was very favorable, with 19 employees establishing the GMA Cares Committee just one week later. The committee’s goal was to complete one or more “GMA Cares” projects by the end of 2020.

The committee immediately went to work. Based on feedback from a staff survey and project vetting, the committee chose to focus on two community needs: food insecurity and assisting homeless individuals and families.

On Dec. 8, GMA Cares teamed up with Hands On Atlanta and Whitefoord, Inc. to help address the problem of food insecurity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. GMA staff volunteers served in two shifts at the Whitefoord food distribution location in Atlanta to help pack and distribute 12,388 pounds of food to 454 families. All work performed by GMA staff took place outside and with face coverings. To assist the homeless community, GMA Cares hosted a Donation Drive in

December to support three organizations: the Atlanta Recovery Center, a transitional housing unit for men; the Gateway Center, a homeless service center (both located in close proximity to the GMA Headquarters in South Downtown Atlanta); and Sheltering Books, Inc., which provides books to homeless shelters across the United States. GMA and Local Government Risk Management Services staff volunteers collected new and gently used items from fellow staff and friends at drivethrough, socially distanced, contact-free drop off events and through purchases from an Amazon wish list. In the end, GMA Cares donated 207 individual Cares Packs consisting of daily essentials, 169 new or gently used items of clothing and 315 books (including 133 children’s books), along with other miscellaneous items.

“It’s a real honor to work at a place and with fellow employees who care so much for others,” said Hanson. “We had great participation among our employees and, most importantly, made a difference in the lives of others during the holiday season.”

Hanson said, “I know this will become a new GMA tradition to give back to support others.”

GMA Welcomes New Staff in the New Year JASON WATKINS JOINED GMA IN JANUARY as the association’s Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, he will oversee the Finance and Accounting Department.

Watkins comes to GMA from the Broward County Aviation Department where he was the enterprise director of finance for the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport. There, he directed four functional areas— financial reporting, planning and analysis, capital assets and accounting operations. Watkins previously served as the director of financial operations and treasury management at the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority in Tampa. Other previous employers include Florida Atlantic University and the Education Management Corporation.

A Florida native, Jason has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of South Florida. He is a CPA and currently serves on the Board of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Ryan Bowersox joined GMA’s Government Relations team in late 2020. Bowersox will be handling GMA’s legislative policy areas surrounding revenue, finance and tax policy. Prior to joining GMA, Bowersox was a senior policy analyst staffing the Senate Finance and Banking & Financial Institutions committees for the Georgia State Senate Research Office.

Bowersox obtained a double undergraduate degree in political science and advertising. He also obtained a law degree from Wake Forest

University where he was a member of the Wake Forest Moot Court and an editor of the Journal of Business and Intellectual Property Law. Amanda Coyne joined GMA’s Communications Department as the communications associate. She will be lending her creativity and expertise to helping GMA take its social media, legislative communications and magazine presence to the next level.

Coyne comes to GMA from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent four years as a reporter covering Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta news. She also covered the 2020 legislative session until it adjourned in March due to COVID-19. Coyne previously worked at the Greenville News in Greenville, South Carolina, where she covered business and politics, including the 2016 presidential primaries.

Coyne holds a degree in political science from the University of South Carolina and is an avid Gamecocks fan. Coyne has always had a strong interest in the intricacies of state and local government and lives in Atlanta with her fiancé Lorcan and their dog Nugget.

GMA also welcomed Rebecca Lockwood as the newest member of the Defined Benefit Retirement team.

Lockwood is a recent graduate from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Prior to joining GMA, she worked as a benefit specialist at Chick-Fil-A. Lockwood loves taking walks with her rescue dog, Heathrow, and volunteering in the community.

Download Today: GMA’s Member City Data Profiles GMA and its contract partner Neighborhood Nexus created new and improved city data profiles. Attached to each member city in GMA’s online directory, the profiles are now a four-page PDF with graphics for demographic, social, economic and housing data. Cities can use the profiles in a

variety of ways—they are a convenient handout to inform residents or to facilitate economic and community development activities.

To access your city’s data profile, go to www.gacities.com, find your city in the directory and select the “View Demographics” PDF.

Become a Certified City of Ethics GMA IS INVITING ALL CITIES TO CERTIFY OR RE-CERTIFY FOR THE association’s City of Ethics program. This program is in no way approval of past or present conduct by the city or any city official. Instead, it raises awareness about ethics issues at the local level and provides a local forum for the airing and resolution of legitimate concerns. The use of a local ethics ordinance allows citizens to raise their concerns and participate in the ethics investigation process at the local level, where the voice and influence of the individual citizen is strongest.

Re-certification is required every four years to continue in this prestigious program. New submissions require a one-time application fee of $85. Cities can visit the GMA website for a sample resolution and sample ethics ordinance. The deadline for both new submissions and recertifications is April 30, 2021, for the 2021 GMA Annual Convention.

To apply, re-certify or learn more, visit the Awards and Certification section on GMA’s website at www.gacities.com. Cities can also email Gina Gresham with questions at rgresham@gacities.com.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 27

GMA Adopts Core Values Last summer, GMA’s Human Resources department led an effort to revamp GMA’s Core Values.

“In considering our mission and our vision, it is also important to identify and share our core values and beliefs,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “Nine committees, made up of all GMA employees, met and identified core values they felt were important for the association.”

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We strive for greatness by exceeding expectations.

G

Greatness

A

Accountability

We are accountable to our members and the public.

We are good stewards of members’ resources.

C

Community

We recognize the strength of community.

We foster relationships with compassion and care.

I

Innovation

We excel through innovation and creativity.

We encourage forward-thinking.

T

Teamwork

We recognize our success is based on collaboration, communication and mutual support.

I

Integrity

E

Equity and Inclusion

We respect every individual’s dignity and worth and promote an all-inclusive work environment built on diversity.

S

Service

We provide professional, responsive service.

We put our members first and lead by example.

We are honest, ethical, dependable and fair.

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By the Numbers: Georgia Cities Foundation Transforms Downtowns FOUNDED IN 1999 BY GMA, THE GEORGIA CITIES FOUNDATION (GCF) was created with the mission of assisting member cities with their downtown revitalization efforts. A key instrument for affecting change in Georgia’s downtowns is the GCF Revolving Loan Fund. These low-interest loans leverage local bank investment and assist small business owners and developers seeking to reinvest in their community while creating new jobs, new residences and new businesses. Since the first loan closing in March 2002 through the end of 2020, the GCF loan program has made significant impacts throughout Georgia as seen in the numbers below.

LOANS CLOSED SINCE 1999: Total GCF Lending to date: Total Investment on GCF Projects to date: 2020 Loans closed:

158 $28,727,490 $177,572,930 6

2020 Total GCF Lending to date: 2020 Total Investment on GCF Projects to date: Total Loan Commitments: Total $ Loan Commitments: Total Investment of Loan Commitments:

$1,356,115 $6,365,189 12 $2,503,481 $15,097,419

PROGRAM’S IMAPCT: New Downtown Businesses: New Downtown Jobs Created: New Downtown Housing Units: Downtown Cultural Facilities: Downtown Hotel Units: Redeveloped Square Footage: New Construction Square Footage:

314 1,985 313 8 161 1,466,765 203,867

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DCA Receives CARES Funds for Homeless Advocacy In 2020, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) received supplemental funding through the CARES Act—$45,418,452 in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds and $562,987 in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds.

• Short-Term Rent, Mortgage, Utility Assistance • Supportive Services (e.g. case management, transportation, food, mental health services, etc.)

Find agencies in your area with supplemental HOPWA funding at www.dca.ga.gov. For more information on ESG or HOPWA, email HOPWA2@dca.ga.gov.

Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) provides shelter and housing with services and case management for low-income persons who meet HUD’s definition of homelessness or are at-risk of becoming homeless.

ESG Eligible Activities • Street Outreach • Emergency Shelter (including hotel/motel vouchers) • Rapid Rehousing • Homeless Prevention (pays rent and utilities to prevent homelessness) Find agencies in your area with supplemental ESG funding by emailing homelessinfo@dca.ga.gov.

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HOPWA Eligible Activities • Short-Term Emergency Lodging (hotel/motel vouchers) • Facility-Based Housing • Tenant-Based Rental Assistance

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2021

T H E VA L U E O F

GEORGIA’S CITIES 61.4% of all tax-

CITIES PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE STATE’S ECONOMY.

exempt property

46.5% of the

Georgia cities comprise only 9.2% of the land area in Georgia.

assessed value of property in the state

Cities contain 44.1% of the population in Georgia.

67.7% of the

CITIES ARE HOME TO:

Cities provide 68.9% of jobs in Georgia.

commercial property in the state

75.1% of Georgia cities have a population of 5,000 or less.

49.9% of the

Cities account for 90.5% of GDP in Georgia.

Cities are responsible for providing a variety of services to tax-exempt properties.

industrial property in the state

CITIES ARE GROWING AT A FASTER RATE THAN THE STATE’S OVERALL POPULATION:

Population growth in cities was

Population growth in the state was

between 2009 and 2019

between 2009 and 2019.

20.6%

27.5%

10.4%

The population in Georgia cities increases during the daytime by 27.5% due to commuting, and cities provide services (water, sewer, fire and police protection, etc.) to both daytime and resident population.

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: MUNICIPAL REVENUES BY SOURCE, FY2019

Federal IGR 3% Service Charges 3% Other Revenue 3% Property Taxes 27% Sales Tax 27%

MUNICIPAL EXPENDITURES BY CATEGORY, FY2019

Franchise Fees 5% Excise Taxes 14% License, Permits, Fees 3% State IGR 3% Local IGR 1%

Administration 20% Courts 3% Public Safety 36% Public Works 23%

Health & Welfare 3% Culture & Recreation 9% Housing & Development 6%

SPLOST AND TSPLOST REVENUES 94%

7.1

28

92

of SPLOST referenda have been approved by local voters since 2001.

billion dollars in SPLOST revenues were distributed to local governments to pay for voterapproved capital projects between 2016 and 2020

Georgia counties have Single County TSPLOST in place (as of December 2020)

counties are either in a Single County TSPLOST or TIA Region (as of December 2020).

4 regions have implemented a Regional (TIA) TSPLOST (as of December 2020)

Local funds will not be enough – a long-term, strong local-state-federal partnership is needed to address our state’s infrastructure needs.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, Georgia Department of Revenue Digest Consolidated Summary, Georgia Department of Community Affairs

ADVOCACY

A PUSH FOR HEAVIER TRUCKS IS ON THE WAY During the 2021 legislative session, the Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) plans to present a proposal to the General Assembly that would allow them to increase the weight of log trucks, and other industries are looking to hitch a ride.

TRUCKS ARE UBIQUITOUS IN GEORGIA, HOME TO THE PORT OF Savannah, the largest single container terminal in the United States and the largest port in the Southeast. Each day, thousands of tons of freight come through the port, where it is moved from container ships to 18-wheeler trucks. These trucks then travel from the Savannah area throughout the state. According to a 2019 report released by TRIP, a national transportation nonprofit, the amount of freight transported in Georgia was among the highest in the nation, and it was expected to increase at a higher rate due to advancements in e-commerce. And then we entered the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

The amount of truck traffic was trending upward even before the pandemic, and the problem has only worsened since. One side effect of physical distancing measures was that an already growing e-commerce industry skyrocketed. As many Georgians were forced to transition from shopping in brick-and-mortar stores to shopping on Amazon and other online retailers for gifts, clothes and necessary household items, the need for trucks to deliver these goods grew significantly. Increasingly, big trucks are coming off the interstate and on to state routes and roads maintained by local governments to make deliveries closer to customers’ homes.

All this truck traffic can and will cause damage to Georgia’s infrastructure and decrease road safety. Cornell Harvey, mayor of Brunswick, a city an hour south on Interstate 95 from the Port of Savannah and the host of the Port of Brunswick, is no stranger to heavy truck traffic.

“Oversized trucks are always a concern in urbanized areas where pedestrian and bicycle traffic are encouraged,” said Harvey, who also 34

serves as GMA’s Transportation Policy Committee Chair. “The likelihood of traffic accidents is heightened, and more severe injuries are more likely when accidents occur,” Harvey said, “[and physics dictates] the heavier the truck the more time and distance it takes to stop.”

One of the most important safeguards against this damage are the truck weight limits imposed by Georgia law which intend to mitigate the adverse effects of heavy trucks on roads, bridges and road safety.

Both truck traffic and truck weights were affected by the pandemic.

When Gov. Kemp issued the executive order instituting a statewide shelter in place, he considered forestry workers to be essential. Agriculture is one of Georgia’s major industries, and not wanting the wheels of commerce to stop, the order allowed the hauling of forestry products to continue. When extending the emergency order, the governor allowed log trucks and other commercial vehicles to apply for a permit to increase their weight up to 95,000 pounds — an 11,000-pound increase from the state maximum of 84,000 pounds.

After receiving—and subsequently losing — the ability to increase the weight of their trucks due to the pandemic, GFA will again ask for the ability to have an increase. The association intends to push the legislature to increase the weight of log trucks to 100,000 pounds, provided they add an axle to the truck. According to documents released

by GFA, 100,000 pounds carried on 6-axle trucks instead of 84,000 pounds carried on 5-axle trucks will lead to fewer trucks on the road because fewer trucks will be able to carry more forestry products.

“Although truck traffic is limited on certain city streets,” Harvey pointed out, “the streets where it is allowed shows significantly more deterioration.”

While the GFA seems to think this will be good for commerce and take pressure off infrastructure in the form of fewer trucks on bridges and roads, Mayor Harvey is opposed to the idea, arguing that this proposal would lead to a domino effect.

“I would adamantly oppose increasing the weight of log trucks, not only because of the direct impacts, but because the increase in weight of log trucks leads the way for an increase in the weight of all other trucks as well,” he said. “This would not be an isolated approval.

Once the weight of these trucks is increased, then other industries will petition for a weight increase and thus contribute to more deterioration and hazardous conditions of our roads.”

Mayor Harvey is not wrong. The sod, poultry and concrete industries are all likely to want the ability to increase the amount of weight their trucks can carry if GFA gets traction with its proposal. Frankly, cities cannot afford for this to happen.

“Road maintenance is a major capital and operating expense that continues to increase,” said Harvey. “The city’s funding resources do not keep pace with the level of need to maintain the city’s infrastructure and road inventory at present; the presence of heavier trucks would only exacerbate this problem.”

LEGISLATOR SPOTLIGHT: GETTING TO KNOW LEADERS UNDER THE GOLD DOME WILL WADE, COMMUNITY BANKER, HOUSE DISTRICT 9, DAWSONVILLE

GC: Complete this sentence: “If I were a mayor monitoring the 2021 legislative session, I would…”

GC: If you could have a meal with any historical Georgia figure who would it be?

WW: Continually monitor legislation that impacts home rule as well as unfunded mandates. I personally want to make sure that the legislature checks itself against passing unfunded mandates and to maintain the fabric of small towns across this state, and I believe home rule lends itself to maintaining this balance.

WW: Clarence Thomas. I would just love to hear his story and learn from him. I think he is remarkable in many ways and given all the discussions of the constitutionality of today’s current events, I would be honored to hear and understand his thoughts.

GC: Why did you decide to run for elected office?

WW: I believe my interest began when I participated in the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation as a freshman in high school. It’s a trip my dad and I took together, and I learned about my grandparents, their service to this nation in the Air Force, as well as service in their communities during the turn of the last century. My willingness to serve was solidified after September 11, 2001.

GC: What is one item you plan to have with you at the capitol every day?

WW: Hopefully my wits, and I also have a small token that has one of my favorite scriptures: Ephesians 6:11-24

SHEILA MCNEIL, PRESIDENT OF THE CAMDEN PARTNERSHIP, SENATE DISTRICT 3, ST. MARYS GC: If you could have a meal with any historical Georgia figure who would it be?

SM: Mary Musgrove. As a former business owner, I would like to hear how in the 1700s she and her husband started their trading post near Savannah. She played a big role in the peaceful founding of Savannah as an interpreter for Oglethorpe and the Yamacraw Indian Chief. Being a woman myself, I find her accomplishments amazing for that time period. Musgrove Plantation on St. Simons Island was named for her.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 35

She was described as fearless and tireless, something I find in myself.

GC: Why did you decide to run for elected office?

SM: It was not an easy decision and required deep thought. People that I really respect encouraged me to run.

GC: What is one item you plan to have with you at the Capitol every day?

ML: Naturally, drill down on the state’s revenue projections in these uncertain times, since that will impact not only the state funds we get, but also our own plans for municipal revenue generation.

SM: A list of the individuals who said, “Call me if you need me.” Also, I will take my belief in God that He will give me the strength every day to make the correct choices in the best interest of my constituents and fellow senators.

RUSS GOODMAN, FARMER, SENATE DISTRICT 8, HOMERVILLE

GC: Complete this sentence: “If I were a mayor monitoring the 2021 legislative session, I would…”

RG: If I could have a meal with any historical figure, it would be Charles Herty. Charles Herty was the first football coach at the University of Georgia and was a renowned chemist who did as much as anyone to revolutionize the forestry industry in Georgia through his work in the turpentine industry and helping to develop the process by which pine pulp is made into paper. As someone who has long worked in the forestry industry and a graduate of UGA, I’d love the chance to hear his perspectives on life and all the challenges his generation faced and how they overcame them.

SM: Thank goodness for this great group of legislators we have here in Georgia.

MARVIN LIM, LAWYER, HOUSE DISTRICT 99, NORCROSS GC: If you could have a meal with any historical Georgia figure who would it be?

ML: Someone we studied at length in eighth grade Georgia history: James Oglethorpe, who founded the colony of Georgia, ensured Georgia’s initial ban on slavery, and apparently maintained good relations with Native Americans—lots to unpack.

GC: Why did you decide to run for elected office?

ML: For a job that makes less than $16,000 a year, you’ve really got to care—and as an immigrant who used to be on public assistance like Peachcare, I particularly care about ensuring that our state hears the voices of the most vulnerable Georgians, in and out of my district.

GC: What is one item you plan to have with you at the capitol every day?

ML: My mask is probably too obvious an answer, so I’ll go with something I used to carry into the Capitol as a lobbyist: my dad’s old comb.

Something for presentability, yes, but also for ensuring that, long after he left us, he’ll still be alongside me on this incredible journey.

36

GC: Complete this sentence: “If I were a mayor monitoring the 2021 legislative session, I would…”

GC: If you could have a meal with any historical Georgia figure who would it be?

GC: Why did you decide to run for elected office?

RG: Simply put, I ran for office because I love South Georgia and our people. As a seventh-generation South Georgia farmer with two young sons coming along and a wife who is a third-generation public school teacher, I want to make sure that in South Georgia our children have the same opportunities in terms of quality of life, education and employment as the children in more populated areas of Georgia.

GC: What is one item you plan to have with you at the capitol every day?

RG: I will have a pen that was personally made by a good friend out of blueberry wood taken from our farm. It will serve as a constant reminder of who I am, where I come from and the good folks back home who entrusted me to represent them.

GC: Complete this sentence: “If I were a mayor monitoring the 2021 legislative session, I would…”

RG: Encourage the members to be able to disagree without becoming disagreeable and to try and put aside differences to work for the common good of all Georgians.

CITY MANAGERS SHARE: COMMUNITY TRENDS IN HOUSING COVID-19 HAS IMPACTED NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE, AND housing stability has been no exception. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the biggest challenges that have persisted through the pandemic are: • Evictions, expected to increase greatly if/when the CDC eviction ban ends, unless rental assistance is provided • Rising home prices, further widening the economic and racial gaps in home ownership • Rising rents, outpacing wage growth for many In 2019, the Metro Atlanta Housing Strategy identified housing instability as one of six housing priorities for the region. Unfortunately, people of color and existing vulnerable populations are being hit the hardest, continuing to widen the economic gap within the region and the state.

Experts believe this will have lasting ripple effects for generations.

ARC has concentrated on providing the tools and information to keep people in their homes, including identifying the most vulnerable families through the Eviction Tracker tool and other data analysis. ARC has also led and supported the Save Our Atlanta Residents (SOAR) project, which aims to keep tens of thousands of metro Atlantans threatened with displacement housed by raising funds to support an equity fund for eviction prevention and rental assistance.

Georgia’s Cities caught up with two city managers — Bryan Lackey of Gainesville and Billy Peppers of Canton — to get their insights on community trends in housing, and the challenges their cities are facing to ensure quality housing stock and regulation of short-term rental properties.

GC: As you know, we face legislative proposals each session of the Georgia General Assembly that would preempt cities’ ability to regulate short-term rental properties. Can you tell us about the current state of short-term rentals in your community and how your ordinance has helped regulate them?

BL: Gainesville has been evaluating how to best address this for our city. Hall County has already taken this on, primarily to address rental homes on Lake Lanier. To show how this issue is different from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, Gainesville does not have that many lake home rentals. Our concern is on short-term rentals in established single-family neighborhoods. This demonstrates that this problem is very different even among adjacent jurisdictions. For that reason, the state should leave this for each community to address rather than trying to apply a one size fits all state-wide solution.

BP: Canton has seen a growth in rental properties over the past two decades, including properties in larger neighborhoods. To boost household income, some residents are turning to short-term rental opportunities. We currently do not regulate these as a city but expect to have rules propagated in 2021.

GC: GMA’s membership is interested in pursuing legislation that would grant cities greater ability to inspect rental properties. How would this impact quality housing in your city?

BL: Gainesville has already seen that it does have a tremendous positive impact on the quality of our housing stock. A few years ago, we took this on using the International Property Maintenance Code to inspect both the exterior of the house, along with the interior with the permission of the renter and our municipal court judge. We used these inspections, and the violations they identified, to work with our solicitor and judge to address these with the landlord. In almost every case, we were able to gain compliance rather than an adjudication of the situation. We saw great success in improving the quality of the existing housing stock without a large number of displacements due to any type of noticeable increase in rents.

BP: Before you check into a hotel, you expect that someone has inspected the room to make sure it is clean, that the elevator is functioning properly, that fire codes are met, that the property is safe and secure. Why do we expect less for our residents renting a single-family home? The inability of communities to build rental property registries, create inspection protocols between tenancies and to assure safety for the tenant and neighboring properties is absurd. Georgia will only be able to tackle issues of human trafficking, child welfare, and human rights when local governments retain the authority to keep residential properties safe, well-functioning as rental units and clean of

potential criminal activity. If the home next to yours was consistently churning from tenant to tenant, wouldn’t you at least want to know it was safe?

GC: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Canton’s housing security?

BP: As a growing city in a high-demand market, Canton’s housing demand continues to increase. We expect to issue close to 400 new single-family building permits in 2020, with around 75% being new single-family detached properties and the remaining 25% being townhomes. New growth,

lack of available resale product, and quality of life drivers (excellent schools, home value for metro Atlanta, access to healthcare, location and low taxes) continue to increase our population. We do see housing security issues for our transitional residents. Housing prices, cost of apartment living, and low wage jobs create issues in securing workforce affordable housing. The city of Canton launched a citywide housing study in March that is in its final preparation as we speak. It has identified potential projects throughout our city including mix-value projects, tiny home options, and incentives for affordable housing.

GMA PREPARES TO FACE REVENUE & FINANCE DURING LEGISLATIVE SESSION REVENUE AND FINANCE ISSUES ARE LIKELY TO PLAY A PROMINENT role once again as legislators prepare to meet for the Georgia General Assembly’s 2021 legislative session. With the unique challenges presented through the year, these issues are set to be more important than ever. The impact of the coronavirus drastically decreased tax revenue collections across the state for much of 2020 as Georgians faced unemployment and decreases in spending and travel. Fortunately, sales tax, one of the largest sources of revenue for the state and local governments, was partially assisted by the implementation of the “marketplace facilitator” legislation, requiring the collection of sales tax on transactions occurring through online marketplaces. As Georgians adjusted their spending habits, purchasing more products over the internet, these popular online marketplaces collecting sales tax helped the financial outlook of the state and local governments. While tax revenue from many sources has relatively stabilized in recent months, these issues are likely to still be on the forefront as legislators reconvene.

Many individuals and businesses are still experiencing the negative financial impact of the coronavirus. Small businesses in particular continue to struggle to keep their doors open while sales decrease. When the legislature meets, there will certainly be a focus on providing relief and aid to those sectors that continue to be negatively impacted by coronavirus. Efforts by the legislature to provide relief to small businesses must consider the potential impact on local government.

38

“While there will be well intentioned interest in assisting small business across the state, this relief should not come at the expense of local government revenue streams already negatively impacted by the virus,” said Ryan Bowersox, GMA’s governmental relations associate covering municipal taxation issues under the Gold Dome.

It is crucial that the revenue sources relied upon by local governments are not only protected but strengthened to ensure continued funding of vital services. As local governments continue to rely heavily on sales tax revenue, portions of the sales tax code can be modernized to effectively capture all eligible sales. Further efforts to modernize portions of the sales tax code to reflect new technology are once again likely to be discussed through the legislative session.

It is expected that the legislature will consider lodging facilitator legislation requiring online short-term rental providers to be responsible for collecting the state and local hotel-motel fees. As consumers continue to replace traditional hotel and motel stays with rentals found on popular online platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO, this potential change in law would provide additional revenue to the state and local governments, and help avoid existing confusion concerning which party in the transaction is responsible for required taxes. This legislation would also be crucial in helping to level the playing field as traditional brick and mortar hotels and motels compete with the new alternative platforms.

SERVICE

Cities, Don’t Miss Out on Dividends!

Since Dec. 31, 2019, the combined assets of GMA’s Risk Management and Employee Benefit (RMEBS) programs have increased to $3.11 billion, up $149 million.

THE ASSETS ARE BASED ON AUG. 31, 2020, UNAUDITED FINANCIAL statements. For both programs combined, GMA has issued more than $97 million in dividends and $4 million in safety grants.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund (WCSIF) has operated since 1982, and the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency (GIRMA) has operated since 1987. Both programs are the largest insurers in the state for municipalities. They are financially secure and designed to provide the best value in insurance coverage available to Georgia cities. Learn more about each below.

Benefits of the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency: •

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Premier loss control services through LGRMS to include on-site and regional training and access to a vast library of safety and risk reduction resources 377 members Support with respect to law enforcement training and policies Free access to employment law helpline Dedicated GIRMA claims unit Safety grant opportunities (approximately $2 million issued since 2014) Membership dividends (almost $70 million declared since 2014) Crisis management communication services and training Employee counseling for workplace violence events Immediate assignment to defense counsel and claim support from the time a serious incident occurs Access to decision makers on property claims who will work to find a way to cover a claim, if possible Participation in decisions regarding settlement of liability claims Assistance from GIRMA’s preferred contractor on property claims

• • • •

Guidance on structuring contracts for projects with respect to insurance and indemnification Free property appraisals Coverage for drones Efficient administration for change requests and certificates of insurance

Benefits of the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund: • • • • • •

490 members Dedicated claims management team 24/7 access to nurses and telehealth physicians for injured workers Safety grant opportunities (almost $3 million issued since 2014) Preventive and proactive loss control services WC training for supervisors and employees

Contact GMA’s Stan Deese to learn more about these programs at sdeese@gacities.com or visit the Services portion of the GMA website at www.gacities.com.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 39

GMA’S MEMBER SERVICES CONSULTANTS AREAS OF EXPERTISE

PAM HELTON, DIRECTOR PHelton@gacities.com ­—

SHERRI BAILEY SBailey@gacities.com ­—

FREDDIE BROOME FBroome@gacities.com ­—

STAN BROWN SBrown@gacities.com ­—

City Administration, Financial Management and Revenue Administration, Operational Reviews, Utilities, Elections

Financial Management, Grants (DCA, HPD, JAG), Contract Negotiations, Capital Improvements, Economic Development

Public Safety, Hiring/Promotional Assessments, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Emotional Intelligence Training

Strategic Planning, Public Transportation, Public Works, Solid Waste, Fleet Services/ Facilities

EMILY DAVENPORT EDavenport@gacities.com ­—

TERRELL JACOBS TJacobs@gacities.com ­—

ARTIFFANY STANLEY AStanley@gacities.com ­—

HERE TO SERVE GEORGIA’S CITIES! ­—

Stormwater Management, Environmental Resources, Community Involvement & Marketing, Downtown/Main Street

City Administration, Human Resources, Credentialing Management, Utilities

Certified Human Resources Professional-SHRM-CP, Youth & Internship Programs, Special Event Planning, FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program

404-688-0472 www.gacities.com msconsulting@gacities.com

INNOVATION

Plans for Success AS GEORGIAFORWARD STARTS ITS SECOND YEAR in the GMA family, organization leaders look forward to planning the next Young Gamechangers (YG) program.

This program brings young professionals from across the state together to a host community, where the YG class works alongside community stakeholders to develop proposals that tackle some of the community’s most complex and pressing issues. GeorgiaForward hopes to announce the next Host Community and open YG applications this year.

As GeorgiaForward’s flagship program, Young Gamechangers is a practical application of the nonpartisan nonprofit’s founding purpose to improve Georgia together. Each YG class is comprised of one-third participants from the host community, one-third from metro Atlanta and one-third from greater Georgia (with emphasis on including participants from as many regions as possible). In addition to leadership development and network-building, YG participants have the unique opportunity to work on of-the-moment local issues with peers who come from very different worlds within Georgia. They must practice civility, collaboration, negotiation and empathy as they flex community and economic development skills to draft their proposals.

Likewise, in 2021 GeorgiaForward is planning programming to encourage all citizens to learn more about their fellow Georgians in different corners of the state.

“Using one of our sharpest divides—the urban v. rural or Two Georgias problem—we will reframe the discussion on broadband, healthcare, housing and education by hearing what the issue looks like from a rural point of view, an urban point of view, and how to build statewide solutions,” said Brenda Belcher, GeorgiaForward managing director. “Rather than make assumptions about, dismiss or ignore citizens with different points of view, how can we seek to understand? What questions can we ask? What does it look like to hold political views tight while still meaningfully engaging with the other side?”

To learn more about any of our programming or how to get involved, email georgiaforward@gacities.com.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 41

Online Training Will Continue Through Early Spring With cases of COVID-19 still rising, GMA and its training partner the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG) will continue to hold virtual training classes through the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Program at least through the spring of 2021.

THE STATE MANDATED NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIALS Institute will take place as a live stream event on March 29-31. Please visit the Events section on the GMA website for more details and registration information.

Feb. 18

The training program will also offer live online classes in February and March including the following:

Changing Demographics and Best Practices, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Feb. 11 Roles and Responsibilities of Council and Staff, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Public Works Services (formerly Public Works and Transportation, only those who have not had the former class will get credit for taking it again), 1:00-4:00p.m.

Feb. 12 Creating a Downtown Renaissance: Advanced DDA Training, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Feb. 17 Beyond the Beltway: Influencing Federal Policy Through Grassroots Engagement, 9:00 a.m.-noon 42

Law Enforcement Trends and Best Practices, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Feb. 19

March 3 Emergency Management, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

March 4 Open Meetings, 9:00 a.m.-noon Public Policy Development and Implementation, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

March 5 Planning and Zoning, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

A two-day Downtown Development Authority Basic Training class is being planned for March. Check the GMA website for details at www.gacities.com/events.

In-person classes are tentatively scheduled for May 11. The Robert E. Knox, Jr. Municipal Leadership Institute is tentatively scheduled for May 11-14. The location will be announced.

In-person training classes are also scheduled for the GMA Annual Convention in August in Savannah.

Training classes will be held on Friday, Aug. 6, Saturday, Aug. 7 and Tuesday, Aug. 10.

The Downtown Development Basic Training and the Creating a Downtown Renaissance: Advanced DDA Training classes are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, in conjunction with the Georgia Downtown Conference.

Plans are tentatively being made to host a second offering of the Robert E. Knox Jr. Municipal Leadership Institute in September, date and location to be announced.

The two-day Fall Training Event is scheduled for Oct. 28-29 at the Athens Classic Center. Four six-hour classes will be held each day.

In-person classes could be cancelled if GMA and CVIOG determine that it is not safe to hold in-person classes.

Please check the GMA website for up-to-date schedule information and registration information.

TOWNS & THE LAW

Virtual Public Hearings: Cities Strive to Protect their Constituents

BY EMILY HIRST, GMA ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL

On March 14, 2020, Gov. Kemp signed a public health state of emergency to address COVID-19 in Georgia. Since then, the virus has killed more than 10,000 Georgians, and millions have had to make abrupt changes to their lives.

AS THE VIRUS SPREAD, MORE and more organizations, including governmental entities, took action to protect their employees by asking them to work from home.

Like everyone else, cities have been doing their best to keep operations uninterrupted. However, municipalities have unique legal duties to meet, with citizens relying on them to provide critical services every day. State law, under O.C.G.A. 50-14-1(g), makes it clear that a city can hold regular and special council meetings completely virtually under emergency conditions. Unfortunately, state law concerning public hearings (such as zoning or budgetary hearings) is ambiguous. Georgia open meeting laws ensure that the public has a right to know how its government operates. Because of this, the Open Meetings Act must be read towards transparency and avoiding loopholes. Due to this lack of clarity, it is likely that holding a public hearing purely virtually is not permitted under current law.

GMA identified this as a problem for our members very early on in the pandemic and attempted to take action to gain clarity for Georgia’s cities. Since cities were in limbo as to how to safely hold public hearings during a state of emergency, GMA tried to amend the statute to make certain that public hearings could be held purely virtually during a declared emergency.

Unfortunately, the bill ran out of time and did not pass both chambers of the legislature.

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In order to provide clarity to our members going forward, GMA is working with ACCG to craft a bill for the 2021 legislative session, which will specify how and when local governments may hold public hearings fully online. GMA would like to take this opportunity to thank Rep. Eddie Lumdsen for carrying this vital bill.

“COVID-19 has drastically changed how cities and counties conduct business,” Lumsden said. “This legislation, supported by GMA and ACCG, will ensure that local governments can safely and efficiently hold virtual public hearings for zoning, budgeting and other operations that can’t be delayed indefinitely.”

GMA also wishes to remind our members that your voice on these issues matters. It is key that your legislators hear from you regarding the issues that affect cities, such as this one, so that we can be sure that city issues are at the forefront of legislators’ minds when they embark upon the 2021 legislative session.

In the meantime, we are seeing endurance and ingenuity from our cities as they seek to abide by statutory requirements while keeping their staff and residents safe. Some cities have done so by gathering the minimum number of members required in-person for a quorum in a well-distanced location while remaining members attend virtually, with public comment being held both virtually and in-person with distancing requirements. We urge the legislature to act quickly so that this imperfect solution will only be temporary.

FEDERAL FOCUS

Georgia’s Cities Still in Need of Federal Support On Dec. 28, 2020, President Donald Trump signed a $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law, averting a government shutdown and extending billions of dollars of coronavirus aid to residents and businesses.

THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES’ (NLC) summary of this 5,000+ page bill is available online.

Importantly, direct local aid for cities of all sizes, a top priority for GMA and cities across Georgia in 2020, was not included in this package. The needs of Georgia’s cities have not gone away, and GMA will work with members of Congress and the Biden Administration to achieve assistance for cities in 2021.

As we head into the 117th session of Congress and work with a new administration in the White House, it is helpful to get an understanding of the political lay of the land. With the election of Georgia’s two new senators, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Democrats will gain a majority in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will shortly be the new majority leader of the body. Schumer will drive the agenda and decide what bills get put on the floor, which might impact the chances that a relief package with state and local aid will make it into a next bill. Georgia delegation members are also expected to hold key committee roles that will be important to GMA’s efforts to advance city priorities, including infrastructure and rural broadband deployment.

In the coming months, GMA will be working closely with members of Georgia’s congressional

delegation and NLC to provide them with information they can use in their conversations with the new administration, as well as Senate and House leadership and key committees to help try to shape legislation that can be added to a possible relief package.

Our message and case for aid to cities must be data-driven, and GMA will continue to solicit information from GMA’s entire membership about service cuts, budget shortfalls, capital improvement projects being delayed and other quantitative data to document the impact of the pandemic on your residents and businesses. It will be vital for us to arm leadership and all members of Georgia’s delegation with this data to make sure we have support for municipal priorities in Congress. As always, specific numbers and local stories will remain key to making the case that aid for cities and states is critical. We must continue to educate and build allies, remain in touch with veteran members of Congress, and build relationships with Georgia’s new U.S. House and Senate members.

GMA’s most important asset and voice in this fight is you: city officials. GMA’s staff will continue to fight and stand shoulder to shoulder with you in 2021.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 45

Connecting with Georgia’s

Children and Youth

By Sara Baxter

ENGAGE is a series of stories by GMA and Georgia City Solutions that highlights how cities and city officials are engaging and connecting with children and youth in their communities and addressing the issues they face. Each issue will feature excerpts from the ENGAGE stories. To read the full features, visit www.gacities.com.

Taking Care of Georgia’s Youngest Citizens What do we do with the little ones?

That question is on the minds of many parents who need to work but struggle to find accessible, affordable child care for their young children. It’s a question employers and communities have to grapple with as well.

Ensuring that working parents have access to early child care that is safe and developmentally appropriate for children from birth to age five has far-reaching effects for everyone involved: children, parents, employers and the community.

The issue hit home for the Savannah Economic Development Au­thority (SEDA) when 115 of the area’s 200 child care centers—with the capacity to serve 3,566 children—were at risk of no longer being able to serve chil­dren receiving Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) scholarships by Dec. 31. To answer this need,

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SEDA created the Workforce Initiatives Fund, which provided $375,000 in mini-grants to licensed child care centers trying to achieve the necessary Quality Rated designation from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

In Athens, city officials are trying to make sure quality child care is available to every child that needs it.

Last November, Athens-Clarke County passed a $314-million Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) package for several big projects that will improve Athens, including the construction of a new judicial center and a new Classic Center Arena, as well as building affordable housing downtown.

The plan is to include at least one child care center in one of the new buildings, making child care more accessible to those who work and live in downtown Athens.

Like her counterpart, Mayor Kelly Girtz in Athens, East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham has a

background in education and a passion for children and early childhood education. So, it makes sense that as mayor, she and her city council have made early childcare a priority.

In 2015, the city established the Joint Learning Committee, comprised of school leaders, city officials and leadership from business, faith-based and nonprofit sectors, with the goal of improving education, increasing parent and youth engagement and enhancing workforce development. Early childcare is a part of that.

To read the full article on how cities can support child care, visit the Reference Articles section at www.gacities.com

Engaging Youth When They are Out of School It’s 3 p.m. Do you know where your children are?

They may be one of the nearly 328,000 Georgia school-aged children who are in a supervised afterschool program. Or they could be one of the more than 633,400 who would like to be but are not.

According to America After 3 p.m., a report released in early December by the Afterschool Alliance, 18% of Georgia’s school school-aged children participate in afterschool programs. For every child who is in a program, two more are waiting to get in. That leaves out approximately 42% of children who need it.

The benefits of afterschool and summer learning programs to children are innumerable: they are in a safe,

nurturing environment; they are engaged and connected; they get help with their schoolwork, and programs often it provides meals and snacks where children may not otherwise get one. Parents have the peace of mind that their children are well-cared for, and therefore can focus on their jobs. There is also a positive impact on the quality of life in a community.

Each day, up to 1,200 school age children in Columbus are cared for through the city’s Parks and Recreation Department’s before school and afterschool programs.

The department partners with Muscogee County Schools and runs programs in 22 of the system’s schools during the school year. The partnership allows them to utilize cafeterias, classrooms, gyms and playgrounds.

“The children stay on site, so there’s no need for transportation,” says Holli Browder, Director of the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department. “It also makes it easier on parents to drop them off or pick them up close to home.”

“Having quality afterschool care in place also makes a community an attractive place to live, as well as attractive to businesses, because it is critical to being able to hire and retain employees,” says East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham, who is also the special projects manager for the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN) and chairs GMA’s Children and Youth Advisory Council. “And employees need to have quality care to be as productive as possible.”

To read the full article on the importance of afterschool programs, visit the Reference Articles section at www.gacities.com

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 47

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENTS

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENTS HOUSING CHOICE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

BY ERIC KRONBERG, PRINCIPAL AT KRONBERG URBANISTS + ARCHITECTS

“Resilience” is a word that’s getting a lot of use at a time when our healthcare system, economy and mental and emotional fortitude are being tested as they never have before.

AS IT IS DOING SO EFFECTIVELY across all facets of life, the coronavirus pandemic is highlighting the importance of widespread affordable housing, especially in walkable, complete neighborhoods. Right now, as people are being laid off or losing revenue from their business, many are not going to be able to keep up with their rent or mortgage payments. As we have written extensively, we believe the best way to support the proliferation of affordable housing in walkable areas is through the expansion of housing choice—more housing options of varying sizes and types, on a variety of lot sizes, connected to the community via a variety of mobility options. In light of recent challenges facing society, we took a look at housing choice from a slightly different

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perspective and asked the question, what does a resilient community look like?

When we were crafting the mission of Kronberg Urbanists + Architects (KUA) over the last year, we worked to distill our goal into as few words as possible. What qualities do we try to introduce and reinforce in neighborhoods through our research and design work? We came back with three words: vibrant, lasting, and inclusive. We also think any community that can achieve those qualities also qualifies as resilient. Everyone can recognize a place that’s vibrant; the tricky part is figuring out the design and policy mechanics that create those outcomes.

One critical, but often overlooked, component of resilient places is physical and service infrastructure—utilities, sidewalks, street trees, as well as critical

services like emergency services, waste collection, and school buses. An economically resilient place can generate enough in revenues (taxes) to pay for the long-term maintenance of these complex systems. If a place is not financially sustainable, it will not be able to pay for ongoing service needs or invest in infrastructure needed to support future growth. Sprawling, exclusively single-family development simultaneously generates very little tax revenue relative to the amount of space it takes up and requires more material such as pipes, power lines, concrete, asphalt, etc. per household—a double whammy. In contrast, dense and diverse residential development produces more tax revenue and utilizes infrastructural investment more efficiently. Housing Choice isn’t just better for the wallets of homeowners and renters—it’s better for municipal budgets.

The cost of infrastructure is something our friends at StrongTowns and Urban3 have been working on for years, and they’ve produced excellent research and visualizations that are worth reading. Using their work as a starting point, we’re focusing on these links between infrastructure and Housing Choice. We incorporated this for the first time in a recent presentation given to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Land Use Coordinating Committee.

The coronavirus pandemic is putting a spotlight on the outcomes—positive and negative—of our urban development patterns. It’s causing us to think critically about our lifestyles on both a societal and personal level. We’re all experiencing this in real time, and the KUA team is talking every day, albeit via Microsoft Teams, about the discussions happening in the urbanism community. The relationship between pandemics and urbanism, and the weaknesses the virus and the lockdown are exposing in our urban form and policies, were not topics that were on our radar before, but they certainly are now. We’re looking forward to publishing some of those thoughts on the blog soon. In the meantime, everyone stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home.

PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED

We are delighted to announce that the following communities have been accepted into the 2021 Georgia Economic Placemaking Collaborative:

CITY OF COVINGTON CITY OF FITZGERALD CITY OF JACKSON CITY OF NEWNAN CITY OF POWDER SPRINGS CITY OF YOUNG HARRIS ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOOD VINE CITY/ENGLISH AVE. MERIWETHER COUNTY For more information, visit www.georgiacitiesfoundation.org.

January/February 2021 | gacities.com 49

CITYLITES

Fairs and Festivals February 5 First Friday Brunswick

March 5 First Friday Brunswick

March 19-28 Cherry Blossom Festival Macon

February 5 – March 31 NEA Big Read Brunswick

March 5-6 Rhythm and Ribs Festival Tifton

March 26 Fire Ant Festival and BBQ Bash Ashburn

February 7 Super Museum Sunday Savannah

March 6 Thomasville Antiques Show Thomasville

March 27 Peanut Proud Festival Blakely

February 13-14 Revolutionary Days Washington

March 11-14 Elvis Tribute Festival Brunswick

Crafts Along Newcastle Brunswick

Fireside Arts and Crafts Show Helen

March 13-14 Forsythia Festival Forsyth

February 14 Azalea Storytelling Festival LaGrange February 17-28 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Atlanta

Rivertown Days Bainbridge Azalea Festival Valdosta

February 19 Arbor Day Celebration Pine Mountain

March 17 World’s Fastest Growing St. Patricks’ Day Parade Conyers

February 26 Black History Month Dinner Athens

March 19-20 The Wild Chicken Festival Fitzgerald

Brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee Brunswick March 27-28 Mulberry Street Festival Macon

*Before you make plans to attend, check with cities to see if these events are postponed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To place a free Fairs & Festival listing contact gacities@gacities.com. Please submit listings at least eight to ten weeks ahead of publication date.

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GEORGIA GEMS REMEMBERING THE ‘DREAM’ IN DUBLIN Celebrate Black History Month by walking in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the city of Dublin.

Visit Dublin GA, the city’s destination marketing organization, offers ways to experience the King legacy safely during the pandemic.

Painted with electric blues, bright yellows and dark outlines, a mural of a young girl welcomes visitors and residents to the site in Downtown Dublin where a 15-year-old King gave his first public speech. This 54-foot wide by 10-foot high mural by Georgia artist Corey Barksdale symbolizes the need for future generations to carry King’s peaceable-change message and serves as the focal point of one of the city’s most prized projects, Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park.

The park is across the street from First African Baptist Church, which hosted the essay contest that brought King from Atlanta to Dublin on April 17, 1944.

Visitors can listen to King’s first speech, “The Negro and the Constitution,” on the park’s audio tour that brings the era of the Civil Rights Movement to life.

MLK Monument Park is also the beginning of the Downtown Dublin Walking Tour, which includes 71 historic landmarks and buildings. Printed copies are available at the Dublin Visitor Center, or the guide can be downloaded at www.visitdublinga.org.

First African Baptist Church and MLK Monument Park are both stops on Georgia’s Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trail, created through a partnership between The King Center and the state tourism division. Learn more at www.exploregeorgia.org.

201 Pryor Street, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ATLANTA, GA PERMIT NO. 1959

Thank You Coffee & Conversation Sponsors GMA is proud to recognize the valued sponsors that supported GMA’s inaugural Coffee & Conversation virtual meetings. These meetings took place in all 12 districts across Georgia with over 300 municipal leaders in attendance!

These organizations featured are also appreciated participants of GMA’s Business Alliance Program. The support provided by Business Alliance Program companies helps to strengthen cities as they share a commitment to impacting a wide variety of critical issues in local government across Georgia.

Visit www.gacities.com to learn more about the Business Alliance Program.