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State Owes Local Governments $18 Million
3/10/2010
Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, in an Official Opinion requested by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, has said that the state owes local governments $18 million in unidentified sales taxes.
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Negotiations for Service Delivery Requires Strategy
3/8/2010
A number of Georgia cities are or will soon be engaged in the delicate process of negotiating a new service delivery strategy (SDS) with its county or counties. It’s not always an easy process.
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The Wing Nuts
Neely Young, Georgia Trend Magazine
3/8/2010
Georgia Trend Publisher Neely Young on the lack of respect for local government decision making by some state leaders.
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Audio: GMA update on tax legislaton and transportation funding
3/5/2010
GMA's Lamar Norton discusses tax legislation that would negatively impact local governments and the transportation funding bill.
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Municipal Government Hall of Fame Nominations Now Being Accepted
3/3/2010
Nominations are now being accepted for GMA’s Municipal Government Hall of Fame.
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Concerns flow about transportation funding bill
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3/3/2010
A staid subcommittee meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday morphed into a local uprising against the heavy hand of the state, as interest groups poured out their concerns to legislators about Gov. Sonny Perdue’s transportation funding bill.
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Audio: GMA update on the state budget and local revenue bills
2/26/2010
GMA's Lamar Norton discusses the state's budget, legislation that would limit municipal revenues and the need for city officials to remain engaged in the legislative process.
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Audio: GMA update on three key tax bills
2/16/2010
GMA's Lamar Norton provides a brief update on three tax bills currently under consideration by the General Assembly.
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Lawmakers eye potential $300 million sales tax windfall
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2/10/2010
Georgia could potentially see a $300 million-a-year boost to state revenues through tighter controls over sales tax collections under legislation being proposed in the House.
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Senate Begins Work on Jobs Bill
National League of Cities
2/8/2010
Efforts to jumpstart the ailing U.S. economy continued last week when Senate leaders announced their intention to bring to the floor an $81 billion package to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.
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Boom times turn bad for area governments
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2/8/2010
In these pinched times, government agencies are doing a lot of things to make ends meet.
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Georgia Water Stewardship Act proposed
2/3/2010
Governor Sonny Perdue announced on Wednesday, February 3 a comprehensive proposal that will encourage water conservation, reduce wasteful loss and incentivize innovation in both increasing water supply and lessening demand.
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Georgia Cities Foundation Celebrates 10 Years Helping Create Great Downtowns
2/3/2010
While many may have seen three decaying adjoining properties on North Board Street in downtown Monroe as prime for the wrecking ball, developer Rick Huszagh saw their promise.
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Audio: GMA update on budget, GEFA assets and sales tax collections
1/29/2010
GMA's Lamar Norton provides a brief update on the budget, GEFA assets, sales tax collections and other issues important to Georgia's cities.
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Paulding County certified as a Certified County of Ethics
1/26/2010
Paulding County is the first county in the state to earn the voluntary “Cities of Ethics” designation, joining 211 cities that have also earned the designation.
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City Leaders Sing Praises of Afterschool Programs
1/25/2010
It was a tent-revival atmosphere when nearly 100 city officials came together Friday, Jan. 22 at the Atlanta Hilton to discuss afterschool care in Georgia.
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Governor Perdue Announces Transportation Investment Plan
1/14/2010
Governor Perdue announced on Thursday, January 14 a comprehensive plan to provide additional resources to invest in Georgia’s transportation network.
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Audio: GMA on the House and Senate leadership
1/13/2010
GMA's Lamar Norton provides his insight on the leadership of the Georgia General Assembly.
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Rural Leaders Seek Solutions
GPB News
1/12/2010
The effects of the recent recession could linger longer in rural counties than in metropolitan areas, and officials there are looking for ways to deal with the problem and put people back to work.
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GMA's Jim Higdon answers property tax reform questions
Beyond the Trestle
1/7/2010
GMA Executive Director Jim Higdon recently answered property tax reform questions on the news and politics blog, Beyond the Trestle.
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Monroe Plans Seek Balance for Growth, Community
1/7/2010
The city of Monroe recently completed a planning and coding charrette that brought together local residents, city and county official as well as area-wide environmental organizations to collaborate and share their vision about the future of the city.
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Budget, Politics Come Together for 2010 Session
1/6/2010
When legislators gather in Atlanta later this month for the start of the legislative session, they will be facing a financial situation unlike any previous sessions.
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E-Verify and SAVE Deadlines Looming
12/14/2009
January 1, 2010 is the effective date of House Bill 2 which expanded the existing E-Verify and SAVE mandates.
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NLC Announces Strategies for Job Creation
Carolyn Coleman, National League of Cities
12/14/2009
A day after NLC in a letter to the President announced four key strategies for advancing economic prosperity and creating jobs quickly, President Obama outlined some of the broad steps he believes should be at the heart of the country’s efforts to accelerate job growth.
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$8.25 million awarded for economic development projects
12/8/2009
Governor Sonny Perdue and the OneGeorgia Authority Board have approved $8.25 million in grants and loans for economic development projects.
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NLC: Look to Cities to Save and Create Jobs
12/7/2009
In letters to President Obama and Congressional leadership, the National League of Cities outlined four key strategies to advance economic prosperity for the nation.
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Green Energy Good Investment, Official Says
12/7/2009
Kateri Callahan, president of the Washington, D.C.–based Alliance to Save Energy, called on metro Atlanta’s elected, business and civic leaders to lead the state towards becoming more energy efficient.
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Cities earn "green" certification
12/3/2009
Four cities and two counties in the Atlanta region are the latest jurisdictions to earn Green Communities Certification for leadership in reducing their environmental impact.
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$5.7 million approved for water/sewer loans
11/23/2009
Governor Sonny Perdue recently announced the approval of seven environmental infrastructure project loans totaling almost $5.7 million.
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Cities Lead Metro Region in Development Innovation
11/20/2009
The metro Atlanta region will continue to grow and cities continue to be leaders in producing innovative and sustainable development projects.
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Cities Increase Green Building Programs 50 Percent Since 2007
11/20/2009
In the wake of an extended global economic slump, local communities are pushing ahead and expanding their green building programs.
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Tourism Marketing Grants Awarded
11/5/2009
The Georgia Department of Economic Development recently awarded co-operative tourism marketing grants to communities across the state.
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COPS Funds Provide More Officers
11/3/2009
While cities across Georgia will be adding police officers thanks to the COPS Hiring Recovery program, many of those officers won’t be on patrol for several more months, and the cost of adding additional officers won’t be cheap.
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Trial Court Rules in Favor of Cities in Gwinnett SDS Dispute
10/29/2009
In a win for municipal taxpayers, a trial court judge has ruled in favor of the cities in Gwinnett County in a dispute between them and the county concerning the proper funding of services as required by the Service Delivery Strategy Act.
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State law requires cities to comply with federal SAVE Program
10/28/2009
Legislation passed during the 2009 Legislative Session requires Georgia’s cities to comply with the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program.
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$6.7 million in loans approved for water/sewer infrastructure projects
10/21/2009
Gov. Sonny Perdue recently announced the approval of five environmental infrastructure project loans totaling just over $6.7 million.
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Appalachian Regional Commission Grants awarded
10/19/2009
Gov. Perdue recently announced 19 grant awards from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
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City officials appointed to Gov. Perdue's 2010 Census Complete Count Committee
10/16/2009
Four city officials have been appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue to the newly-formed Complete Count Committee.
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Being Friends with Online Followers Can be Tweet
10/5/2009
When severe weather threatened the city of Tyrone last July, Police Chief Brandon Perkins didn’t just post an advisory to the city website, issue a press release and cross his fingers in the hope that residents would get the notice.
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Municipal Officials Encouraged To Support Lights On Afterschool
10/2/2009
A group of elementary school students in the New Hope Elementary Afterschool Program in McDonough designed the winning poster celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Lights On Afterschool.
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Interest rates drop for USDA Rural Development loans
9/29/2009
Interest rates are dropping beginning October 1 for rural Georgia towns and governments applying for loans from USDA Rural Development for water and sewer projects.
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Making Suburbia More Livable
Glenn Ruffenach, Wall Street Journal
9/23/2009
The nation's sprawling suburbs may have been a good place to grow up, but they're a tough place to grow old.
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Youth volunteer adds whimsy to city vehicles in Clarkesville
9/9/2009
Fourteen-year-old Sarah Samsel has volunteered with the City of Clarkesville for the past 4-1/2 years.
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Georgia Communities to Receive $37 Million in Federal Grants
9/4/2009
Governor Sonny Perdue recently announced Georgia has been awarded nearly $37 million in federal grants for the state’s Community Development Block Grant Program and Community HOME Investment Program.
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State Budget Cuts Put Squeeze on Cities
Doug Nurse
9/3/2009
As the state tries to balance its budget by slashing services, its cities are being forced to pick up the slack or do without and they're not happy about it.
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Cities' Financial Conditions Worsen
9/2/2009
Cities are in the early stages of registering the effects of the nation's economic downturn, according to the National League of Cities (NLC) annual report on fiscal conditions.
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Ga. tansportation sales tax deal may be near
Macon Telegraph
9/2/2009
High-level negotiators may have staked out the basics of a compromise deal on a new transportation sales tax that would give road construction the boost Georgia leaders say it needs.
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