GMA Headlines
April 16, 2021
South Arts
Presentation Grants are an opportunity for organizations in South Arts’ nine-state region to receive fee support to present Southern guest film directors, visual and performing artists, or writers from inside or outside of the presenter’s state.
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April 15, 2021
Georgia-Pacific Foundation
Georgia-Pacific launched its Bucket Brigade program to help support local fire departments and the brave men and women who strive to keep our communities safe.
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April 15, 2021
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation
The mission of the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is to impact the lifesaving capabilities and the lives of local heroes and their communities. This is accomplished by providing lifesaving equipment and prevention education tools to first responders and public safety organizations.
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April 15, 2021
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program exists to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
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April 15, 2021
U.S. Department of Transportation
RAISE Grants are for capital investments in surface transportation that will have a significant local or regional impact.
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Ben Kaplan, CEO of TOP Worldwide, advises GMA members on how to message and use media to effectively promote the COVID-19 vaccine.
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April 13, 2021
Department of Public Health
Following the guidance and recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is pausing J&J (Janssen) vaccinations in Georgia until further notice. The FDA and CDC are reviewing data involving six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot occurring in women aged 18-48 about a week after vaccination. None of the six cases are in individuals vaccinated in Georgia and are unrelated to the reactions reported last week at the Cumming Fairgrounds site.
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Public Square
April 13, 2021
Robert Steuteville, Congress for the New Urbanism
In his latest article, Robert Steuteville with the Congress for the New Urbanism writes how “cute townhomes” could help fill the “missing middle” housing need in cities that have walkable neighborhoods.
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Derek Chauvin's trial provides a moment to ask ourselves: If another officer were to engage in similar misconduct today, would his colleagues again refuse to step in and stop it?
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On March 31, Governor Kemp issued an extensive and detailed Executive Order. This is a summary prepared by GMA’s Legal Department explaining the order and its impact on local governments.
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The City of Tybee Island has become a national model community for flood mitigation, recently winning the 2020 Best Restored Beach award. Only six U.S. beaches earn this annual distinction from the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association for innovative solutions to unique problems.
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The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) began administering the State of Georgia Rental Assistance Program (GRA) in early March 2021. GRA can help renters with past due rent obtain assistance for rental arrears and utilities. Payment will be made directly to landlords and utility providers.
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April 5, 2021
By Angelina Panettieri, Legislative Director, Information Technology and Communications, NLC
On February 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the rules for a new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), funded for a one-time amount of $3.2 billion, which will be available until expended or until six months after the COVID-19 emergency declaration expires.
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In the past few years many Georgia cities have been victims of hacking or ransomware attacks, which have in some cases caused complete work stoppage and cost the affected cities thousands of dollars.
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Volunteering looks a little different now than it did a year ago. The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations across Georgia to rethink how they could continue operating—if at all—and how to safely welcome volunteers eager to lend a hand.
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Georgia’s cities aren’t sitting on the sidelines when it comes to innovation. Across the state, local leaders are welcoming new technology to help boost their economies and add in-demand resources. Whether it’s using city resources to foster innovation that could have a global impact or providing a solution to a problem caused by new technology, cities are working to stay a step ahead.
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Georgia is by all accounts a growing state. But like an awkward teenager, this growth is not evenly distributed. While the aggregate population of Georgia’s cities increased by more than 20% over the last 10 years (compared to about 10% for the entire state), a closer look at the data shows some divergent —and familiar—patterns.
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“Our governmental relations team, in concert with the Legislative Policy Council and city officials, will continue to advocate for the principles of home rule and local control on behalf of all of Georgia’s cities,” said Tom Gehl, GMA governmental relations director. “We thank the city officials who have participated in the legislative process this year, provided feedback on bills and communicated with legislators that cities are united, even in the new normal for legislating and lobbying.”
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Three graduate students from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University (GSU) researched the local engagement challenges expressed by several cities as part of GMA’s Hub Cities Initiative. In their final report, the team outlined thier key findings from stakeholder interviews, provided an overview of strategies and engagement best practices from across the nation and made recommendations on which best practices each of the five cities could consider using to address its specific challenges.
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The Georgia City Solutions Board of Directors held a virtual meeting in February to review and discuss proposed GCS programs and funding needs to support the adopted strategic plan. The proposed programs total approximately $5 million over a three-year period and will address the overarching issue of intergenerational poverty.
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The current pandemic has created plenty of uncertainties while also confirming what many local officials knew all along: a reliable internet connection is essential infrastructure for business, healthcare, education, agriculture and overall quality of life.
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Named in the inaugural class of four communities to receive a Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (Georgia Smart) grant from Georgia Tech in 2018, Albany’s Housing Data Analytics and Visualization Initiative has evolved into something more.
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In this chat with Georgia’s Cities magazine, Joe Howland, Chief Information Security Officer at VC3, offers tips for cities looking to increase cybersecurity.
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Covington spread its fiber investment over many years, but many Georgia cities and counties face quickly increasing demands brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative, led by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and Georgia Technology Authority, was already in the works to establish a framework to encourage rural broadband investment.
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During the City of Conyers’ Annual Retreat in January of 2020, Human Resources Director Casey Duren presented to the mayor and council an idea to establish “The Connect Committee.” The committee’s purpose was to foster an environment where employees could collaboratively work as a team despite any physical, cultural or personal differences.
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Cornelia city officials awoke the morning after Christmas 2020 to find out they’d been hacked. Luckily, they were prepared. Cornelia had already gone through a hack in 2019 and made significant upgrades to their IT security in the aftermath.
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April 5, 2021
By Katherine Moore, President, Georgia Conservancy
"Numerous cities are demonstrating their innovation by turning fresh eyes and energy to their downtowns, the oldest areas of our cities. These activity centers attract us not only through their often-inexpressible charm, but precisely because they meet the needs of today and the demands of the future." - Katherine Moore, President, Georgia Conservancy
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April 5, 2021
By Larry Hanson, GMA Executive Director
"The term “Cities United” is exemplified in GMA’s efforts to answer the outcry from city leaders around the state to help you respond to this unprecedented health and economic crisis. We could not have achieved this victory without you." - Larry Hanson, GMA Executive Director
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April 5, 2021
By Vince Williams, GMA President
"While the challenges before us today are humbling, I find that the turmoil of the past year has provided me with both a clarity of purpose and renewed energy." - Vince Williams, GMA President
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April 5, 2021
By Nick Johnson, Senior Planner, Georgia Conservancy
"Through the course of my work at Georgia Conservancy, I am often asked a question that goes something like this: Why does a conservation-focused non-profit care so much about housing?" - Nick Johnson, Senior Planner, Georgia Conservancy
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In an era when adults use social media for gathering news, checking in with friends and following their favorite businesses, it only makes sense that local governments also have a presence. To really connect with residents, though, cities need to do more than just post standard memos, especially since the pandemic has made digital personas even more valuable. Three Georgia cities: Griffin, Brookhaven and Tucker, are taking unique and innovative approaches on social media to further engage residents.
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April 5, 2021
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
The Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Training and Technical Assistance Program supports funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution agencies for costs associated with the investigation and prosecution of unsolved homicide cold case murders suspected of having been racially motivated, including support for victims’ families and stakeholders impacted by these cases.
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April 5, 2021
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Smart is a competitive program that supports local governments of any size within the State of Georgia—cities, counties, and consolidated city-county governments—by providing access to technical assistance, expert advice, and a network of peers.
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April 1, 2021
Department of Public Health
As COVID-19 vaccinations continue throughout the United States, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is equipping you with the latest facts and updates.
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April 1, 2021
Department of Public Health
As COVID-19 vaccinations continue to ramp up throughout Georgia, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is equipping you with the latest facts and updates.
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March 26, 2021
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
The Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program is a critical support for the development of local prevention frameworks that address priority areas and diverse threats.
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March 26, 2021
Brothers Helping Brothers
Brothers Helping Brothers assists small and/or rural fire departments obtain vital tools and lifesaving equipment through its grant program.
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March 26, 2021
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
These site-based awards are for state and local governments that have detention capacity, to operationalize effective and secure managed access systems in correctional settings to prevent, detect, seize, and stop the presence and use of contraband cellphones by detainees and inmates.
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March 26, 2021
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The purpose of this program is to allow first responders and members of other key community sectors to administer a drug or device approved or cleared under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) for emergency reversal of known or suspected opioid overdose.
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March 26, 2021
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
The goal of this program is to assist confinement facilities and the agencies that oversee them in preventing, identifying, and responding to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in these facilities, and to support compliance with the PREA standards.
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March 22, 2021
Sara Baxter
Promoting literacy helps protect the health, well-being and economy of communities, and it’s a great way to engage young readers.
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This website contains three different tools to observe and understand the extent of economic inequality in the United States. The first is a poverty risk calculator, which allows users to estimate and compare their future risk of poverty. Second, a discussion guide provides deeper insight into American poverty. The third element is a research component for further exploration.
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March 22, 2021
Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP)
Nominations for this award may be submitted by anyone wishing to nominate a Chief/Head of a Law Enforcement Agency who is a GACP member in good standing.
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March 19, 2021
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) is a strategic approach to crime reduction that leverages community knowledge and expertise by focusing enforcement efforts on neighborhoods where crime is concentrated, or crime “hotspots.”
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March 18, 2021
Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA)
The Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) provides funding to assist a wide range of eligible activities, including housing improvement projects, public facilities such as water and sewer lines, buildings such as local health centers or head start centers, and economic development projects. All projects must substantially benefit low and moderate income persons.
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March 18, 2021
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.
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March 18, 2021
Kubota Tractor Corporation
Kubota Tractor Corporation announces a community revitalization grant program and is calling on all cities, towns, municipalities and nonprofits to submit an application for a chance to win $100,000 in funding and use of Kubota equipment to refresh, refurbish or revitalize a public space.
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March 17, 2021
By the Georgia Department of Public Health
The Georgia Department of Public Health has created an article to equip citizens with the latest facts and information about the COVID-19 vaccines. They have requested GMA share this information with our members.
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March 17, 2021
By Angelina Panettieri, Legislative Director, NLC
On February 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the rules for a new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), funded for a one-time amount of $3.2 billion, which will be available until expended or until six months after the COVID-19 emergency declaration expires.
Full Story
On March 12, Governor Kemp issued an extensive and detailed Executive Order. This is a summary prepared by GMA’s Legal Department explaining the order and its impact on local governments.
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Public Square
March 15, 2021
Robert Steuteville, Congress for the New Urbanism
The character of Georgia Avenue, a historic Atlanta main street, was preserved while injecting new life into a neglected neighborhood.
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March 9, 2021
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
This notice solicits applications for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of local government implementation of evidence-based health literacy strategies that are culturally appropriate to enhance COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and/or other mitigation measures in racial and ethnic minority populations and other socially vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minority rural communities.
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March 9, 2021
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers unveiled their 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure on Wednesday, March 3. The nation earned a ‘C-’, up from 2017’s cumulative GPA of ‘D+’.
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On February 26, Governor Kemp issued an extensive and detailed Executive Order. This is a summary prepared by GMA’s Legal Department explaining those orders and their impact on local governments.
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March 4, 2021
Urban Institute
When city leaders remove symbols of racism and bigotry from public life and spaces, it sends a message that they will no longer tolerate racist practices.
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March 4, 2021
Segregated By Design
‘Segregated By Design’ examines the forgotten history of how our federal, state and local governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law and policy.
Prejudice can be birthed from a lack of understanding the historically accurate details of the past. Without being aware of the unconstitutional residential policies the United States government enacted during the middle of the twentieth century, one might have a negative view today of neighborhoods where African Americans live or even of African Americans themselves.
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Georgia’s city leaders support legislation that provides assistance to local governments of all sizes; that allows flexible uses of these funds to allow for revenue recovery, does not set a deadline to spend down these funds, and contains reasonable guardrails to ensure allocations do not exceed annual operating revenues. Federal funds are urgently needed to help protect the lives and livelihoods of all people in Georgia. Municipal leaders stand ready to put these funds into action to mitigate the public health emergency and address negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 disease in our communities. To date, 244 city officials have signed on GMA’s sign-on letter to urging Georgia’s U.S. Senators to support COVID relief and support swift passage of this bill.
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On February 15, Governor Kemp issued an extensive and detailed Executive Order. This is a summary prepared by GMA’s Legal Department explaining those orders and their impact on local governments.
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February 23, 2021
Route Fifty
A growing number of cities are turning to their budget offices to help treat historically underserved communities more fairly.
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February 22, 2021
Sara Baxter
Plagued by the challenges of looming retirements, a competitive job market and compensation issues, city governments are finding ways to cultivate their own employees.
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