Middle Georgia RDC | Public Administration News

Public Administration

The Middle Georgia Regional Commission serves as an extension of the local governments' staff in community development, personnel, grant writing and administration, and general operational assistance. Our goal is to provide specialized, professional services tailored to meet the needs of our communities. Please find below a brief list of services provided by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission in the area of Public Administration and Economic Development. If you are interested in a service not listed below, please contact staff to see how we can assist you.

Community Development

Community Development is a comprehensive term describing the programs, policies, and initiatives undertaken by community leaders to improve the socio-economic conditions of an area. It typically includes redevelopment / reinvestment, housing, and public safety.

Personnel Services

The Middle Georgia Regional Commission assists local governments with the development of job descriptions, policies, and salary analysis, as well as the recruitment and selection of candidates for vacant positions.

Grant Writing and Administration

Staff is available not only to assist in the development of projects and plans, but also to assist local governments in researching potential funding sources, grant writing, and administration. Grant services are not limited to state and federal programs such as Community Development Block Grant and Recreational Trails but include private foundations as well.

Demographic Data

The Regional Commission is a repository for demographic data that is of interest to our communities. Whether it is for grant applications, plans, studies, or for general information purposes, this data is important to our communities. To this end, we maintain population, housing, educational attainment, labor, economic, and other data sets. Common sources used include: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Georgia County Guide, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Education, and U.S. Census Bureau. This information is provided to local governments, community groups, educational institutions, businesses, or the general public upon request.

Specialized Technical Assistance

Staff is available to assist local governments with specialized technical assistance. Such assistance is greatly varied, reaching from general budget preparation to researching the practices and policies of other local governments. Below is a sampling of the projects completed during FY 2009:

Conducted analysis on possible annexation areas for the Cities of Allentown, Irwinton, and Macon.
Assisted Baldwin County in requesting redesignation by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs from a Tier 2 to a Tier 1 County in the Job Tax Credit Program.
Conducted research on cost savings generated by a four-day workweek for Bibb County.
Conducted analysis on the economic impact of various museums and cultural events hosted in the City of Macon.

Community Development

Community and Economic Development is a broad characterization of the work that community leaders embark upon for their future. The MGRC works with community leaders to foster development initiatives in many areas.

As a highlight, during 2008, the MGRC assisted with the following recreation, housing, and public safety projects:

Assisted local governments with expansions of existing recreation facilities and development of strategies for new recreational programs and facilities.
- Recreational Trails Grant for North Peach Par
- Land and Water Conservation Grants for Baldwin County, Peach County, Pulaski County, and Wilkinson County,
- Hawkinsville-Pulaski County Ocmulgee River Corridor Master Concept,
- Peach County Greenspace Plan,
- Assistance to Bibb County with the development of a process for enhancements to Lake Tobesofkee'
- Assistance to Putnam County in evaluating the operation of Uncle Remus Golf Course.
Housing Activities to assist in the development of housing programs
- City of Fort Valley Gano Neighborhood Targeted Housing Assessment
- City of Perry Housing Assessment
Public Safety/Emergency Management
- Assistance to Firefighters Grant for Danville, Forsyth, and Peach County.
- Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant for Centerville.
- Local Law Enforcement and Fire Services for Baldwin County, City of Byron, Crawford County, Jones County, and Wilkinson County

General Government

MGRC staff is available to provide assistance in general government operations, whether it is completing a required survey for the State, researching other communities' solutions to problems, or assistance with the routine functions of local government. For example, in 2008 MGRC staff:

Assisted Wilkinson County with the development and adoption of the 2008 budget, including analysis of 2007 expenditures and compliance with State law governing budget adoption.

Facilitated a planning retreat for Baldwin County Board of Assessors and the Wilkinson County Board of Commissioners.
Conducted analysis on possible annexation areas for the Cities of Allen town, Macon and Roberta.
Researched the creation of a tax allocation district
Conducted East Peach Infrastructure Analysis for City of Fort Valley, which analyzed the costs and benefits of infrastructure improvements to east Peach County.

Grant Writing & Administration

MGRC staff is available to work with community leaders in the development of projects, including researching funding opportunities, and grant writing and administration. During 2008, $3,018,629 was awarded to cities and counties in Middle Georgia for grant applications prepared with the assistance of the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.

Through our grant e-mail newsletter, we advise communities of public and non-profit funding opportunities on a wide variety of project areas from infrastructure to social services.

Funding sources routinely used by the MGRC are:

Assistance to Firefighters Grant
Community Development Block Grant
Community Home Investment Program
Economic Development Administration Public Works Grants
Employment Incentive Program
Georgia Land Conservation Program
Immediate Threat & Danger
Land & Water Conservation Fund
Local Law Enforcement & Fire Services
OneGeorgia (EDGE, Equity, Bridge)
Redevelopment Fund
Regional Enterprise Business Assistance
Rural Business Enterprise Grant
Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant
USDA Community Facilities

Personnel Services

Personnel management is a key component of local government. In this area, the MGRC assists communities with the development of accurate job descriptions, fair policies, and comparable salaries. During 2008, MGRC staff completed the following projects in the area of personnel services:

Development of the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter Pay Plan
Recruitment for Wilkinson County Economic Development Director
Recruitment for City of Forsyth City Administrator
Training for City of Gordon employees
Development of administrative tools for personnel management

Demographic Data

The MGRC is a repository for demographic data that is of interest to our communities. Whether it is for grant applications, plans, studies, or for general information purposes, this data is important to our communities. To this end, we maintain population, housing, educational attainment, labor, economic, and other data sets. Common sources used include:

This information is provided to local governments, community groups, educational institutions, businesses, or the general public upon request.