The Immigration Report Collection System managed by the Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) will open on November 1^st for the reporting period of December 1, 2015 through November 30, 2016. The due date to complete the report is December 31, 2016. In October, the DOAA sent out information to each county about the immigration reporting requirement. An overview of the template for the report can be viewed here. There is a new change to the report based on the passage of SB 269 during the 2016 legislative session. In addition to the information previously requested, counties also will need to certify that they are in compliance with Georgia’s immigration sanctuary law. This requirement will be part of the actual immigration report.

Please start preparing early to ensure that you have all the information needed to file the report by the deadline. DOAA will be reporting non-compliant counties to state agencies that provide state funding to local governments, so make sure that you submit your report by December 31, 2016. If you have any technical questions about filing the report, please contact the DOAA at Immhelp@audits.ga.gov or visit the DOAA website at www.audits.ga.gov/. All questions about the legal requirements for this report should be directed to your county attorney.

The ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation (CAF) is seeking grant applications from counties across the state for the 2017 Summer Georgia County Internship Program (GCIP). These grants are made available through the CAF thanks to generous financial contributions from the private sector including individuals, corporations and businesses, and philanthropic foundations. Since its inception, GCIP has provided grant funding to over 60 counties to create internship opportunities for more than 300 college students and recent graduates in county government. The goals of the grant are to enable counties to hire talented college students for specific projects that will benefit county government and citizens; give students a chance to learn first-hand about the role of counties and functions of local government; provide practical work experiences that students can use in their career fields upon graduation; and inspire young people to a life of public service leadership.

Due to a high demand and student availability, the GCIP grants are exclusively available for summer. Any Georgia county with a substantive internship project(s) may apply for one or more grants through the program. Applications are available on the ACCG website here. The deadline to submit applications to CAF is Friday, December 2, 2016. Grant award winners will be announced by February 3, 2017.

Grant award recipients are selected through a competitive grant process. Factors considered in awarding grants include the competitiveness of the project, the overall impact the project will have on the county and intern, partnerships formed to help maximize the benefit of the grant with another county, university, or regional commission, and the ability of the county to provide partial funding for the position(s) requested.

If you have any questions about the grant process, please contact Michele NeSmith at mnesmith@accg.org or at 404-522-5022.

 

Aislinn Wright, Courtesy of Glynn County

College of Coastal Georgia Student, Aislinn Wright, Interns with Glynn County Board of Commissioners

Aislinn Wright, a Public Management major at the College of Coastal Georgia, completed a GIS internship for Glynn County during the 2016 Summer Georgia County Internship Program. Based on her field of study, Wright felt that she had the experience and familiarity with the basics of county government she could bring to her internship. As a GIS intern, Wright was tasked with completing a story map project on Jekyll Island to be published on the county website and educating the public about aspects of Glynn County.

In order to create the story map for Jekyll Island, Wright spent time learning about map making and various web applications in order to find the appropriate data. She also had the opportunity to learn about GIS software when creating tree canopy maps. In completing her internship duties, Wright found that she was able to quickly develop GIS knowledge and now feels much more confident in using these applications and feels that she will be competent in using GIS for future positions.

Wright voiced that her favorite part of the internship was her main project of the story map of Jekyll Island. She considered the project to be both enjoyable and a good learning experience, especially since it showed that she had a lot to learn about map-making and story map applications in order to be successful. Wright also found the creativity needed to create the story map to be very gratifying. She further found the networking she engaged in and talking to various stakeholder groups on Jekyll Island, to be very rewarding.

Overall, Wright enjoyed her internship and found it a learning experience which enabled her to grow professionally. She found that she now feels competent in GIS and has gained networking ability. When asked about a future career paths, Wright stated that she would absolutely consider a career in county government. Here future goal is to work in GIS on projects that would benefit the county.

For more information on the GCIP, please visit the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation website at http://www.civicaffairs.org.

 

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