In the winter of 1998, the Governor and General Assembly
sponsored the creation of twelve state service delivery regions.
Each region outside the metropolitan Atlanta area has dedicated
field staff from the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and
the
Department of Economic Development
(DEcD
) to bring state
resources closer to the people and to foster regional collaboration
in community and economic development. In nine of the twelve
regions, state agency staffs work side-by-side with university
personnel from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the
University of Georgia. Together the regional staffs work to
better serve the needs of the State's local governments, established
businesses, and other development partners.
House Bill 1650, sponsored by House Appropriations Committee
Chairman Terry Coleman during the 1998 Legislative Session, outlines
the state service delivery regions and calls for boundary conformity
in the delivery of state services at the regional level. House
Bill 699, passed during the 1999 legislative session, amended
these boundaries. View Region
Map In addition to the creation of regional development teams,
the legislature established twelve Regional Advisory Councils,
one for each region, to:
- Assist in setting regional community and economic development
priorities.
- Identify ways the state can better serve each region.
Public and private sector leaders appointed by DCA and DITT
serve on the 21 member Regional Advisory Councils and provide
regular guidance to regional and state staff on issues such as
leadership, infrastructure, growth management, and workforce development.
The Councils also work together with their Regional Development
Centers to formulate a regional comprehensive plan and work program.
The Council for the metropolitan Atlanta region also serves
as the Economic Development Committee of the Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC) and includes members of the ARC Board of Directors.
