Extension, County Learn about ARRA
The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia recently teamed up with the University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Program to offer a distance learning session on funding opportunities available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
This program allowed local government officials throughout the state to hear from representatives from the Governor’s Office and several state agencies that are administering federal stimulus funds in Georgia simply by going to their local Cooperative Extension Office.
The local meeting was held at the Jasper County Extension Office and County Commissioners Charles Hill, Ronnie Payne, and Alan Cox attended, along with Albert Glass with the Georgia Center for Local Government, County Extension Coordinator Kasey Reid and Lucy Ray, Jasper County ANR Agent.
“We were pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to county officials so that they could hear directly from the state agencies without having to invest the time or cost associated with traveling to a meeting,” said ACCG Executive Director Jerry R. Griffin.
“We could not have done this without our partners at Cooperative Extension, who served as our host sites and have the equipment and training available to offer a program of this type.”
More than 115 counties participated in the program offered at their local Cooperative Extension office. The program lasted about an hour and a half and highlighted the requirements for accountability associated with the various programs that will be funded in Georgia.
Speakers also provided an overview of opportunities available through their agencies and an update on some of the funds that have already been obligated.
ACCG and Cooperative Extension have established a partnership that includes a joint ACCG/Cooperative Extension Liaison to help connect county officials with the vast resources provided by the Cooperative Extension network. The federal stimulus distance learning session is another example of how the two organizations are working together for the betterment of Georgia’s citizens.
