The partner connection, Jan. 2012

January 2012

NEWS AND EVENTS
Equipment Rental Program for Georgia's Homebuilders

Researchers estimate that Georgians pay $100 million a year to dispose of nearly $300 million worth of recyclable materials in our landfills. You used a recycledcontent product today; did you recycle today?

The Georgia Dream Homeownership Program makes purchasing a home more
affordable for low-to-moderate income families and individuals by offering fixed, low-interest rate mortgages loans. These
rates vary weekly: to check the most current rates, click HERE. To receive weekly emails with the most current rates and program information, go to www.
dcaloans.com and complete the email request.
Rates Effective December 8:
Georgia Dream First Mortgage: FHA/VA/RD
Conventional Uninsured 4.625%
Georgia Dream First Mortgage Combined with Any
Georgia Dream Downpayment Loan: FHA/VA/RD
Conventional Uninsured 4.875%

L-R: Ted Miltiades (DCA), Stanley Richardson (HBAG), Kelly Lass (HBAG), Commissioner Beatty, Bettie Sleeth (HBAG) at the Department's December
Board meeting.
The Department of Community Affairs, the Georgia Environmental Finance
Authority(GEFA) and the Georgia Home Builders Association(HBAG) are
creating a Duct and Envelope Tightness (DET) testing equipment loan program for Georgia. The 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requires new residential buildings to undergo a specific test for energy efficiency, called a Duct Blaster or a Blower Door test, conducted by connecting a fan to a house's duct system and checking for air leaks. DCA will purchase, using a portion of GEFA's ARRA funds, eighteen blower door and duct leakage test equipment kits. These kits
will be available through local Home Builders' Associations in Georgia for public rental to HBAG members and non-members. The equipment can cost more than $5000 to purchase, but the rental fee will be no more than $100 per day and $150 per weekend. This statewide rental program will help reduce costs for many of Georgia's homebuilders.

Exceeding Excellence
Did you receive excellent customer service? Click HERE to nominate a DCA
employee for our "Exceeding Excellence" recognition program.

The Office of Codes and Industrialized Buildings at DCA will work with HBAG to set statewide standards for the rental program. See this map to locate your local HBA. For questions and additional assistance regarding the DET testing equipment loan program, please contact Kelly Lass with HBAG at 404-763-2453 or klass@hbag.org or Austin Hackney with DCA at 404-679-3127 or austin. hackney@dca.ga.gov.

January is National Radon Action Month

The Department launched HomeSafe Georgia in April 2011 to assist
homeowners affected by the recession. Since its inception, the program has:
q Received 5,070 completed applications
q Recruited 88 loan servicers to participate in the program
q Closed 553 loans
q Applications under review: 1,261
q Determined 2,945 applicants to be ineligible
For complete program information, including how to apply, see the HomeSafe
Website

Test your home for radon gas. That's

the simple message behind January

Radon Action Month in Georgia. It

doesn't matter if your house is built

near granite in the ground, or if you're

in one of the metro Atlanta counties

with more cases of elevated radon

than elsewhere in Georgia. It doesn't

Joe Dunlop, Office of Planning and Environmental Management, and Saralyn Stafford, Assistant Commissioner for Local Government Assistance encourage all Georgians to perform a simple radon test.

matter if your neighbor had a high radon reading, or not. Test your home to be sure. Radon gas can cause lung cancer. Radon occurs naturally, but can accumulate inside buildings at dangerous levels. You can't see it or

smell it; testing your home is the only

way to reveal a radon problem. If your home does have high levels of radon gas,

address the problem; most houses can be fixed for $1,000-$3,000.

Georgia residents can order test kits for $6.50, or in some cases pick them up for

free. To find out more about radon and how to get a test kit, visit the Department's

radon page or contact Joe Dunlop, Radon Program Coordinator, at joe.dunlop@dca.

ga.gov.

The Department in Depth: The Office of Research and Surveys

Georgia citizens need quick and easy access to affordable housing options and we can help! Whether you are searching by price, number of bedrooms, or even proximity to work, school or transportation, finding a home that meets your needs is easier with GeorgiaHousingSearch.org.
Landlords can register in a five-minute process or work with DCA staff to register large-scale listings. We encourage property owners to post their affordable rental units to help make this site as useful as possible. For more information, please contact Sheila Roberts at 404-679-4855 or sheila.roberts@dca.state.ga.gov
GeorgiaHousingSearch.org is the key to linking tenants with landlords. We offer FREE property posting, bilingual assistance, and a toll-free number (877428-8844) available to those without internet access. The website provides information on rental assistance, community resources and special needs housing.

The Office of Research and Surveys, in the Local Government Assistance Division, provides accurate, up-to-date information on a variety of topics related to local government in Georgia. Many of the surveys that local governments complete each year are governed by state law, meant to help provide a high level of transparency in government for Georgia's citizens.
If you want to see where the money goes in your local government, or if you'd like to see how other governments of similar sizes "get things done around town" you can check out the Report of Local Government Finances. It's a great resource not only for elected officials, planners and accountants, but also for citizens and students. Likewise, the annual Government Management Indicators Report (GOMI) provides comparisons for governments of similar sizes. Can a small city or rural county afford a sewer system, or a parks and recreation program, or a professional planning staff? The GOMI report can help supply the information to make an informed decision. The most popular annual report is a voluntary one (the others are required by Georgia law): The Wage and Salary Survey. It provides salary ranges for a variety of public sector jobs in Georgia, organized by the size of the community. The information in this report can help local governments determine a competitive wage when hiring for a new position.
The Office of Research and Surveys publishes a wide array of information on the Department's website, but due to space and time constraints, doesn't publish all the data they collect. For a complete list of the various reports we provide each year, see this page. The staff can provide additional information upon request, so if you don't see what you're looking for, contact Jonathan Sharpe at jonathan. sharpe@dca.ga.gov.
UPCOMING EDUCATION, EVENTS, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINES

January 23, 2012: Main Street Annual Luncheon in Atlanta

Donavon Rypkema of PlaceEconomics, LLC in Washington, DC, is the keynote speaker at the 2012 Main Street Luncheon, sponsored by Georgia Power. Author of Good News in Tough Times: Historic Preservation and the Georgia Economy, Mr. Rypkema will discuss the survival of Main Streets and how historic preservation in Georgia adds jobs, increases property values, spurs investment, and generates income. For more information and to register, contact Kim Carter at kim. carter@dca.ga.gov.
Last Chance to Register for the Community Planning Institute - Water Resources: January 24, 2012
The first Community Planning Institute (CPI) for Water Resources Management is January 24, 2012 at the Richmond Hill City Center. This workshop will provide an introduction to water related issues in Georgia. Topics include:
q The effect of land use and development decisions on water quantity and quality
q Water supply q Stormwater q Wastewater
This workshop is suitable for elected officials, public works staff, local planning staff, and others interested in water planning and conservation. For more information, please contact Deatre Denion at deatre.denion@dca.ga.gov, or click HERE to register.
Register Now for Winter 2012 - GAED

The winter session of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development in Regions 1,5,6,8,9 and 11 begins soon. See the table below for contact information. If you, or someone you know, are interested in participating in this hands-on, information-packed class, contact the Team Georgia Manager in your Region, or Georgia Academy Director Corinne Thornton at corinne.
thornton@dca.ga.gov.

Region

Session I

Session II

Session III

Session IV

Contact

1 (Rome) 1/31

3/6

4/3

5/1

leamon. scott@dca.ga.gov

malisa.

5 (Jefferson) 2/9

3/8

4/5

5/3

thompson@dca.

ga.gov

cherie.

6 (Macon) 2/2

3/8

4/10

5/3

bennett@dca.ga.

gov

8 (Americus) 2/22

3/28

4/25

5/30

jo.childers@dca. ga.gov

9 (Vidalia) 2/8

3/15

4/11

5/4

cindy. alligood@dca.ga. gov

11 (Homerville)

2/7

3/14

4/12

5/2

lynn. ashcraft@dca.ga. gov

AmeriCorps Application Information Meetings

The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV) will host public information meetings in January and February to outline the 2012 grant application process and criteria GCSV uses to select the programs. Georgia's deadline for interested applicants to submit a concept paper is March 2, 2012. GCSV staff will screen these concepts for eligibility and content and invite qualified applicants to submit a full AmeriCorps application.
AmeriCorps grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Organizations must submit applications that include comprehensive program designs, performance goals and budgets. The applications are scored by panels of experts and grants are awarded each June by the GCSV board. Nonprofit organizations, local governments and state agencies, faith-based groups, institutions of higher learning and schools are eligible to apply for Americorps funding. The grants, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, provide assistance to programs to recruit, train and supervise AmeriCorps members who will meet critical community needs in the areas of education, disaster services, health, environmental stewardship, economic opportunity and service to veterans and military families.
For information regarding deadlines, the concept paper form, application instructions and other information about AmeriCorps grants in Georgia click here.
Meeting Locations:
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Statesboro Sea Island Bank, Statesboro 2 East Main Street Team Meeting Room, 2nd Floor Statesboro, Georgia 30458
Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 10:00 AM to Noon: Macon Middle Georgia Regional Commission 175 Emery Highway Macon, Georgia 31217
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Tifton UGA Tifton Campus

NESPAL Building, Seminar Room 2360 Rainwater Road Tifton, Georgia 31793
Thursday, February 2, 2012 - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Atlanta Georgia Department of Community Affairs Conference Room 202 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30329
Monday, February 6, 2012 - 10:00 AM to Noon: Jefferson Jackson County Chamber of Commerce 270 Athens Street Jefferson, Georgia 30549
Great American Cleanup Celebrates at the Capitol: February 22, 2012
Join Keep Georgia Beautiful chapters, local elected officials, volunteers and others at the Capitol on February 22, 2012 at 2:00 PM as Georgia prepares for the annual Great American Cleanup. This national event runs from March to May each year, and on February 22, Keep Georgia Beautiful will highlight successes from around the state:
q 1.9 million pounds of litter removed from Georgia highways q 8 million pounds of materials recycled q 432 community gardens planted
For more information, contact Kim Portmess at kim.portmess@dca.ga.gov.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCE DIVISION

December 2011 Awards by Region
Region 3:
Development Authority of Fulton County
q $100,000 in REBA funds q $27.9MM in private investment q Creates 30 jobs q Retains 100 jobs q To purchase machinery and equipment for a manufacturing facility expansion
Region 4:
Development Authority of Heard County
q $300,000 in OneGeorgia Equity funds q $1.5MM in private investment q Creates 50 jobs q Improvements to water capacity in industrial park, will support location of new
industry
Griffin-Spalding County Development Authority
q $136,000 in OneGeorgia Equity funds q $29.7MM in private investment q Creates 50 jobs q Sewer improvements to support location of new manufacturing facility
Region 7:
Jenkins County
q $259,152 in Employment Incentive Program (CDBG) funds q $400,000 in private investment

q For purchase of machinery and equipment leased to local manufacturer
Jefferson County
q $500,000 in OneGeorgia Equity funds q $120MM in private investment q Creates 60 jobs q Road and drainage improvements to serve PyraMax Ceramics
Development Authority of Richmond County
q $100,000 in REBA funds q $500,000 in private investment q Creates 100 jobs q Assists in location of a development center in Augusta
Region 9 City of Swainsboro
q $404,932 in Employment Incentive Program funds q $6.5MM in private investment q Creates 100 jobs q Public sewer system improvements to support location of new industry
Region 10 Grady County
q $19,000 OneGeorgia loan guarantee q Assists in purchase of existing restaurant in Cairo

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