Technical assistance in a variety of forms provides leaders with information and insight into options often not otherwise accessible, and in doing so it can lead to better decision making.
Institute faculty continued to be called upon by communities interested in exploring the potential for municipal incorporation. Governmental Services Division specialists provide objective information about the capacity of a new city to be fiscally viable from the perspectives of current county expenditures in the area of interest and costs of providing services at a level similar to comparison cities and at particular benchmark levels of service-delivery performance. In 2006, fiscal feasibility studies related to incorporation were conducted for the areas of Dunwoody and Big Canoe and for DeKalb County.
Similarly, feasibility studies related to consolidation and annexation were also performed upon request by such clients as the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, North Carolina, and the City of Chamblee.
Coordinated by the Vinson Institute, the Child and Family Policy Initiative is a collaboration with the university’s School of Public Health, College of Family and Consumer Sci
ences, and School of Social Work and the Health Policy Center at Georgia State University. Specific projects that were carried out to provide more information and assistance to state and local authorities serving Georgia families included a study of workloads in courts dealing specifically with children and youth, initial development of a university-wide faculty expertise database, and training and facilitation for various state agency units responsible for tending to the physical and mental health care needs of Georgia families. The award of a Children and Family Fellowship from the prestigious Annie E. Casey Foundation will provide even more resources for strengthening the initiative’s work.
The Human Resource Management Program continues to be held in high regard nationally and statewide for its quick responsiveness to state and local governments and public safety units. Assistance takes the form of employee classification/compensation studies, executive searches, promotions systems exams, and benchmarking performance pro
cesses. Such outreach enables clients to attract, motivate, and retain quality workforces that are efficient and productive and that thereby contribute to the economic health of the state.
Geographic information systems (GIS) specialists assisted various local governments in transforming their tax parcel and road centerline data from paper to digital to not only help ensure the information’s longevity but also maximize its potential use in such fields as emergency service zones and voting, fire, and police districts. The first large-print road map was developed for the Georgia Department of Transportation for distribution through the state’s welcome centers.
The caretakers of Georgia’s 14 barrier islands are in a better position to protect the future of these natural resources as a result of assistance from the Vinson Institute. For the first time, representatives of the managing organizations and owners—including federal, state, and local agencies and private individuals and foundations—were brought together in an organized setting in which they could learn more about the geographical, ecological, and cultural history of the islands. In this congenial setting, participants could discuss current issues and challenges and formulate practical next steps.
Institute faculty continued to be called upon by communities interested in exploring the potential for municipal incorporation. Governmental Services Division specialists provide objective information about the capacity of a new city to be fiscally viable from the perspectives of current county expenditures in the area of interest and costs of providing services at a level similar to comparison cities and at particular benchmark levels of service-delivery performance. In 2006, fiscal feasibility studies related to incorporation were conducted for the areas of Dunwoody and Big Canoe and for DeKalb County.
Similarly, feasibility studies related to consolidation and annexation were also performed upon request by such clients as the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, North Carolina, and the City of Chamblee.
Coordinated by the Vinson Institute, the Child and Family Policy Initiative is a collaboration with the university’s School of Public Health, College of Family and Consumer Sci
ences, and School of Social Work and the Health Policy Center at Georgia State University. Specific projects that were carried out to provide more information and assistance to state and local authorities serving Georgia families included a study of workloads in courts dealing specifically with children and youth, initial development of a university-wide faculty expertise database, and training and facilitation for various state agency units responsible for tending to the physical and mental health care needs of Georgia families. The award of a Children and Family Fellowship from the prestigious Annie E. Casey Foundation will provide even more resources for strengthening the initiative’s work.The Human Resource Management Program continues to be held in high regard nationally and statewide for its quick responsiveness to state and local governments and public safety units. Assistance takes the form of employee classification/compensation studies, executive searches, promotions systems exams, and benchmarking performance pro
cesses. Such outreach enables clients to attract, motivate, and retain quality workforces that are efficient and productive and that thereby contribute to the economic health of the state.Geographic information systems (GIS) specialists assisted various local governments in transforming their tax parcel and road centerline data from paper to digital to not only help ensure the information’s longevity but also maximize its potential use in such fields as emergency service zones and voting, fire, and police districts. The first large-print road map was developed for the Georgia Department of Transportation for distribution through the state’s welcome centers.
The caretakers of Georgia’s 14 barrier islands are in a better position to protect the future of these natural resources as a result of assistance from the Vinson Institute. For the first time, representatives of the managing organizations and owners—including federal, state, and local agencies and private individuals and foundations—were brought together in an organized setting in which they could learn more about the geographical, ecological, and cultural history of the islands. In this congenial setting, participants could discuss current issues and challenges and formulate practical next steps.
