Joy Peterson posted on May 04, 2010 16:22
ATLANTA, Ga. (April 30, 2010) – More than 100 county 
officials from across the state recently were recognized by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) for completion of the Commissioners Training Program and the Certified Commissioners Advanced Program (CCAP) at the association’s 96th Annual Meeting which was held at the Savannah Civic Center in Chatham County. These training programs are offered by ACCG in conjunction with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia and have educated more than 2,600 elected and appointed county officials in the last two decades.
“Our training programs are nationally recognized as an outstanding example of training for county commissioners and other county officials,” said ACCG Executive Director Ross King. “We are extremely proud of this year’s graduates, who committed the time to complete these training programs and expand their knowledge in many key areas of local government operations.”
ACCG also recognized the first Standard of Excellence Silver Level recipient, Jones County Commissioner Joseph Preston Hawkins. ACCG introduced the Standard of Excellence program to encourage lifelong learning for county officials who had already completed the other two levels of certification and to recognize participation in ACCG conferences and other events.
"I am very excited to award the first certificate in a new program that truly represents our organizations’ shared commitment to excellence,” said Laura Meadows, Director of Training for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. “The Standard of Excellence Program honors commissioners who have participated consistently in a wide range of training opportunities and in ACCG as members throughout their careers."
Irwin Bagwell was the county’s elected and appointed official that completed one of the ACCG training programs and was recognized this year.
ACCG offers training courses in association with other programs such as the Annual Meeting or Legislative Conference as well as stand-alone opportunities throughout the year. The Commissioners Training Program requires county officials to take a total of 48 hours of instruction, including five required courses and three elective courses. Required courses include County Government Law/Personal Liability, Economic Development, Financial Management I, Fundamentals of Property Appraisal and Taxation, and Personnel/Human Resources. Completion of CCAP requires an additional 48 hours of course instruction, as well as participation in a two-day Advanced Leadership Institute and the completion of a summary project report.