Staff Reports
MOULTRIE — If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
That’s the idea behind the comprehensive plans now being updated for local cities by the Southwest Georgia Regional Development Center. A series of meetings is planned throughout this month to get public input on the plan, said Lauren Miller, regional planner with the RDC.
Updating the plan is part of the requirements to maintain Qualified Local Government (QLG) status. The plans must meet Department of Community Affairs guidelines, and losing QLG status means a municipality would lose access to many funding sources.
In addition to the meetings, the RDC has released a comprehensive community assessment for Colquitt County and each municipality. Items discussed in the assessment include issues and opportunities and each municipality’s strengths and weaknesses. Copies of the assessment can be found on the City of Moultrie’s Web site, www.moultriega.com, at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, at each community’s city hall and at The Moultrie Observer.
“The community assessment is where we are,” Miller said, “and the goal of the meetings is to find out where we want to go.”
The schedule for meetings is:
• Moultrie - Thursday, Feb. 7, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Colquitt County Arts Center.
• Berlin - Monday, Feb. 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Berlin Social Hall.
• Doerun - Tuesday, Feb. 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Doerun Community Center.
• Ellenton - Tuesday, Feb. 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Ellenton City Hall.
• Funston - Monday, Feb. 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Funston City Hall.
• Norman Park - Monday, Feb. 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Norman Park City Hall.
The RDC will also have a community survey available for residents to fill out and provide information about each municipality’s services. Miller said the surveys can be mailed to the RDC office in Camilla or taken to the local municipality’s city hall.
Once the community participation programs are completed, the municipalities will form their plan and submit them to the RDC for approval. The process must be completed and each plan adopted by June 30 for the municipality to maintain its QLG status.
