The Covington Digital News Digital Edition April 10, 2015 | Page 6
IN DEPTH
Friday, April 10, 2015
EDGE OF
TOMORROW
Newton County Tomorrow group ready to plan, collaborate
BY BRYAN FAZIO
I
n Newton County’s past government groups worked
separately, so when the water authority heard that
the school board was working to build a high school
down Hwy. 36 it was a bit of a surprise.
The water authority had to work on getting pipes properly equipped to handle Alcovy High School and any
neighborhoods that would be associated with it, all the
way down Hwy. 36.
That was Newton County’s yesterday. Tuesday was the
second meeting of Newton County Tomorrow, a nonprofit group originally formed years ago that was recently reorganized to help plan and shape the future of the county.
Newton County Tomorrow gathered at Oxford City Hall
Tuesday, along with group facilitators John Devine and
Burke Walker of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission.
Devine asked the group several questions about planning
and collaborating, helping to jump start Newton County
Tomorrow’s efforts.
Those efforts will help the group create future planning,
ranging from a comprehensive plan to ways to shape Newton County’s growth, to construction and beyond. The
group is made up of both citizens and elected officials, but
its efforts will be a tool for local governments to look at. Any
plans coming out of Newton County Tomorrow will not be
directly sent to a board or council for approval.
Newton County tomorrow will not only be a tool for
collaboration but also work toward a consensus of communities required to meet state mandates such as:
• Comprehensive Plan required of every local government and every regional commission
• Plans must be in sync and updated on a regular basis
• Lost (Local Option Sales Tax) – cities and county
must negotiate distribution formula
Talking about tomorrow
• SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) –
cities and county must agree on projects
• Service Delivery Strategy – State law requires every
county and city to jointly prepare and implement a
plan for delivering essential services to their communities
• Penalties – Failure to have an approved Comprehensive Plan or an approved Service Delivery Strategy
can cause a government to be declared unqualified for
many state administered programs
In just its second meeting, the group is still working on
which direction it will head down in helping to plan the
future of Newton County.
“We know growth and change is going to come,” said
Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce President Ralph Staffins. “We have to be sure it is the growth
and change that we want.”