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The mobile workshops can highlight complete or “in-progress” planning initiatives. We hope the majority of them will be no more than 1 hour drive time from the conference center. Workshop lengths can be from under 3 hours and up to six hours. One or two full day workshops can be considered, but they will be highly scrutinized by the Mobile Workshop Committee and APA.

As a proposer for a mobile workshop, you will be responsible for overall implementation of the workshop you initiate. This includes arranging all logistics pertaining to your workshop (route, transportation type, speakers, food + beverage, maps, itinerary, determining cost, etc). When developing details for the workshops, it is important to note that conference attendees must return on schedule. Please consider items such as traffic, lunch, loading and unloading of attendees, rest stops, etc into your proposed time frame. Also, try to be considerate of the cost of the workshop so that the fee to participants is not prohibitive for most conference attendees. Tickets will be sold by APA for participation for each mobile workshop which are paid for through their APA Conference registrations and with some sold at the conference itself. These are all included in the following specific tasks you will be asked to undertake:

1. Propose a Mobile Workshop Concept to the Mobile Workshop Co-chairs by May 17;

2. Submit a substantially complete workshop concept to Mobile Workshop Committee Co-chairs by May 31;

3. Submit a complete mobile workshop proposal via the APA online portal by June 14;

4. Determine the program objective of the specific mobile workshop; and

5. Arrange the details of the mobile workshop.

More details will be provided to those that have an interest in leading a mobile workshop program. We hope to have workshops that cover a broad range of planning topics (land use, transportation, environmental protection, sustainability, economic development, redevelopment, housing, historic preservation, multi-cultural interests, etc) and have workshops that are geographically dispersed throughout the region. We also encourage a range of transportation types if it is applicable to your workshop idea (walking, transit, bicycling, bus, kayak, etc). If you will require coach service for your workshop, APA has a contract with a service that will handle those needs for you. If you are using specialized transportation (bikes, kayaks, segways, etc.), the organizer will be asked to have the details worked out, not necessary taking on the financial burden of reserving them.

If you have an idea for a workshop or would like more information please feel free to email one or both of the Mobile Workshop Co-Chairs: Michelle Alexander or Dana Johnson. We look forward to your participation.

Day 38 is scheduled for Monday, March 25, Day 39 is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26 and Day 40 is scheduled for Thursday, March 28.

Legislators are expected to have three long days as they try to move their bills through the Rules Committees and get them to the House and Senate floors for consideration.

This legislation makes changes related to property in a Forest Land Protection Covenant (FLPA). The bill authorizes the transfer of land in a covenant less than 200 acres. It authorizes a property that becomes disqualified under FLPA to transfer into the Conservation Use Value Program (CUVA) to avoid a breach and assessed penalties. The bill reduces the penalty for breaching a FLPA covenant and authorizes a qualified property under appeal to apply for FLPA. The state revenue commissioner is granted the authority to create a performance review board (PRB) if the commissioner has evidence that calls into question the technical competence of appraisal techniques and compliance with law or regulations, including the Property Tax Appraisal Manual; prohibiting assessors other than the chief appraiser from serving on a PRB; providing that findings of the PRB or of any audit by either DOR or the Dept. of Audits & Accounts become grounds for withholding FLPA local assistance grants.

Download HB 197 PDF

This legislation requires the Department of Transportation to perform a value engineering study on any project over $50 million except for design-build projects. Currently, a value engineering study is required on all projects over $10 million.

This legislation also changes the total expenditures of the State Public Transportation Fund.

Download HB 202 PDF

This legislation adds several definitions to aid in EPD’s enforcement of organics management and the hauling and storage of scrap tires. The bill defines compost and composting as an aerobic process and defines and limits who can transport used and scrap tires, not new tires. It authorizes, but does not require, local law and code enforcement agencies to enforce Georgia’s used/scrap tire laws and limits the amount of scrap tires that can be stored by tire retailers, tire retreaders, salvage yards and the general public. Local governments would be exempted from the tire hauling registration and quantity restrictions.

Download HB 226 PDF

This legislation changes the procedures of the Georgia Tourism Development Act and the necessary agreements that provide sales tax exemptions for certain projects. This legislation was amended to now include the option for local governments to offer the tourism tax exemption by resolution in the jurisdiction where a tourism project exists.

Download HB 318 PDF

This legislation reauthorizes the Georgia Geospatial Advisory Council to audit Georgia’s geospatial capabilities at the county, regional and state level.

Download SB 11 PDF