P.O. Development

Planning Officials Development – 2006 Strategy

Georgia communities depend not only on professional planners to create great places but also on elected and appointed officials to make decisions and recommendations that enhance quality of life. The Georgia Planning Association (GPA) has the responsibility to improve planning decision-making across the state through the provision of professional development for elected and appointed planning officials in Georgia.

As professional development is multi-dimensional, so is this strategy for Planning Officials Professional Development. “Professional development” goes beyond the term ‘training’ with its implications of learning skills, and should encompass a definition that includes formal and informal means of helping planning officials not only learn new information but also develop new insights into the planning practice through  education, training, communication and networking.

Education and Training

Education and training goals should be accomplished through the use of existing programs and partnerships and the creation of new programs and partnerships with organizations and communities across the state. GPA will continue its partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to develop and conduct statewide planning official training through the Community Planning Institute.  Current and future goals for this program include:

• Develop standard training components/topics that will be covered at all CPI’s across the state.
• Identify areas/regions across the state in which CPI will be offered.
• Identify partners in each of these areas/regions to develop additional training components that address the unique needs of diverse region’s/areas.  (ie. the issues and challenges elected and appointed bodies face in coastal Georgia are different from those in  the middle Flint area)
• Develop mechanism to conduct outreach to communities to inform them of the training and education resources available to them through the Georgia Planning Association.
• Work with community partners and the Department of Community Affairs to develop curriculums and conduct CPI training in diverse areas across the state, as necessary.  In other words, training will be conducted in as many areas/regions as decision makers in those places request.
• As a follow up to CPI, the Georgia Planning Association will offer a planning official professional development track at the fall conference.  This track will include a “refresher” of the basics and follow up with a variety of sessions tailored specifically to elected and appointed planners.

Communication/Networking

Effective professional development is not something that can be accomplished through a single training program.  Therefore, the GPA-PODO will develop a series of tools that will aim to 1) continuously educate elected and appointed officials about planning issues and trends relative to their roles and responsibilities and 2) provide a mechanism for planning officials to share experiences, challenges and best practices.  Tasks that need to be completed to achieve these goals include:

• Develop a single page monthly newsletter tailored specifically toward the interests of planning officials in the State of Georgia.  This will include links to news articles about how planning and elected boards in Georgia have addressed unique planning situations, planning official best practices, a monthly preview of unique planning official issues and challenges and links to helpful planning official resources as they become available through such resources as “The Commissioner” and “Planning Commissioners Journal.”  This newsletter will be distributed by email, fax and mail depending on the resources of individual communities across the state.  It will be distributed to all planning and elected board members, regardless of their status as GPA members.
• The GPA-PODO will work with RDC’s, DCA, GMA and ACCG to develop a comprehensive list of planning official contacts throughout the State.
• Develop a Planning Officials page on the GPA website.  This page will consist of  links for planning commissioners, material from the monthly newsletter, a calendar of education and training opportunities across the state and nationally and a bulletin board for planning officials across the state to pose questions and make comments to which peer planning officials can respond directly online.
• Develop a Planning Officials Listserv.  This is a mailing list program for communicating with other planning and elected officials who have subscribed to the list. The PODO will solicit subscribers through the website, planning official web page and monthly newsletter.

In sum, this strategy is designed to address multiple dimensions of professional development.  The education and training component will enhance the knowledge and decision making skills of planning officials by providing them with both standard and necessary information about planning in the state of Georgia and more tailored information catered to the unique needs of the specific area/s within which they serve.  Additionally, the planning official training track at the GPA fall conference will offer a menu of more advanced classes that allow planning officials to hone on and learn more about the skills and topics offered at CPI.

While training offers limited communication and networking opportunities, the web page, newsletter, listserv and bulletin board will provide elected and appointed planning officials with a more consistent mechanism for communicating with and learning from each other.

Finally, since each of the approaches listed are not limited to just planning and appointed officials who are GPA members, it is possible that the implementation of this strategy may also increase GPA membership as more planning officials reap the benefits offered by the association.

Georgia communities depend not only on professional planners to create great places but also on elected and appointed officials to make decisions and recommendations that enhance quality of life.  The Georgia Planning Association (GPA) has the responsibility to improve planning decision-making across the state through the provision of professional development for elected and appointed planning officials in Georgia.  As professional development is multi-dimensional, so is this strategy for Planning Officials Professional Development.  “Professional development” goes beyond the term ‘training’ with its implications of learning skills, and should encompass a definition that includes formal and informal means of helping planning officials not only learn new information but also develop new insights into the planning practice through  education, training, communication and networking.Education and training goals should be accomplished through the use of existing programs and partnerships and the creation of new programs and partnerships with organizations and communities across the state.  GPA will continue its partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to develop and conduct statewide planning official training through the Community Planning Institute.  Current and future goals for this program include:Effective professional development is not something that can be accomplished through a single training program.  Therefore, the GPA-PODO will develop a series of tools that will aim to 1) continuously educate elected and appointed officials about planning issues and trends relative to their roles and responsibilities and 2) provide a mechanism for planning officials to share experiences, challenges and best practices.  Tasks that need to be completed to achieve these goals include:In sum, this strategy is designed to address multiple dimensions of professional development.  The education and training component will enhance the knowledge and decision making skills of planning officials by providing them with both standard and necessary information about planning in the state of Georgia and more tailored information catered to the unique needs of the specific area/s within which they serve.  Additionally, the planning official training track at the GPA fall conference will offer a menu of more advanced classes that allow planning officials to hone on and learn more about the skills and topics offered at CPI.While training offers limited communication and networking opportunities, the web page, newsletter, listserv and bulletin board will provide elected and appointed planning officials with a more consistent mechanism for communicating with and learning from each other.  Finally, since each of the approaches listed are not limited to just planning and appointed officials who are GPA members, it is possible that the implementation of this strategy may also increase GPA membership as more planning officials reap the benefits offered by the association.

Effective professional development is not something that can be accomplished through a single training program.  Therefore, the GPA-PODO will develop a series of tools that will aim to 1) continuously educate elected and appointed officials about planning issues and trends relative to their roles and responsibilities and 2) provide a mechanism for planning officials to share experiences, challenges and best practices.  Tasks that need to be completed to achieve these goals include:In sum, this strategy is designed to address multiple dimensions of professional development.  The education and training component will enhance the knowledge and decision making skills of planning officials by providing them with both standard and necessary information about planning in the state of Georgia and more tailored information catered to the unique needs of the specific area/s within which they serve.  Additionally, the planning official training track at the GPA fall conference will offer a menu of more advanced classes that allow planning officials to hone on and learn more about the skills and topics offered at CPI.While training offers limited communication and networking opportunities, the web page, newsletter, listserv and bulletin board will provide elected and appointed planning officials with a more consistent mechanism for communicating with and learning from each other.  Finally, since each of the approaches listed are not limited to just planning and appointed officials who are GPA members, it is possible that the implementation of this strategy may also increase GPA membership as more planning officials reap the benefits offered by the association.