Henry County 411 - Chair Carlotta Harrell's Quarterly Newsletter

HENRYCOUNTY411

charrell@ co.henry.ga.us

henrycounty-ga.com/ chair

ARC LEADERSHIP HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE

Henry County Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell participated in a panel for the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum. Harrell, along with various leaders discussed and colloborated on ways in which their respective jurisdictions are addressing the affordable housing crisis.

In the past year, Henry County Commission Chair Carlotta Harrell has joined or been appointed to the ACCG Joint Task Force on Housing, Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Local Leadership Housing Action Committee (LLHAC), and the National Association of Counties (NACo) Housing Task Force. Through her work with these regional, state, and national organizations, Harrell has made it a priority to find solutions in addressing one of the major challenges facing Henry County—affordable workforce housing.

County Sees Major Progress with TSPLOST

TSPLOST collections began nearly a year ago (April 2022) to fund major roads projects and collections are on track. The one percent sales tax is expected to generate $245 million over five years, with all of the funding dedicated to transportation projects throughout the county and the four cities. The County has seven major transportation projects which are in various phases from design to right of way acquisition. In addition over $9 million in resurfacing road projects are currently in progress.

SPLOST Transportation Director Roque Romero is pleased with the progress and said the TSPLOST team has embarked on several projects over the last few months.

WITH CHAIR CARLOTTA HARRELL

Chair Carlotta Harrell Hosts Second Annual Ugly Sweater Christmas Party/ Toy Drive

Chair Harrell hosted her second annual Ugly Sweater Christmas Party/Toy Drive. The event benefited the Southern Cresent Veteran Services .

The event was a huge success and put smiles on 285 families in and around the Henry County community.

Henry County BOC Approve Resolution to Assist Residents Facing Eviction

Henry residents facing the prospect of eviction this past holiday season received welcome news from their local government. That’s because the Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to extend $2 million in stopgap funding to ensure the uninterrupted disbursement of federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) dollars.

ERAP is a national program that assists counties, cities and towns with rental and utility assistance for residents in need. Henry County is currently on its third round of ERAP funding, dating back to July of 2021. It has received $24 million in all.

But that money has now been fully invested, a prospect which Financial Services Director David Smith warned would have immediate consequences if the resolution did not pass.

“We have approximately two hundred families that are in the pipeline,” Smith said when presenting at the meeting. He added that without an injection of capital to keep the program going, those families “would be out in the streets.”

The $2 million is effectively an advance from the County’s fund balance. Henry has already received word from the U.S. Department of the Treasury that a fourth round of ERAP funding, totaling $15 million, has been approved. Those funds are now transferred and the $2 million has been reimbursed.

Going forward there are a few major questions left to answer. The first is how the incoming $15 million will be shared between the government’s dedicated 501(c)3 headed by Karen Davis and her team as well as local non-profits. County Manager Cheri HobsonMatthews stated that this matter will come before the Board of Commissioners once the new dollars are received.

But that challenge remains on the horizon. For now, the County will focus on continuing to use the funds they have to help as many Henry families as they can in a timely and efficient manner.

For more on the ERAP program or for those looking to access the application portal, head to www.henryerap.org.

Henry County National Night Out

The Henry County Police Department, along with the Henry County Sheriff, Henry County Fire Rescue, and Henry County E-911 Departments hosted the annual Henry’s Night Out event on Friday, October 28 from at Henry Towne Center in McDonough.

Attendees had the opportunity to

meet and speak with various public safety professionals.

There were fun activities, trunk or treating and live music for everyone to enjoy as well as purchase food from various vendors.

Henry County Disaster Recovery Center to Open

A FEMA disaster recovery center opened Friday, January 27 in Henry County to provide one-on-one assistance to people directly affected by the January 12 severe storms, straight line winds and tornadoes. The mobile recovery center will be in Locust Grove.

Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will provide information on available services, explain assistance programs and help survivors complete or check the status of their applications.

The disaster recovery center location is:

Locust Grove Recreation Center 10 Cleveland Street

Locust Grove, GA 30248

Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT –7 days a week.

People directly affected by the severe storms may visit the recovery center, apply with FEMA online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.

For needs directly related to the Jan.12

disaster, FEMA may be able to provide Individual Assistance grant money that does not have to be repaid for:

• Rental Assistance if you need to relocate because of storm-related damage

• Personal Property that was damaged or destroyed by these weather events

• Lodging Reimbursement if you had to stay in a hotel temporarily

• Basic Home Repairs for homeowners whose primary residence was damaged by these weather events

• Other Serious Needs caused by the recent storms.

In addition to the assistance listed, please note the following:

• Only one application per household

• FEMA does not pay for lost or spoiled food

Residents who are not approved may be referred back to FEMA for additional grant consideration.

Additional disaster recovery centers are expected to be announced soon.

For information on Georgia’s disaster recovery visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4685.

Leaders Meet For Legislative Breakfast

Henry County Government and local legislators met on December 8, 2022 to discuss upcoming legislative priorities. Communication and collaboration.

In addition, Leaders aimed to get

on the same page to brainstorm the best solutions in tackling issues affecting the Henry County community. Chair Carlotta Harrell emphasized challenges facing Henry County Public Safety and offered solutions to address the issues.

Small Business Assistance Available

The U.S. Small Business Administration has opened a Business Recovery Centers at noon beginning Friday, January 20 at the Locust Grove Public Library in Henry County to assist Georgians with applying for disater loans for losses due to severe storms, straightline winds and tornadoes that occured on January 12.

The disaster delaration issued by President Biden includes several neighboring counties.

SBA Representatives are on hand to assist business owners and residents in person. The Locust Grove Public Library is located 115 MLK Jr. Blvd in Locust Grove.

Kickball Tournament Raises Over $20k

As the only charitable clinic in Henry County, Hands of Hope provides free medical, dental, and mental health counseling services to Henry County residents living in poverty, with no access to Medicaid, Medicare, VA benefits, or private insurance. Founded in 2004, the

clinic has been serving Henry County for eighteen wonderful years!

Chair Harrell put together a team of Henry County employees to participate in the fun and games. Together with the other teams and sponsors, over $20,000 was raised for the Hands of Hope.

Chair Harrell Makes the List of 100 Most Influential Women

In October, the Atlanta Busines League (ABL) announced this year’s Women of Influence list, recognizing 100 African American women making a difference in the Atlanta metro. Among those honored were Henry County Chair Carlotta Harrell for her work as a leader in Henry County and the

metro Atlanta community.

According to the ABL, “the ‘woman of influence’ is a woman who is top in their industry and leading organizations of large public bodies and women who are making a difference.”

Henry County Government hosted Leadership Henry Government Day in December at the Atlanta Speedway Airport. County Manager Cheri Matthews and Commission Chair Carlotta Harrell greeted the class of 2023 and presented a video of the proposed Aquatic Center. Their presentation also

included several upcoming initiatives for the county and a trivia game to break the ice. County leaders and staff gave presentations of their various departments and were on hand to talk about local government and answer questions.

HCPD Citizens Police Academy

HENRYTOGETHER2022