Civil Rights Bus Tour on Sat., Feb. 24

On Saturday, February 24, 2024 from 10:00 AM to noon, take part in an immersive journey through Athens-Clarke County civil rights history, sponsored by ACCGov's Inclusion Office, Police Department, Sheriff's Office, and Transit Department.

The bus tour aims to heighten community awareness about residents' lived experiences during the civil rights movement and includes stops at significant locations including Ebenezer Baptist Church West, the former Varsity location, Clayton Street, and the Courthouse. 

The tour lasts approximately two hours. Remaining space is very limited. For more information and to register online, visit www.accgov.com/echoesofthepasttour.

Advance voting dates + new voting sticker

Advance voting for the March 12 Presidential Preference Primary begins Monday, February 19 at 8:00 AM and continues through Friday, March 8 at 5:00 PM. 

For a complete list of advance voting dates, times, and locations, visit www.accgov.com/advancevoting. 

Advance voting for the Presidential Preference Primary will also be the first opportunity for registered voters in Athens-Clarke County to receive the new "I Voted Early" voting sticker. 

Featuring a green City Hall dome on an orange background, the sticker was created by local resident Jennifer Denson and was selected by a panel of judges in September as part of a community sticker design contest. The sticker will be distributed during early voting periods throughout 2024.

Free ARTWORK workshop series for creatives

ARTWORK, presented by the Lyndon House Arts Center and the ACC Economic Development Department, is a free series of professional practice events for artists in the Athens area. 

All events take place at the Lyndon House Arts Center from 5:30-7:00 PM and are free and open to the public. Upcoming sessions include "Trademark and Copyright Law" on Feb. 20, "Public Art and Grant Resources" on March 21, and "Estate Planning for Artists" on April 24.

For more information and to register online, visit www.accgov.com/artworkseries.

Public Comment on Police Communications

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is scheduled for an annual web-based and in-person assessment as part of a program to achieve Communications accreditation by verifying it meets professional standards.

Administered by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), the Public Safety Communications Accreditation Program provides a communications center, or the communications unit of a public safety agency, with a process to review and assess its operations and procedures.

CALEA is currently receiving comments regarding the Police Department's Central Communications Division, which is responsible for 9-1-1. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide the participating agency with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.

As part of the assessment, community members are invited to offer comments on Communications by accessing the CALEA Public Comment Portal. Comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns and go directly to CALEA, not the Police Department.

The portal is open for comments on Communications through April 3, 2024.

MACORTS 2050 Plan Survey through Mar. 31

The Madison Athens-Clarke Oconee Regional Transportation Study (MACORTS) metropolitan planning organization is currently developing the MACORTS 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). 

The MTP is a federally required document that identifies how a metropolitan area will manage and operate a multimodal transportation system including all modes of transportation over a 20-year period. 

Help envision the future of transit and transportation in the region by taking an online survey to share about your experience getting around, whether you walk, bike, roll, drive, or ride. MACORTS will also host several in-person events in March to be announced,

Learn more about MACORTS and the MTP and take the survey at www.macorts.org. 

The survey will be available through March 31.

Leisure Services awards & recognitions

The ACCGov Leisure Services Department recently received a number of awards for individuals and facilities.

Recently, the Lyndon House Arts Center received two awards from the Georgia Association of Museums (GAM). The first was a “Special Project" award for the “Resilient Civic and Musical Life: Ware Lyndon House Enslaved and Descendant Stories” exhibit, which explores the lives of two musicians who descended from family members once enslaved at the Ware-Lyndon House. This exhibit was also recognized by Historic Athens. The second award from GAM was an "Institution Award," recognizing the overall leadership of the Lyndon House in the local community and across the state.

At the 34th Annual Emancipation Proclamation Observance and Pioneer Awards, Morton Theatre Facility Supervisor Lynn Battle Green was honored “for unselfish and dedicated service” to the arts. The Morton Theatre was also presented with a “Salute to the Arts” award, and the late Lois Thomas-Ewings was posthumously honored for her decades of work mentoring young girls at Heard Park and for founding the East Athens Educational Dance Center.

What Works Cities Silver Certification

Thanks to the work of the Geospatial Information Office and an overall commitment to data-driven governance, ACCGov has achieved What Works Cities Certification at the Silver Level for the second time. 

What Works Cities Certification evaluates how well cities are managed by measuring the extent to which leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making. The Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative has awarded certification to 74 cities for outstanding data practices since its launch in 2017. 

ACCGov first achieved Silver Certification in 2021. For more information on the certification or ACCGov's use of data, visit accgov.com/gio.

FANS Alerts Property Owners to New Filings

The Clerk of Superior & State Court, in conjunction with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, offers property owners the option of using the Filing Activity Notification System (FANS). 

FANS is a free, voluntary, opt-in process that notifies property owners any time filings are made related to their registered property in an effort to combat real estate deed fraud. 

Property owners can register at fans.gsccca.org with an email address or telephone number. After submitting a name, the user receives an email and/or text notification whenever a filing related to that name is filed in the selected records. Users may also register property addresses.

Contact the Clerk of Superior and State Court's Office at 706-613-3190 with questions.

Low-Income Homestead Exemption

The low-income category of homestead exemption for Athens-Clarke County property owners who meet federal poverty guidelines was first approved in 2023. For those who qualify, a base value for their home will be set based on the year they qualify.

ACCGov’s portion of a home’s property taxes each year will be calculated on this set base value of their home, even if the actual property value increases, as long as a homeowner remains eligible for the exemption. The Clarke County School District’s portion of property taxes are not affected by this exemption.

A person must also be the owner of the property as of January 1, 2024 and complete a low-income homestead exemption application with the Athens-Clarke County Tax Commissioner’s Office, not the Tax Assessors Office, by April 1, 2024.

Because the application must include a signed copy of the previous year's tax form, the April 1 deadline means that a Federal IRS 1040 form must be filed at least several weeks earlier than the annual federal deadline to complete the low-income homestead exemption application by April 1.

For full details, income guidelines, deadlines, frequently asked questions, and application information, visit the Tax Commissioner's Low-Income Homestead Exemption webpage.

The ACCGov Mixtape is distributed monthly by the Public Information Office, accgov.com/pio, 706-613-3795. To sign up for Mixtape or view past issues, visit www.accgov.com/mixtape.