Writer: Bruce Guthrie
Published February 15, 2023
Times-Georgian
Haralson County District 3 Commissioner John Daniel has put himself in a bit of rare company. During last week's Board of Commissioner's meeting, he was recognized by Chairman Ronnie Ridley for becoming a state certified commissioner, only the third from Haralson County to achieve the certification.
The program through the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia consists of nine courses iver 66 hours of classroom to earn the status of a Certified County Commissioner.
Daniel is the third from Haralson County to have achieved such status. The other two include former Chairman Allen Poole and Ridley.
Daniel is the first District Commissioner in Haralson to obtain it.
"When I found out about the program through ACCG I felt that it was important for me to go and gain the knowledge about my role on the Haralson BOC," Daniel said. "I feel like the citizens would want me to be educated about the duties and responsibilities of being a district commissioner. I want to serve my district and my county to the best of my ability and learn as much as I can to better serve them each day. It's an honor to be entrusted to such a position and have the ability to get a certification that only a couple others have put forth the effort to obtain."
The breakdown of courses that are required for the certification include County Government 101, which studies how and why counties exist, their role and responsibilities — what they must do and what they may do — and how a commissioner can influence the future positively.
County Government Finance so a candidate can gain a working understanding of county government finance and tools that will help you better fulfill your financial devision-making and policy adoption responsibilities.
County Government Law allows the student to discover the legal role a county has, how counties fit within the legal hierarchy of U.S. government, the legal context of commissioner powers and duties, and the legal roles and relationships between the board of commissioners and other members of the county team.
Economic Development explores county government's role in economic development, understand the roles of private and non-profit entities, and learn about strategies, tools, and best practices to identify your community's assets, develop an economic development plan, and work with regional partners.
Ethics examines the legal, moral and ethical public sector obligations as a county commissioner with a focus on the key principles of public sector ethics, the range of consequences for public servants when ethical decision-making is in question, and the public perception/appearance of impropriety.
Human Resources will teach why county employees are the single most important resource in your goal to provide service to citizens with a discussion ranging from employment and labor laws to understanding the value of employees and how decisions, policies, and practices strengthen the county team while meeting existing law.
The Leadership Institute pushes the student to Discover the "I, You, Me and We!" Communication and interpersonal relationships are critical to being an effective leader, and the focus is on assessing personal styles, relating to others, and building board and community relationships as you realize how these skills can guide your journey as a public leader.
Property Appraisal and Taxation studies the complex, but important, topic of property appraisal and taxation and its significance to county government operations. Tax digests, types of property, and property tax revenues as well as the role of commissioners, assessors and development authorities are discussed.
Public Health and Safety helps understand the role and responsibilities of counties and commissioners during this look at the services that must be provided by law in public safety and public health, their budgetary impact, ways to allocate resources and strategies for working with other government and industry partners.
