From right, J. Tyson Ross of Dalton, Bill Thornton of GMA, Pam Helton of GMA, Dan Wright of Ringgold, Mike Brown of Varnell and Blake Griffin of Tunnel Hill.
City managers and administrators from the area met with Georgia Municipal Association officials for an annual luncheon at Cottage Treasure's Tea Room in downtown Ringgold. The meeting is held to keep local officials up to date on legislation and projects going on across the state. The meeting also allows neighboring cities to network with each other and share ideas.
"We are always glad to host training and networking sessions in our community," said Dan Wright, Ringgold's city manager. "Each one of the managers and administrators are the chief staff person in their own towns so we do not always have opportunities to talk shop with our peers down the road."
The GMA staff briefed the local managers and administrators on legislative issues affecting municipal governments. "We always enjoy opportunities to get feedback on our programs and important issues for cities," explained Pam Helton, director of Consulting Services from GMA. "We are very grateful to Ringgold and the staff of Cottage Treasure's for hosting our meeting."
According to the GMA website, "The mission of the Georgia Municipal Association is to anticipate and influence the forces shaping Georgia’s cities and to provide leadership, tools and services that assist municipal governments in becoming more innovative, effective and responsive." The GMA was created in 1933 and acts as voluntary, non-profit association for 521 municipalities that are members of the organization.
For more information on the Georgia Municipal Association visit www.gmanet.com. For more information on Cottage Treasures Tea Room and Gift Shop visit www.cottagetreasures.com or visit their store on 170 Cleveland St. off of Nashville Street in downtown Ringgold.