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SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Georgia Municipal Affiliation (GMA) introduced longtime retired govt director Jim Burgess with the Lifetime Achievement Award throughout its annual conference in Savannah on Sunday, June 25. Burgess served as GMA’s govt director from 1983-1995 and performed a big position in shaping the numerous applications and companies at the moment provided by the group.
“We thought it was applicable to incorporate him due to his deep data of GMA’s historical past and the great impression he has had on the expansion and improvement of the Affiliation for a few years,” GMA CEO and Government Director Larry Hanson stated.
In 1963, Burgess left a place on the College of Georgia to affix the affiliation workers as Affiliate Director. 4 years later, Burgess left GMA to begin his personal consulting enterprise serving to cities. For sixteen years, he channeled his ardour for serving to to enhance municipal governance and operations by offering a variety of technical help companies to cities in Georgia and past. One in every of his accomplishments contains serving to with the formation of the primary city-county consolidation in Georgia, in Columbus and Muscogee County.
In 1983, after the present GMA Government Director Elmer George determined to retire, Jim was appointed by the Board of Administrators to function govt director. Jim served in that position for twelve and a half years. Throughout his tenure, GMA acquired, renovated an expanded its headquarters constructing in downtown Atlanta. Different accomplishments embrace establishing a multi-million greenback bond pool for gear lease buying for cities, creating and increasing worker profit and danger administration applications, and launching a downtown improvement program.
Moreover, quite a few successes have been skilled on the State Capitol. Burgess led efforts to go payments that curbed unfunded mandates and permitted the annexation of unincorporated islands by ordinance. Burgess additionally performed a significant position within the passage of the Particular Function Native Choice Gross sales Tax statute in addition to lobbying for the creation of four-year phrases for metropolis elected officers and a uniform municipal election date.
After his retirement from GMA on the finish of 1995, Burgess determined to run for mayor in his hometown of Social Circle. He held this publish for fourteen years and remained lively as a member of GMA. Burgess is the creator of the ebook “Bettering Native Service Supply” that was first printed in 2019.
“Jim is a exceptional particular person, and what he has completed on behalf of cities and this Affiliation for six many years is really superb. He has been a good friend and mentor to many, myself included, throughout his storied profession,” Hanson stated. “This award has solely been introduced to a small variety of people, and Jim is definitely a worthy recipient.”
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