House Resolution 2087
By: Representatives Dempsey of the 13th, Lumsden of the 12th, Gambill of the 15th, Kelley
of the 16th, Momtahan of the 17th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Commending the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission upon its 65th anniversary; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS, in the late 1950s, two visionary leaders, T. Harley Harper and Fred F. Starr,
traveled the counties of Northwest Georgia promoting the idea of regional cooperation and
planning; and
WHEREAS, an area-wide organization was formed at a regional conference at Berry College
in Rome, Georgia, on May 7, 1959, with more than 400 area business, industrial, and
political leaders in attendance to discuss common problems and opportunities in the Coosa
Valley region, with two members representing each of the 12 associated counties; and
WHEREAS, a reorganization plan was developed under the Georgia General Planning and
Enabling Act of 1957, and 11 counties joined together to create the Coosa Valley Area
Planning and Development Commission; and
WHEREAS, Governor Ernest Vandiver and the Georgia General Assembly agreed to finance
the commission at $30,000 per year, and each participating county agreed to contribute 25
cents per capita per annum to supplement the funding; and
WHEREAS, with legal authority and funding in place, the Coosa Valley Area Planning and
Development Commission began operation on April 1, 1961, becoming the first multi-county
organization of its type in Georgia as well as a model for other regions in the state and across
the country; and
WHEREAS, the Georgia Planning Act of 1989 changed the organization's name to the Coosa
Valley Regional Development Center, and other legislative acts amended its responsibilities;
and
WHEREAS, the North Georgia Regional Development Center was merged with the Coosa
Valley Regional Development Center in 2009 to form the Northwest Georgia Regional
Commission, which serves Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer,
Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties, their
48 constituent municipalities, and almost one million Georgians; and
WHEREAS, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission works with federal and state
partners to provide aging, workforce, economic development, community planning, GIS
mapping, small business revolving loan fund, and other services to its members; and
WHEREAS, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission has exemplified regional
cooperation through intrastate and interstate partnerships and initiatives with its peers in
Georgia and its neighbors in Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission continues to fulfill its mission
statement "to improve the quality of life for every Northwest Georgia resident, through
orderly growth, conservation of the region's natural and historic resources, and care and
development of the region's human resources."
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body commend the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission for 65
years of official service to the people and governments of Northwest Georgia, the State of
Georgia, and its peer organizations in the state and Appalachian Region.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the
Northwest Georgia Regional Commission.