INTRODUCTION

The Northwest Georgia Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission (as the local Economic Development District) develops, implements, and revises the CEDS on a regular basis. The Regional Commission receives Planning Investment Funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to complete this document. The governing Council of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission is designated as the CEDS Strategy Committee. This body includes both local elected officials and private sector representatives from each of northwest Georgia’s counties, as well as several statewide appointees. Membership of the CEDS Strategy Committee, at the time of adoption of the CEDS update, is listed on the previous page. The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission is a multi-county organization consisting of 15 Northwest Georgia counties and 49 municipalities. Major responsibilities of the regional commission include: (1) implementation of the Georgia Planning Act of 1989; (2) administration of the Area Agency on Aging; (3) administration of the Workforce Investment Act; and (4) providing planning and development assistance to member governments in areas they could not otherwise afford. The mission statement of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission is “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.”