Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appropriations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Department of Community Affairs proposes consolidation of budget lines, asks $902,279 for regional commissions
Summary
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs told the House subcommittee it will consolidate 13 program budgets into seven in its FY2026 request and is seeking a $902,279 increase to pass through funds to the state's 12 regional commissions for planning and grant support.
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) told the House Subcommittee on Economic Development it is consolidating program budgets and asked for a $902,279 increase in its community services program to pass through to regional commissions.
DCA said the FY2026 request would shift the agency from 13 program budgets to seven “to improve administrative efficiency” and increase transparency. “We are proposing a shift from 13 different program budgets to 7 program budgets,” the presenter said.
The request breaks out four areas (building construction, historic preservation, state economic development programs and the accountable housing initiative) while collapsing several other program lines into a community services budget and a housing initiatives budget. DCA told the committee that the presentation change is largely administrative and was facilitated by the state’s move to the NextGen accounting platform.
Why it matters: The single substantive change DCA highlighted is an increase to the community services program (line 16.3.4) to provide pass-through support for regional commissions that help rural communities with planning and grant administration.
Key details and funding: DCA said the proposed consolidation groups included: building construction (line 16.2) — approximately $315,000 in total state funds; community services (16.3) — about $9 million in state funds and substantial federal funds; historic preservation — about $1.8 million in state funds; state economic development programs — roughly $13.7 million on the state side; housing programs (state side) — about $7.8 million; and the accountable housing initiative — a $1 million add in last year’s budget. The presenter said the FY2026 substantive request is to “increase that budget by 902,000, dollars 279” for pass-through funds to the regional commissions.
DCA said Georgia has 12 regional commissions; cumulatively those commissions receive about $2 million total, and the agency described the proposed increase as a way to sustain and expand the commissions’ work in comprehensive planning and grant administration, particularly in rural areas.
Federal exposure: The department cautioned that many of the programs in the consolidated budgets rely heavily on federal funding. The presenter said DCA works with roughly 80 federal funding sources — primarily HUD, but also Commerce, the National Park Service and Treasury — and that cuts at the federal level would “be dependent on how broad of an ax that was swung.”
Committee response: Committee members asked about the housing initiatives line and sources of federal funds pulled into housing-related programs. DCA clarified that the homeownership program is financed entirely by bonds issued by the Georgia Housing Finance Authority and is not a state or federal liability. DCA also detailed that housing choice vouchers, HOME funds and emergency solutions grants constitute a large portion of federal housing funds administered by the state.
Ending: The presenter said the consolidation is intended primarily for administrative efficiency and to free staff time for service delivery rather than to produce immediate cost savings. The committee did not take formal action during the presentation; public comment was announced to occur later in the meeting.
