Eligibility   August 20, 2002 Counties Eligible to Receive Appropriated Funds Based on Most Recent Decennial Census The Georgia Greenspace Program statute and rules provide for state grants to help eligible counties and their grantee municipalities to acquire fee simple or lesser interests in land for the permanent protection of greenspace. A local government may submit a community greenspace program to receive a grant from state appropriated funds, if it has a population of not less than 60,000 pursuant to the United States' most recent decennial census, or if it has experienced average growth of at least 800 persons per year between the most recent decennial census and the most recent year for which the U.S. Bureau of the Census has prepared official estimates of population. Based on the most recent U.S. Census data, 58 counties are eligible to participate in the program during FY-03. These include 38 of the 40 counties that became eligible in FY-01, 19 of the 49 counties that became eligible in FY-02, and one county newly eligible in FY-03-Dawson County. Camden and Lee counties became ineligible because of declines in population growth rate as documented by the U.S. Census Bureau. Both counties report that they are asking the Census Bureau to check its figures or to reconsider its policies for determining population. Counties that are eligible for FY-03 state appropriated funds are shown on the state greenspace map. Grant Allocations The Georgia Greenspace Statute also provides for the establishment of formula grants to eligible counties that elect to develop a community greenspace program. A county's award is proportional to its levy of residential property taxes in the preceding fiscal year. A municipality that elects to develop a community greenspace program is eligible to receive a proportional share of its county's award if it lies wholly or partly within an eligible county. The Georgia General Assembly has appropriated $30 million dollars annually to the program since its inception, July 1, 2000. The Georgia Greenspace Commission (Commission) approved community greenspace programs for 39 counties and 54 cities during FY-01 and approved grants for 55 counties and 59 cities during FY-02. Total funds that were granted to these local governments are shown in tables FY-01 County Grants, FY-01 City Grants, and FY-02 Final Grants. Back to the top