Dougherty County Government applauds the announcement by the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development stating that the State of Georgia will receive $64.9 million dollars in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds. Dougherty County Commission Chairman, Christopher Cohilas, reacted to the announcement by first offering sincere thanks to the large number of local, state, and federal officials who coordinated the efforts to achieve this award:

“On behalf of the citizens of Dougherty County, I want to express my deep gratitude to the many people and agencies that worked hard to achieve this result for the state of Georgia, and for Dougherty County. We have been proud to partner with the state and our congressional delegation in working towards this goal.

First, I want to thank Governor Nathan Deal, who took the time to tour the damage from our county’s 2017 disasters, and personally submitted a request to Congress for funding on behalf of the state, and Dougherty County. I also want to express deep thanks to Senators Isakson and Perdue, and Congressman Bishop, who all worked tirelessly to make sure that Georgia and Dougherty County’s needs were addressed through a sizable award. I also thank HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude for providing direct engagement between Dougherty County and their dedicated staff.

Finally, and importantly, I want to thank Interim County Administrator, Michael McCoy, and the many members of Dougherty County’s Long Term Recovery Committee that worked diligently to produce a high-level recovery plan that was submitted in support of Georgia’s and Dougherty County’s request,” declared Chairman Cohilas on Tuesday.”

Dougherty County partnered with the state of Georgia to develop a community recovery plan, and to obtain funds for the state, which can be administered to address unmet needs following Georgia’s 2017 disasters.

Chairman Cohilas further stated: “Partnership is key in making these type of requests. We have been proud to work with our state and federal partners, and are elated to see that the state of Georgia has received this award. This was a team effort that will continue into the future. We look forward to our continued partnership with Governor Deal and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs as a determination on Dougherty County’s allocation is made.”