Every day across Georgia, city leaders make decisions that shape how people live, work, and connect with one another.
They maintain streets, support local businesses, care for public spaces, and provide the services residents count on. Much of that work happens without fanfare. Yet behind every service is a story about people and the community they call home. Those stories deserve to be told.
After many years in local government, I know how quickly the demands of the day can take over. Our city leaders face rising costs, competing priorities, limited resources, and difficult choices about how to meet both immediate needs and long-term goals. They also have the privilege of seeing what their work makes possible: a child playing in a neighborhood park, a business opening downtown, jobs being created, and families gathering for a community celebration in a revitalized downtown.
Public safety, the focus of this issue, is one of the clearest examples. We often describe it through response times, crime rates, staffing levels, and equipment. Those measures are important. But the larger story is about the confidence people have when they know trained police officers and firefighters are ready to serve. It is about the freedom to take walks along city streets, enjoy a festival, invest in a business, or make a home in a community where people look out for one another.
That sense of security requires significant resources. I recently shared what some of those investments cost in a presentation to state lawmakers. In Lenox, a city of fewer than 800 people, a fully outfitted police vehicle in 2022 cost $56,000; in 2025 it cost $71,000. The same holds for fire trucks. A fire engine that cost $589,000 in 2020 now costs close to $1.1 million and can take two to four years to arrive. Then there’s the costs associated with our most important asset: people. In Newnan, the first-year cost of one police officer is over $161,427, counting salary, benefits, a vehicle, and equipment.
These are more than numbers and budget figures. These numbers and budget figures. These numbers tell two stories. The first is about the difficult choices city leaders make as they invest in public safety alongside infrastructure, emergency preparedness, code enforcement, economic development, and other community needs. The second is about why those choices matter to residents. Behind every police vehicle is an officer ready to help a neighbor. Behind every fire engine is a crew prepared to respond when a family or business faces an emergency. That readiness helps people feel safe in their homes, gather in public spaces, and build their lives in a community they believe in.
State officials, business leaders, and community partners need to understand both stories. Decisions made in city halls shape the quality of life and opportunities available across Georgia. When we tell that story well, we establish the connection between the taxes people pay and the investments cities make in people and prosperity.
At GMA, we have the privilege of representing all 536 Georgia cities and sharing the challenges and opportunities they face. But the most compelling stories begin locally, with the people who know their city best. City leaders can help residents and state leaders see the human impact of their work by speaking openly about what they are doing, why it matters, and what it will take to move forward.
There is no shortage of good stories in Georgia’s cities. There are stories of service, sacrifice, perseverance, heroism, partnership, and hope. When we tell them honestly and consistently, we strengthen understanding of the value cities bring to their communities and to our state.
Our cities are helping shape Georgia’s future every day. Let’s make sure those stories are heard.
