The October 2019 Term of the Grand Jury of Athens-Clarke County has been charged with appointing at least 21 members to the 2020 Athens-Clarke County Overview Commission. Each member appointed to the commission would serve a term of 12 months, starting on January 1, 2020.

Any person who is registered to vote in Athens is eligible for appointment to the Overview Commission by the Grand Jury, and any person interested should complete and submit an Overview Commission application by midnight on Monday, November 25, 2019.

Applications are available online at the Athens-Clarke County website's Overview Commission page at www.accgov.com/overview. Applications are also available outside the Commission Chamber at City Hall at 301 College Avenue, at the Athens-Clarke County Library at 2025 Baxter Street, in the Athens-Clarke County District Attorney’s Office on the third floor of the Courthouse at 325 East Washington Street, and at various locations in the community.

The Overview Commission is responsible for conducting a review and evaluation of the operation of the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government at least once every 10 years. As provided by the Athens-Clarke County Charter, the Overview Commission must be composed of a minimum of twenty-one (21) members to be appointed by the Grand Jury sitting immediately prior to January 1st. Two (2) members shall be selected from each commission district and one (1) member, who shall serve as chair, from the county at-large. Members appointed to the Overview Commission must be registered voters in Athens-Clarke County and cannot be members of the appointing Grand Jury.

The Overview Commission will convene on January 7, 2020 - the first Tuesday after January 1st - and is required to complete its review within 12 months. In its review, it will consider the goals and objectives of the Unified Government; the extent to which the Unified Government has achieved its objectives in an effective and responsible manner; the performance and accomplishments of the agencies of the Unified Government in the preceding fiscal year, budgetary costs incurred, projected activities and budgets; and the extent to which additional programs are needed. Upon completion, the commission will make written recommendations published to the Mayor and Commission and available to the public.

Since unification in 1991, there have been three such Overview Commissions as established in the Charter. One in 1995, one in 1999, and one in 2010. The 2020 Overview Commission will be the second commission empaneled since Section 8-116 of the Athens-Clarke County Charter was amended in 2001 to provide for 10-year reviews instead of 4-year reviews.