Paulding inclusion in what is now Northwest Georgia Regional Commission will positively affect the county in years to come, a state Department of Community Affairs official told Paulding commissioners this month.

Michael Gleaton, DCA assistant commissioner, said he came to the Board of Commissioners meeting Dec. 8 to explain “what the regional commission can do for Paulding County.”

A new state law created smaller numbers of regional commissions, and Paulding and other members formerly part of the 10-county Coosa Valley Regional Development Center joined a five-county RDC to create Northwest Georgia Regional Commission.

Member counties benefit from “finding joint, shared solutions and economy of scale” as regional commissions increase the efficiency and effectiveness of local governments, Gleaton said. Regional commissions can provide expertise in community development, economic development, planning, land use management, environmental management and building codes, for example, he said.

Gleaton said there are four areas of emphasis in the new law: land use, transportation, historic preservation and environmental management.

“The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission will become even more capable of assisting Paulding County and its cities in these four areas,” he said.

Examples of economic development support included helping Paulding secure a $1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, providing access to a business and technology park. The commission is also the area agency on aging, providing more than $1 million in senior services, and about $1 million has been spent to train and retrain Paulding workers through workforce development initiatives.

Gleaton said the new law contains two new initiatives.

First, it authorizes regional commissions “to get into direct service delivery mode;” formerly, regional bodies could only contract providers. Gleaton said regional commissions, for example, could operate a regional recycling program and such regional facilities as jails.

Second, the law forms a state commission on regional planning that will include the governor in finding ways for the state to work more closely with regional commissions.

“I think we’re going to see improvement in how the state interacts with regions and local governments,” Gleaton said.

Commission Chairman David Austin noted that Paulding “is looking to be a work-ready county” and that the test can be taken Friday afternoons.