The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) kicked off its Fall District Meetings in the City of Richmond Hill. District 12 city officials convened to collaborate and identify general challenges and opportunities for cities in Georgia.
A District Connection roundtable discussion on data centers was one of the sessions. It was moderated by GMA Member Services Consultant Pam Helton. Data centers may have been new to many local governments, but city officials took the opportunity to respond and provide feedback.
And it’s also a chance for governments to learn from other cities. Any city, any size, anywhere in the country that’s facing a problem that’s happening in a community elsewhere can learn from how other places are tackling that emerging problem, and prepare their residents.
The event was also set to honor GMA Member Services Consultant Pam Helton, who has been with the association for more than 30 years. Helton’s final day with the association was Friday, October 30 ,2026
District 12 knew it was a party, with a cake and a few gifts. Several of those attending spoke a few words of what Pam has meant in their lives and thanked her for her service to the cities of Georgia, city clerks and District 12. They talked about how much Pam’s service meant for years working with her.
For many municipality leaders, it can be members of the Member Services Consultants who can help them back to the association. They find them the information they need, ask questions for the association and relay information between other municipality leaders in their district. Pam’s role as a representative has created many close relationships within her district.
GMA’s fall district meetings provide an opportunity for mayors and other city officials to meet with others in their city district community. When they meet within the district community, mayors, council members, city managers and city clerks are more likely to be present to deal with district issues.
We conduct these sessions to give cities an opportunity to voice their concerns,’’association officials said during the event.
GMA expressed appreciation to all municipal officials who participated in the meeting. GMA appreciated all these municipal officials’ time from their busy schedules and participation so real dialogue could occur; municipal officials make district meetings successful every year.
We celebrated Pam Helton’s continued service to GMA and our cities. She represented district 12 and many other districts by giving advice, help and support to city leaders, city clerks and cities.
While we are midway through our Fall District Meetings, GMA is still actively meeting and collaborating with city officials in cities across the state to learn, share and support each other for the benefit of our members. For District 12, our lunch and learn in Richmond Hill was both an informative working meeting and a farewell to a long-time team member.
