Douglas County unveils public safety master plan amid federal funding concerns

Georgia officials concerned over future of federal funding

Georgia officials describe a recent meeting at the White House as an eye opener. Douglas County officials believe much of the federal dollars they and many local communities have relied on in the past may not be available going forward. with that in mind, the county says it's time to prepare for the future by developing a new public safety master plan.

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - Douglas County leaders say a recent White House meeting served as a wake-up call about the future of federal funding for local governments — and they're now launching a new public safety master plan to prepare for what could be steep budget shortfalls.

What they're saying:

County Commissioner Whitney Kenner Jones was among Georgia officials who attended the gathering in Washington, D.C., after some local commissioners were initially invited and then uninvited. Jones said the message from federal officials was clear.

"My takeaway and messaging from Washington is that funding is not going to be freely available and that it's going to be on the state and local municipality to make sure your communities are taken care of," she said.

Douglas County currently receives significant support from state and federal grants — about 20 percent of its operational budget.

"Each year the county gets state, federal, and local grants," Jones said. "As of March 2025, we had about $15-$16 million in grants. We think that’s about $20 million now — just shy of 20% of our operation budget."

Much of that money supports public safety services — from the sheriff’s office and 911 to animal control and the fire department.

"The equipment in this facility for the firefighters — are largely federal dollars?" one official asked. "Yes. Federal and state," came the reply.

A loss of that funding, Jones said, could have severe consequences.

"It would almost nearly devastate our public safety," she said.

What's next:

To prepare, the county is developing a five-year public safety master plan. The effort aims to assess essential needs, streamline services where necessary, and create a sustainable budgeting strategy as the county grows.

"We need to know what our critical needs are, what are niceties and things we can do without," Jones said.

An independent organization will work alongside the county to develop the plan. A preliminary version is expected this fall, with a final plan set for early next year.

"If we don’t get this right, it’s really going to be harmful to our citizens," Jones said. "We are going to have to look at riffing departments, which nobody wants to do."