Villa Rica Councilmember Gil McDougal received the prestigious Certificate of Recognition from the Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute during the Georgia Municipal Association’s (GMA) Mayors’ Day conference in Atlanta on Sunday, January 21.

The Harold F. Holtz Municipal Training Institute, a cooperative effort of GMA and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, provides a nationally recognized series of training opportunities for city officials. To receive a Certificate of Recognition, a city official must complete a minimum of 42 units of credit, including at least 18 hours from a list of required classes. The training program consists of a series of more than 60 courses.

“This is an outstanding achievement,” said GMA Executive Director Larry Hanson. “We commend Councilmember McDougal for this accomplishment and for the dedication he’s shown in using this valuable resource to become a more effective city official.”

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, research, training, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its 521 member cities.