2026 Community Annual Assessment Presentation Schedule and Template

January through March of 2026, the Office of Downtown Development will be meeting with Regions 6,8,9,10,11 and 12 to conduct one one-on-one annual assessment reviews. Each Classic Main Street designated program will be required to select a time slot to meet with our team. Each program is required to give a presentation during its time slot and must have a manager, a city or organizational representative, and a board member present.  Each time slot will be two hours in length. The presentation itself should not run more than 1 ½ hours in length, leaving time for discussion and questions.

Who you should bring:
At a minimum 3, the Main Street Manager should lead the presentation, bringing at least a board member, and city representative/supervisor.

Who we will bring:
We will have the Georgia Main Street staff (approx. 4 or 5) present for your visit.

Questions:
If you have any questions about the application or the site visit as you prepare, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

(GEMS communities will be contacted directly regarding the 2026 accreditation process)

*If your region is not included in this list above, this means you will not meet face-to-face with ODD staff for a presentation. For those communities that will not be presenting, you will complete the  online Self Assessment through Main Street America and the  2026 Annual Assessment Checklist and Affidavit with Requirements. The Self Assessment Tool and Community Evaluation Framework Guide can help you fill out the online assessment.

Recording on how to use the online self assessment platform can be found here.

Meeting Dates and Locations: 

January 28-29: Syd Blackmarr Arts Center, 255 Love Ave, Tifton, GA

February 11-12: Business Innovation Group (BiG), 62 East Main Street, Suite D, Statesboro, GA

February 25-26: NewTown Macon, 555 Poplar St., Macon, GA

March 4-5: Old City Hall, 1229 Newcastle St., Brunswick, GA

March 18-19: Downtown Moultrie Welcome Center, 31 E. Central Ave, Moultrie, GA

Registration will be open on October 6th.  

Each community will have two hours to meet with the Office of Downtown Development staff. During this time, the local program manager will provide ODD staff with an overview of their local program using the provided PowerPoint presentation template.  The information provided should be on events and programmatic accomplishments that occurred in 2022 – 2025. Presentations should last no longer than one hour. After the presentation, ODD staff will walk through the elements of each community’s annual assessment document with the community representatives present in order to gain a better understanding of their current Main Street program’s standing. Communities will leave knowing their designation status for 2026 as well as any recommendations for the program moving forward.

What your presentation should cover:
Make sure you brag on yourself and your projects and feel free to make this your own. Incorporate your own branding, colors, and design. If you customize the presentation to fit your brand, please make sure you still answer all the questions, and please keep the questions in the same order. ​ ​ You can use more than one slide to answer a question.  You will have an hour and a half max to present. ​ The use of pictures, visual examples, and videos are highly encouraged. ​ Be mindful of acronyms. We are all guilty of using them… but new members on our team may not be familiar with the acronyms you use to identify the multiple organizations and programs you have in your community. The PowerPoint isn’t due until your presentation day, however please upload it to your Dropbox folder prior to your presentation day just in case there are technical difficulties.


Gainesville:  (Click on images below to view examples of past presentations)                                                                             

 

Thomaston:

 

Warrenton:

The 2026 annual assessment will be based on projects and accomplishments made throughout the 2025 calendar year. Communities that are designated as Affiliate, Classic or GEMS Main Street cities will be required to submit the online Self Assessment through Main Street America and the Checklist. The Self Assessment Tool and Community Evaluation Framework Guide can help you fill out the online assessment.

Recording on how to use the online self assessment platform can be found here.

These documents include:

  • Completed and signed Annual Assessment Checklist

  • 2025-2026 MOU

  • Annual Work Plan using DCA or approved template

  • Board Roster using DCA board roster template

  • All Board Meeting Agendas

  • All Board Meeting Minutes

  • Training Log for Manager and Board Members

  • Annual budget(s), showing program revenue/expenses

  • Main Street Program’s Organizational Chart

  • Main Street Program Bylaws

  • Mission and Vision statements

  • Map of Main Street Program’s District Boundaries

All the documents outlined above should be uploaded directly to your program’s shared Dropbox  and filed under the appropriate folders. If you do not currently have access to your program’s shared Dropbox folder please reach out to Ellen Hill at ellen.hill@dca.ga.gov and we will work to get you connected.

Work Plans

It is important for managers to keep in mind that all designated Georgia Main Street Programs are required to have a work plan on file with the Office of Downtown Development. Work plans serve as an important tool to help guide the projects and scope of work for the Main Street program. A well developed work plan should help you focus on what’s important, measure your impact, and create accountability. So much of what happens to revitalize a downtown district originates from this planning process. Having a well developed, shared work plan with public buy-in, can help to grow city support and solidify the role the Main Street Program plays in downtown development. Below is an example of how a completed Main Street program work plan should look.

Download a Word document copy of the work plan here: Work Plan Template For Print

All Main Street programs are required to keep and maintain a Dropbox folder with all their program’s historical information. This Dropbox folder is set up by DCA and access is shared with the local Main Street manager, board members and key city staff as needed. Due to the volume of information maintained in these folder the Office of Downtown Development does require each program to adhere to a certain organizational structure within Dropbox for all files and supporting documentation. Attached you will find a link that will illustrate for you visually how your program’s Dropbox folder should appear along with a list of each item that should be visible within the individual sub-folders.

To request access to your program’s Dropbox folder please contact the Georgia Main Street team at mainstreet@dca.ga.gov

 

This is a simply formatted excel document that allows for Main Street Managers to track the training events and hours participated in by both the board and the manager, throughout year. Please also make sure to upload a copy of any supporting documentation such as certificates or awards to the folder of the current year you are in.

The Board Roster template is an editable pdf that serves as a record of who in your Main Street community is currently serving as a member on your Main Street Board. This document is required to be updated annually and a copy of it should be uploaded to Dropbox under “Standard 5” of the current year. It is important to make sure that this document is filled out in it’s entirety to insure complete accuracy.

You can also access a copy of this document in excel Board Roster