Section 49-8-5. Distribution of funds; local boards of directors; audits; bonding of agency employees

   (a) Moneys appropriated for the purposes of this chapter shall be allocated by contract with community action agencies. Such allocations shall be approved by the director only upon the submission of a proposal prepared by the agency and approved by the board of directors of the community action agency involved.

(b) Moneys appropriated for the purposes of this chapter and distributed by means of contracts with community action agencies shall continue to include the Community Services Block Grant. Not less than 90 percent of the community services block grant funds allocated for the State of Georgia shall be distributed to community action agencies by means of contracts with the community action agencies.

(c) The community services block grant funds shall continue to be distributed to each community action agency utilizing a formula based upon a pro rata share of Georgia's poverty population contained in each agency's service area.

(d) No funds may be allocated to any community action agency which does not have a policy guaranteeing nondiscrimination in the delivery of services.

(e) No funds may be allocated to any community action agency which does not have a policy-making board of directors. The membership of such board must be made up of no fewer than one-third democratically selected representatives of the client group and no more than one-third public officials or their designees. The remainder of the board shall be composed of members appointed from the public sector.

(f) The director shall be responsible for ensuring that at least an annual fiscal and programmatic audit be conducted of each community action agency to ensure that contract awarded funds are properly and legally utilized and disbursed in accordance with the intentions of this chapter. All employees of each community action agency who handle funds of the agency shall be bonded by a licensed bonding company.

Ga. L. 1975, p. 1645, § 5; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1317, § 6.21; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1436, § 1; Ga. L. 1997, p. 1350, § 3.