A $100,000 package aims to connect local farms with more buyers

More places to buy local food—and more customers for growers—are the goals of a joint Chattahoochee Hills–Palmetto food plan headed to the Chattahoochee Hills City Council on Nov. 5.⁠[1][2]

A council presentation dated Nov. 4 describes a $100,000 Food Well Alliance implementation package: $75,000 in cash and $25,000 in other in-kind resources. Its proposed early priorities include expanding food access through options such as a Palmetto farmers market, pop-up pantries or mobile markets, establishing a Palmetto community garden and creating a shared network of farmers and homesteaders.⁠[2]

The two-city approach is deliberate. The presentation pairs Chattahoochee Hills’ working farmland, growers and production capacity with Palmetto’s consumers, downtown public spaces and community programming. The intended connection: more markets that help farms remain viable while putting more local food within reach.⁠[2]

The community-engagement summary also shows why access matters: 33.5% of survey respondents reported experiencing some level of food insecurity. The survey drew 205 responses. Those findings describe participants, not a population-wide estimate for either city.⁠[2][3]

For growers, the presentation recommends mentoring, labor support and training, alongside collaboration on crop coordination, market expansion and shared resources. It also proposes exploring partnerships and funding for larger shared processing and distribution infrastructure—not approving construction of those facilities.⁠[2]

That distinction runs through the adoption proposal. The presentation says adoption would endorse a shared direction, guide future planning and establish a framework for using the grant package. It would not commit city cash to the recommendations, approve specific land-use or infrastructure projects, or require action on every recommendation.⁠[2]

There is a public-resource commitment, however: the presentation describes recommitting to $50,000 in city in-kind support under a January 2026 memorandum of understanding. Examples include staff time, use of city-owned spaces and program promotion.⁠[2]

The proposed sequence calls for a joint advisory committee in December or January, followed by allocation of the grant package in 2027 for priorities benefiting both cities. Chattahoochee Hills’ adoption consideration is listed as Item 26-073 at the 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 meeting at City Hall, 6505 Rico Road, Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia.⁠[1][2]