City of Augusta working to join program that aims to improve cities nationwide (Jackson: school)

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This could be a huge boost for the city, especially with cyber command, the growth of the tech industry and Augusta University coming to Augusta. If done right, the 2020s could be a very sweet decade for the city.

Boston, Charlotte, Las Vegas, and New Orleans are just a few of the places picked as part of a plan to help cities across the nation. Mayor Hardie Davis hopes Augusta will join that list.

"Augusta could be the first city in the state of Georgia to be selected. It's very exciting, we're getting an opportunity to work with people with Harvard Kennedy business school," Mayor Davis said.

It's called What Works Cities. Bloomberg Philanthropy started it last year. They're picking one hundred medium sized cities. They'll get help on how to use data and research to improve city services, connect with the people, and help leaders make better decisions.

It's already working in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, where they turned a billion dollar deficit around. But Mayor Davis says it can help Augusta even more.


"So it's a fantastic opportunity to showcase our city on a national stage. I think this is the kind of trajectory we want for our city," the Augusta mayor said.

He says if city leaders put their best foot forward Augusta should make the cut.

"They've already done some evaluation of our city, what we're doing currently. They see the potential in Augusta as far as how we can better our decisions and our delivery of public services," Mayor Davis said.

The next step is for the group to visit Augusta for a closer look. Reps from What Works Cities will be coming to visit next Tuesday and Wednesday. This has been a year in the making. Mayor Davis says they believe Augusta has a good shot. If not, they can still look at what worked for those cities and make it work here.

City of Augusta working to join program that aims to improve cities nationwide