Butler Snow attorneys Blake Sharpton and Jim Elliott will lead a development authority training session at the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission on April 15, 2026, in Dublin, Georgia. The course will cover the responsibilities of development authority board members and the critical role development authorities play in the local economic development process.
Blake Sharpton
Sharpton is the Assistant Practice Group Leader for Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group. He focuses on structuring and executing public finance and economic development transactions, as well as commercial lending and debt financing matters.
He represents school districts, cities, counties, development authorities, educational institutions, and underwriters across Georgia and other states, and has experience serving as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, bank counsel, borrower’s counsel, and underwriter’s counsel on a wide variety of tax-exempt and taxable bond transactions. His work includes stadiums, mixed-use developments, multifamily housing, retail projects, hotels, and other large-scale economic development initiatives.
Jim Elliott
Elliott is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group. His practice focuses on public finance, economic development, corporate governance, and a broad range of local government matters. He represents cities, counties, development authorities, housing authorities, and other governmental entities across Georgia.
Before joining Butler Snow, Elliott served for more than three decades as city attorney for Warner Robins, Georgia, and has also served as city attorney and special counsel for multiple Georgia municipalities and public bodies. In addition to his legal practice, Elliott regularly teaches and presents on municipal law, ethics, and economic development for statewide and university-affiliated programs.
