Columbus, Georgia

Columbus Consolidated Government

2006 Legislative Agenda



November 13, 2005





1. Hazardous/Solid Waste Funding:



Introduce legislation to mandate that funds collected for waste tire removal be

placed in the Hazardous Waste Fund and the Solid Waste Fund instead of being

diverted elsewhere. (Carry over from 2004)





2. Greenspace Funding:



Introduce/support legislation to fund the Greenspace Program. (Carry over from

2004) (8/20/05)





3. Clerk?s Offices Indexing:



Introduce/support legislation to eliminate the requirement that the Clerk?s

offices provide a paper index for documents that are filed and indexed on

computer if they provide computers for public access.



Explanation: To continue preparing and making available a paper copy of what is

already available on the computerized index represents substantial costs in

paper, staff resources and office space. Since the computerized index is

always more current, it also creates confusion if someone examines only a paper

index.



If there are counties without public access terminals, then the legislation

could be applicable to only those counties that have provided such terminals

for public access to computerized index.





4. LARP Funding:



Introduce/support legislation to increase transportation funding for Local Area

Road Projects (LARP) and for County Contracts.





5. Eminent Domain:



Oppose Legislation that limits existing authority for Eminent Domain.



6. Inverse Condemnation:



Oppose legislation that expands the definition of Inverse Condemnation to

include any impact a state or local regulation would have on the value of

property and to require local governments (the taxpayer) to pay for the impact

of these regulations.





7. Zoning Appeals



Oppose new legislation on Zoning Appeals - Currently, property owners may seek

appellate review of county decisions by application to the Georgia Supreme

Court. Legislation, however, has been proposed that would greatly complicate

administration of county zoning ordinances by giving landowners a right of

direct appeal in all zoning decisions adverse to the property owner. Given that

direct appeal would delay zoning decisions, lend uncertainty to the process,

cost substantial taxpayer dollars, and overburden the appellate courts.





8. Comprehensive Regional or Statewide Water Management Plan:



Introduce/support legislation to authorize a Comprehensive Regional or

Statewide Water Management Plan - Columbus and the region need a plan of action

on how water will be protected and allocated to insure future water needs for

our area.







9. 911 Surcharge ? Increase:



Introduce/support legislation to increase 911 fees from $1.50 to $2.50 for

telephone landlines.





10. Wireless Phones:



Introduce/support legislation for a change in technology for wireless phones in

order to capture cost of prepaid phones.





11. Public Defender?s Program:



Introduce/support legislation to allocate full funding for the Public

Defender?s Program.





12. Trade Center Funding:



Urge the funding previously committed to renovate/expand the Trade Center in

the amount of $11,000,000. (Carry over from 2004)





13. Family Connection:



Support Legislation to continue funding for Family Connection. (Carry over

from 2004)





14. UGA Cooperative Extension Services:



Support continued funding for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

Service and its county delivery system. Future success in extension

programming is threatened by continuing budget reductions. (Carry over from

2004)







15. Health Department ? Grant-in-Aid Funding:



Oppose proposed changes in Grant-in-Aid (GIA) funding to local health

departments. These changes will affect the daily provision of services to

communities as well as the ability to respond when communities need assistance

in a disaster.



16. Juvenile Drug Court Program



Introduce/support legislation to fund the Juvenile Drug Court Program.