Legislative Alert
February 13, 2009 - Legislative Alert
No. 5 ; February 13, 2009
Property Assessment Caps
House Resolution 1, Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Atlanta)
GMA Position: Oppose
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: Did not pass when voted on by the House on February 12. A motion to
reconsider will be taken up on Tuesday, February 17.
Although HR 1 did not get the required two-thirds majority needed to pass a
Constitutional Amendment, it is not dead. City officials need to continue to
let their House member know that passage of HR 1 would 1) result in a tax shift
to homeowners, and 2) would create an economic disincentive for new businesses
because of the higher assessed values on their property as compared to the
property of their competitors.
City officials are also encouraged to review the HR 1 vote roll call and to
thank those House members that voted against it.
Temporary Freeze on Assessment Increases
House Bill 233, Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Atlanta)
GMA Position: Oppose
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: Passed the House on February 12. A motion to reconsider will be taken
up on Tuesday, February 17.
House Bill 233 would prohibit increases in property assessments through January
9, 2011. Specifically, HB 233 would do the following:
all property would be required to be reassessed at least once before January 9,
2011;
assessed values could not go up for local tax purposes, meaning that the
assessed value of a piece of property may decrease or stay the same as in 2008;
when property is sold it would not be reassessed;
substantial additions or improvements would be assessed at fair market value
and added to the assessed value;
rezoning at the request of the property owner would trigger a reassessment at
fair market value if the use of the property is changed to conform with the new
zoning.
These provisions would not apply to state taxes. This means that when a piece
of property is assessed, and if its value goes up from its previous assessment,
the state?s .25 mil property tax will be levied on the new (higher) value while
schools, cities and counties would be required to use the previous (lower)
value.
Unidentifiable Sales Tax Collections
House Bill 181, Rep. Rick Austin (R-Demorest)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: Passed the House on February 12 and will now be sent to the Senate.
HB 181 reauthorizes the Department of Revenue to distribute unidentifiable
sales tax proceeds to local governments. This would amount to approximately $18
million a year for cities, counties and schools.
MOST for Water & Sewer
House Bill 66, Rep. Chuck Sims (R-Ambrose)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: A House Ways & Means subcommittee conducted a hearing on this bill on
Monday, February 9. No vote was taken.
HB 66 would authorize cities to impose a 1 percent sales tax, subject to a
local referendum, for water and sewer purposes. GMA asks that you contact your
House member and ask them to sign-on to or otherwise support this legislation.
Metal Theft: Tools for Law Enforcement
Senate Bill 82, Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Ted Baggett, tbaggett@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6210
Status: Pending in the Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities Committee.
SB 82 contains several provisions that impose modest and reasonable regulations
on secondary metal recyclers. These provisions are designed to assist law
enforcement in the prosecution of metal theft offenses.
A vote by the full committee is expected sometime next week. GMA asks that city
officials contact members of the Senate Regulated Industries & Utilities
Committee and ask that they support this bill.
Stormwater Utility Fees: Exempting State Facilities
House Bill 316, Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs)
GMA Position: Oppose
Contact: Tom Gehl, tgehl@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6247
Statues: Pending in the House Governmental Affairs Committee.
HB 316 would exempt state government facilities from the obligation to pay
storm water utility fees imposed by any county, municipality, or local
government authority.
Prompt Deed Recording
Senate Bill 141, Sen. Bill Hamrick (R-Carrollton)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Marcia Rubensohn, mrubensohn@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6248
Status: Pending in the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.
SB 141 requires the purchaser of foreclosed property to file the deed with the
clerk of superior court within 30 days. The prompt filing of the deed will make
it easier for local governments to determine who owns the property and to hold
the owner responsible for code violations.
Ethics: Late Filing Fees
Senate Bill 17, Sen. Seth Harp (R-Midland)
GMA Position: Oppose
Contact: Marcia Rubensohn, mrubensohn@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6248
Status: Passed the Senate Ethics Committee and is now pending in the Senate
Rules Committee.
SB 17 would increase the penalty from $50 to $250 for late filing of a campaign
contribution or a personal financial disclosure report. The late filing fee
would have to be paid from personal funds, not from campaign funds. All elected
officials and candidates would be required to file reports, even officials who
did not raise or spend any money.
Georgia 2020 Transportation Trust Fund
House Resolution 206 & House Bill 277, Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain)
GMA Position: Evaluating
Contact: Tom Gehl, tgehl@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6247
Status: A House Transportation Committee subcommittee held two hearings this
week on these bills and will meet again on Monday, February 16 where it may be
voted on.
HR 206 is a proposed Constitutional Amendment that would create the State
Transportation Trust Fund and Oversight Committee. HB 277 specifies how the
Trust Fund would be administered and how monies would be distributed if voters
approve the Constitutional Amendment.
GMA has concerns with a few provisions of HB277. The author is working with GMA
to improve the bill. Please review GMA?s concerns and communicate these
suggestions to your House member.
Other Bills of Interest to Cities
Reduce Threshold for Electronic Filing
House Bill 334, Rep. David Knight (R-Griffin)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: Pending in the House Ways & Means Committee.
Privatization of Local Sales Tax Processing
House Bill 356, Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Fayetteville)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: Pending in the House Ways & Means Committee.
LOST Distribution Dispute Resolution
House Bill 56, Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs)
GMA Position: Support
Contact: Gwin Hall, ghall@gmanet.com, (678) 686-6212
Status: Pending in the House Ways & Means Committee.
? 1997 - 2009 Georgia Municipal Association
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