Georgia County Government - March 2009 - (Page 7)

CountyMatters Establishing Priorities is Not Easy t this writing, the 2009 General Assembly is under way and the central focus is balancing the state budget. The governor has set forth his plan, which now goes into the legislative “cauldron” where much discussion will ensue, aimed at setting the state’s priorities. It is a very difficult job; legislators realize that wrong decisions in setting the priorities can change the course of Georgia history, and not for the better. Conversely, the right decisions will lay a foundation for Georgia to emerge from the recession as an even stronger economic engine. Every decision is not equal. Some priorities, while important, can be delayed, but others must receive attention this year. For nearly three decades, conversation has taken place about the need for additional water resources in Georgia. In his 1987 State of the State/Budget Address, Governor Joe Frank Harris announced a “Water Resources Management Strategy” calling for the development of regional reservoirs in north and west Georgia to ensure we would be able to withstand future droughts like that of 1985-88. Widespread agreement was that the state had to address future water needs. Then the drought ended as did any interest in preparing for the next one. Priorities shifted. After all, why build reservoirs when Georgia normally gets nearly 55 inches of rainfall annually and we are not in a deficit? We chose to do something else with our resources, which left us scrambling when faced with the historic drought of the last few years. That debacle is now history, and hindsight proves the wisdom of the day was anything but “wise.” Government leaders today face a real challenge. There is a latent attitude among many citizens that government is really not needed for much and the answer to every financial crisis is to simply cut the funding for government – i.e., taxes. Because of this attitude, politicians tend to just focus on cutting spending. While that may make people happy in the short term, it doesn’t put us on the right course for the future. A By Jerry Griffin Executive Director While cutting government funding may make people happy in the short term, it doesn’t put us on the right course for the future. State government is important to every citizen. Certainly, we recognize that some funding goes to services used by citizens, but other funding goes to investments in our future and the future of our children. A key role for our state’s leadership is to envision the state’s future and identify the components necessary to get us there. Leaders must also engage the voting public to elicit their support of that vision, and trust that leaders are investing in the right steps to get us there. One of those steps has to be a willingness to explain there is no free lunch. Government leaders must clarify the role of taxes in funding vital services many people take for granted — from fire and police protection to public health, emergency medical and environmental infrastructure. We cannot have a first-rate education system — a key component to any economic prosperity — without dollars; we cannot have adequate water resources without an investment in reservoirs to store abundant normal rainfall; we cannot foster the kind of private investment in evolving hightech jobs without funding for research universities; we cannot prosper without a multimodal transportation system that provides the mobility for people and commerce; we cannot compete without a trauma care network that can save lives in all regions of the state; and we will not prosper without a sound, balanced tax structure. Certainly, efficiency in government operations is important and is something that requires constant vigilance. In any big organization, government included, there is room for improvement. But, at the end of the day, the society we know could not exist, and we would not enjoy the quality of life we have without government. Our intergovernmental system is often a source of conflict, with disagreements between federal and state government, state and local government and counties and cities. One fact remains, however — America has the best governmental structure in the world. We arrived at this pinnacle thanks to outstanding, visionary leaders in the past, and if we are to remain atop the summit of sound government systems, it will be because of those visionary leaders that step forward today. ■ MARCH 2009 www.accg.org 7 http://www.accg.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - March 2009

Georgia County Government - March 2009 Contents President’s Message County Matters Focus on Southeast Georgia The Georgia Public Service Commission Jerry R. Griffin MPA Scholarship Recipients Named Extension News Research Corner Staff News County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - March 2009

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