Georgia County Government - May/June 2008 - (Page 9)

CountyMatters The 2008 General Assembly – What We Learned he 2008 General Assembly ended again with strong words coming from leaders on both sides in the Capitol. In fact, a tradition that has been honored for years was broken when the speaker of the House adjourned the House sine die without the customary call between the speaker and lieutenant governor, the opening of the doors to both chambers and the simultaneous dropping of the gavels in both houses. Frustration was evident on both sides of the Capitol over legislators’ inability to develop any measure to reduce property taxes. After all, this is an election year and getting rid of, say, the tax on automobiles, would play well with the local electorate. Many legislators recognized, however, that the plan put forward by Speaker Glenn Richardson was not tax relief by any stretch of the imagination. The plan the House passed would have simply removed the “birthday tax” from the local tax digest, forcing counties, cities and schools to raise $600 million from homeowners and commercial property owners. Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter had proposed the elimination of the car tax several years ago, and he had worked closely with Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) to develop his proposal. His plan was to remove the tax and replace it with state dollars similar to the Homestead Tax MATTERS continued on page 10 www.accg.org JERRY R. GRIFFIN Executive Director, Publisher ROSS KING Deputy Director MICHAEL STEWART Assistant Director for County Services JAMES F. GRUBIAK General Counsel General County Government CLINT MUELLER Legislative Director Revenue and Finance MICHELE NeSMITH Research and Policy Development Director KEM KIMBROUGH Assistant General Counsel / Public Safety and the Courts TODD EDWARDS Natural Resources and Environment MATTHEW HICKS Economic Development and Transportation ASHLEY MEGGITT Senior Policy Analyst T By Jerry Griffin Executive Director DEBORAH DEWBERRY Magazine Editor CAROL BAKER Meeting Planner JEFF CHRISTIE Staff Liaison, UGA Cooperative Extension EFRAIN RODRIGUEZ Chief Information Officer Risk Management and Insurance DAVID A. PAULK Director DAVID UHLMAN Manager BEN PITTARELLI Manager of Marketing and Field Services PENNY HENDERSON Administrative Assistant Accounting and Finance J.C. McBEE Chief Financial Officer DARRYLE CRAWFORD Insurance Accountant DEONTÉ BURDEN Accounting Assistant Administrative Assistance JANICE TITTLE Executive Assistant We have learned that tax reform in the context of politics – instead of economics – will make sound decisions more difficult, if not impossible. KATHLEEN BOWEN Special Projects Coordinator JANNA ABRAHAM Administrative Assistant CHARLOTTE COPELAN Front Desk Assistant RHONDA PEACE Paralegal CHARLOTTE LOGAN Administrative Assistant Georgia County Government is published for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1000, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Phone: 404-522-5022 • Toll Free: 800-858-2224 Fax: 404-525-2477 • Web: www.accg.org MAY/JUNE 2008 www.accg.org 9 http://www.accg.org http://www.accg.org http://www.accg.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - May 2008

Georgia County Government - May 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters ACCG 2008 Annual Meeting: Highlights County Focus: Clayton County Negotiating a Professional Service Firm Contract: Part 3 Counties Get Involved in Efforts to End Sexual Abuse of Children Smart Growth Scorecard Gives Communities a Way to Grade New Developments Wireless Technologies Critical for First Responders Research Corner: The ACCG Policy Process RDCs Assist the USS Georgia Flag Project Extension News: Animals Take Spotlight in Disaster Planning Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Grady County NACo News: Green Initiative Launches Searchable Database Insurance News: ACCG Announces New Inmate Medical Savings Program County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - May 2008

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