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The Georgia General Assembly has adjourned for budget discussions until legislative day 13 on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Follow this link for the Georgia General Assembly schedule.

Short Term Rental Preemption Legislation
Limits Citizens’ Say

Imagine if a motel with no management staff, security or rules was operating directly across the street from your home. Many short-term rental operations are like unregulated motel rooms for rent, lacking oversight and resulting in a decline in safety and the ability to enforce code violations. This is just one of the several consequences to short-term rentals, and HB 523 would preempt cities from regulating these properties. GMA is working to affirm the powers of local governments to regulate these businesses and ensure that they are subject to all taxes and fees due from similar businesses, such as hotels and motels. HB 523 is pending in the House Rules Committee.

GMA opposes this bill and encourages city officials to contact H ouse Members and ask that they vote “NO” on HB 523. Click here for valuable talking points to use with your Representatives.

IN THIS UPDATE

Scroll down for detailed information on these legislative priorities and visit GMA's 2020 Legislative Session web page for bills tracked during session.

Issues at a Glance

TAVT Distribution Adjustment – House Bill 779: This legislation would recoup some of cities’ lost revenue from the July 1, 2019 allocation distribution change. Passed out of subcommittee and is pending in the House Ways & Means Committee.

Local Government Infrastructure Finance Authority – Senate Bill 309: Your community will benefit from lower costs to taxpayers by providing a less expensive alternative to finance projects. Pending in the Senate State & Local Governmental Operations Committee.

Revenue Bonds for Broadband – House Bill 834: This legislation would add an additional tool for local governments to address broadband needs. Pending in the House Governmental Affairs Committee.

Creation of the Division of Transit and Mobility Innovations – House Bill 511: The bill would create mobility zones for the coordination and comprehensive planning of transit. Pending in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Preemption of Local Design Standards – House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 172: Do you want residents or special interests determining the character of your local community? Pending in House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee and Senate Government Oversight Committee, respectively.

Municipal Gas System Regulation – House Resolution 1037: This bill would grant authority to the state to regulate municipal gas rates outside of incorporated areas. Assigned to the House Governmental Affairs.

Additional Active Legislation

Lodging Facilitator – House Bill 448
Streamlined Alcohol Licensing – House Bill 674
Removal of Gross Receipts Method for Occupational Taxes – House Bill 715
Emergency Transport by Peace Officers – House Bill 760
Sales Tax Exemption for Water and Sewer Authorities – House Bill 815
City Contracts with Tax Commissioners – House Bill 835
Uniform General Elections for Tax Referenda – House Bill 850
Use of Wood as Construction Material – Senate Bill 292
Impact Fee Exemption for Affordable Housing Project – Senate Bill 322

ISSUES AT A GLANCE

TAVT Legislation Would Increase City Share of Distribution
HB 779 would change the distribution of the TAVT fee between local governments to allow cities to recoup some of this lost revenue by changing their distribution from 23% to 28% in a city with a county school district. The legislation would change the allocation for cities from 23% to 34% in cities with a city school district.

GMA supports this bill and encourages city officials to contact their Representative(s) and ask that they support HB 779.

Cities Could Benefit from Local Government Infrastructure Authority
SB 309 would authorize the creation of two authorities to issue tax-exempt bonds for pooled financing of local governments.

Benefits of Pooled Financing for Local Governments:

Reduced cost of issuance
Reduced underwriting costs
Access to municipal bond insurance market
More favorable interest rates
Critical mass for institutional purchasers
Greater access to market especially for smaller issuers
Diversification of credit risk
Rapid access to capital

GMA supports this bill and encourages city officials to ask for support of SB 309 from their Senator and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan.

Another Financing Tool: Revenue Bonds for Broadband Projects
As a recommendation of the House Rural Development Council, HB 834 would recognize broadband projects, with the ability to transmit data at a rate not less than 200 kilobits per second, as a qualified undertaking for the usage of revenue bonds by local governments. GMA supports this bill.

Statewide Transit Division Proposed
HB 511 would create a new Division of Transit and Mobility Innovations (DTMI) within the Department of Transportation. The bill would create mobility zones for the coordination and comprehensive planning of transit within the state and create mobility zone advisory councils to prepare regional transit plans. Each mobility advisory council will have representation from both city and county government officials. GMA supports this bill.

Design Standards Legislation Won't Work for Cities
HB 302 and SB 172 would prohibit cities and counties from establishing residential "building design elements" for single and double-family dwellings. GMA opposes these bills.

If this legislation were to become law, local governments could no longer enact design standards on:

Exterior building color
Type or style of exterior cladding material
Style or materials of roof structures or porches
Exterior non-structural architectural ornamentation
Location or architectural styling of windows and doors, including garage doors
The number and types of rooms
The interior layout of rooms
Types of foundation structures approved under state minimum standard codes

Citizens, not special interests, should retain the authority to make these decisions locally.

Municipal Gas Rates to be Regulated State
Constitutional amendment House Resolution 1037 would grant the General Assembly power to regulate and fix charges for municipal gas services provided to customers who live outside of the municipal boundaries. Currently, municipal gas system rates are not regulated by the state. GMA opposes this bill.

STAY CONNECTED

Local Legislation Update: If you are interested in seeing if local legislation has been introduced that impacts your city, or surrounding local governments, subscribe to GMA's Local Legislation Update and receive an email when any local legislation has been introduced and assigned to a committee.

Visit the Capitol, GMA Staff Can Guide You: Let GMA help you navigate the Gold Dome and provide you a personalized legislative briefing. Contact Kenyetta Williams at (678) 686-6206 to schedule your visit.