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. Please note, the General Assembly will meet for day five on Monday, January 27.

Issues at a Glance
  • 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?  
  • TAVT Distribution Adjustment – House Bill 779: This legislation will recoup some of cities’ lost revenue from the July 1, 2019 allocation distribution change. 
  •  Short-term Rental Legislation – House Bill 523: This legislation seeks to preempt cities from regulating short-term rental properties.
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
Capitol Connection:
Legislative Networking Breakfast
 
Make plans to attend the Legislative Networking Breakfast on this coming Monday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 a.m. Confirmed special guests include Governor Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, Speaker of the House David Ralston and U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler. In addition, members of the Georgia General Assembly will be on hand to network with the over 600 city officials set to attend the breakfast. Please also join us across the street for the Cities United Day at the Capitol immediately after the breakfast.
Live Streaming:
Legislative Networking Breakfast


Can't attend the networking breakfast, but still want to hear from our special guests? Tune into GMA's Facebook page on Monday, Jan. 27 at 8 a.m. for a live stream.
ISSUES AT A GLANCE
TAVT Legislation Would Increase City Share of Distribution
After House Bill 329 from the 2018 session took effect on July 1, 2019, many cities reported a decrease in TAVT revenues from 2018 to 2019. GMA has compiled data from over 200 cities for TAVT revenues from July-Dec 2018 and 2019 for comparison. In addition GMA also compared municipal revenues to those of counties and school systems to analyze traditional shares of the local revenues and how those shares have changed since the new law took effect. OUR FINDINGS: Cities lost roughly 7% of the local share between 2018 and 2019, while counties gained roughly 5% and schools gained roughly 2%. These findings indicate that the local distribution formula does not adequately reflect the municipal aggregate share.

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 49% in a city 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. 


Contact Legislators on Design Standards Legislation
 House Bill 302
and Senate Bill 172, which were held during the 2019 legislative session and are currently pending in committee, would prohibit cities and counties from establishing residential "building design elements" for single and double-family dwellings. 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 
GMA opposes these bills and encourages city officials to contact legislators (in the House Agriculture Committee and Senate Government Oversight Committee) and ask that they vote “NO” on House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 172, respectively.

 
Short Term Rental Preemption Legislation Still in Play
Carried over from the last session, House Bill 523 would preempt cities from regulating short-term rental properties. GMA has been working on legislation 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.
 
GMA opposes this bill and encourages city officials to contact legislators and ask that they vote “NO” on House Bill 523.
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.
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Website
Copyright © 2019 Georgia Municipal Association, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 105377
Atlanta, GA 30348

You can unsubscribe from this list.