Gold Dome Update - January 31, 2020

Today is Day 9 of the 40-day legislative session. The General Assembly will be in session four days next week. Follow this link for the Georgia General Assembly schedule.

SB 309 Would Allow Cities to Finance
Capital Projects More Efficiently

On Monday, Sen. Jesse Stone introduced Senate Bill 309. This legislation would amend the Georgia Revenue Bond Law to authorize local governments to fund broadband network projects. This legislation would also authorize the creation of two authorities to issue tax-exempt bonds for pooled financing of local governments to acquire goods, materials, real and personal property, structures and supplies eligible for revenue bond financing pursuant to an intergovernmental contract. The intent of SB 309 is to lower costs to taxpayers by providing a less expensive alternative to finance the same types of projects and equipment currently authorized for multi year lease, purchase or lease-purchase contracts.

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
Improved market for longer maturities
Diversification of credit risk
Rapid access to capital

You can also follow this link to read how Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham and the city of East Point took advantage of GMA’s Real Estate Financing program to finance a new, 32,000 sq. ft. city hall—just one example of a facility that could be funded at a lower cost to taxpayers using pooled bond financing if SB 309 were signed into law.

GMA supports this bill and encourages city officials to share their support of Senate Bill 309 with their Senator and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan.

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

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.

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 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.

Help Still Needed on Design Standards Legislation
House Bill 302 and Senate Bill 172 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.