Annual Reports and Surveys Due to the State by July 1 ^st  

June is a very busy month for counties. In addition to the annual reports that are due for every county by July 1, counties that have a calendar year fiscal cycle are also required to submit additional reports by this deadline. Click here to access a list of the annual reports and surveys that are due by the end of this month. 

Thirty-nine Bills that Impact Counties Go into Effect on July 1 ^st

Thirty-nine bills that ACCG tracked during the 2018 and 2019 legislative sessions have one or more sections that go into effect on July 1, 2019. A list of these bills along with a link to the bill description can be found here. 

TAVT Formula Changing

Effective July 1 ^st, the formula for distribution of Title Ad Valorem Tax will be changing. First, local governments (counties, cities, and school districts) will receive a larger share of the overall TAVT collections: 65%, with the state receiving the remaining 35%. This split will remain constant in future years, unlike the prior formula under which the local/state split changed each year. The 65% local share will then be divided according to where the vehicle is registered: For vehicles registered to an address in the unincorporated areas of counties, the county government will receive 51% of the local share and the school district will receive 49%. For vehicles registered to an address within city limits, the county will receive 28%, the city will receive 23%, and the school district will receive 49%. TAVT will continue to be collected and distributed by county tax commissioners. Local governments will continue to receive annual ad valorem taxes (“birthday tax”) on vehicles titled prior to 2013. Please note how your TAVT collections change under the new formula. Please contact Larry Ramsey ( lramsey@accg.org) with any questions.

Update on Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative

Last week, the Department of Community Affairs and OneGeorgia Authority held a public comment hearing on the proposed rules for the Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative. This initiative, the proposed rules and several concurrent activities all result from the passage of SB 402 from the 2018 legislative session (otherwise known as the Achieving Connectivity Everywhere (ACE) Act), meant to coordinate state, local and private efforts to deploy high-speed broadband connectivity across Georgia. Additionally, the state has recently issued an update outlining the progress of many measures taken to implement the ACE Act.  These are all works in progress and state funds are not yet available for grants/loans to local governments for broadband deployment.

To view the proposed rules, please click here.    

For the update on the ACE Act activities, please click here.

Review the Georgia EMC Rural Broadband Website - Your Feedback is Important!

Upon Governor Kemp’s signature on SB 2 authorizing EMCs to be broadband service providers, Georgia EMC launched a website to help answer questions about what this new authority for EMCs means for consumers, and to serve as a resource for broadband developments in Georgia in general. We hope you can take a few minutes and review the website and offer us any feedback/suggestions by next week.  

Proposed Rules and Workshops Announced for the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program

The proposed rules for the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program have been released. Counties are eligible to apply for grants and loans from this newly created trust fund. Public comment regarding the rules will be accepted until June 21 ^st. In addition, this summer, DNR Grants Staff will conduct workshops throughout Georgia, covering the highlights of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program and Recreational Trails Program and offering training on the application process. More information can be found  here.