Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 5A
The pro-business
bill for Georgia
More benefits could be
on the way for firefighters
First off, let me say I am
probably the biggest pro
ponent for local control at
the Capitol.
I have spent two
decades managing local
governments
in Georgia
and I love
the ability of
a communi
ty to decide
what the right
choice is for
their citizens.
The analogy I
like to use for
local control
is that of an
artist painting
with a pencil
sized brush to show fine
details.
Unfortunately, when
our legislature has to
address a problem, it is
like we are painting with
a nine-inch roller; the
details get lost but you get
the message.
I am sent to the Capi
tol to represent the people
and make the right deci
sions to improve life in
Georgia.
I am proud to serve in
the Senate and work with
Gov. Deal to keep our sta
tus as the best state in the
nation to do business.
Unfortunately, some
thing has crept into about
10 percent of Georgia’s
local governments that is
hurting business.
Some folks call it a
“rain tax” and I want to
fix it.
I first recognized this
issue when a constituent
who has farmed his land
since the mid-1950s came
to me complaining of a
fee he was being charged
by his local government
for stormwater runoff.
I researched the local
situation and worked to
address it with no avail.
I then reached out to my
partners at the Associa
tion of County Commis
sioners of Georgia and the
Georgia Municipal Asso
ciation.
I looked at what was
happening statewide and
found most charges are
based on the amount of
impervious property
owned.
Several local govern
ments provided credits for
various reasons.
All the local govern
ments are running this as
a utility fee.
That is probably a smart
move for all of the local
taxpayers because as you
can imagine, there are
numerous tax-exempt
properties that produce a
lot of storm water runoff.
Most local government
representatives I spoke
with said the reason they
are charging these fees is
due to requirements put in
place by the federal clean
water act and the work
they were doing to com
ply with the act.
The range of fees
from each local
government is quite
varied.
One fact that
stood out in the
research they pro
vided was almost
universal: “If you
don’t have any
impervious surface
on your property,
then you don’t pay
a fee.”
Obviously, every
one knows even if there
is no impervious surface
on a piece of property
in Georgia, at some point
you will still have storm
water flow off the prop
erty.
Return now to the farm
er’s situation mentioned
earlier.
The farmer has a
10-acre lake that not only
provides storm water
retention for his proper
ty but numerous nearby
properties.
He is being charged a
fee when in fact he pro
vides regional storm
water relief.
He is a huge asset to
their stormwater manage
ment and, in my opinion,
nobody that is an asset
to the system should be
charged a fee.
Senate Bill 116 would
prevent a storm water fee
from being charged on
water-neutral properties.
I authored Senate Bill
116 with help from local
elected officials, envi
ronmental and design
engineers and others to
address one simple situ
ation: Georgia does not
want to be anti-business.
When you have acres of
property with no impervi
ous surface such as farm
or timberland, then you
don’t have a lot of jobs
per acre or investment in
the property tax digest in
your community.
If that same property is
developed to a manufac
turing plant or retail busi
ness, the numbers of jobs
grow, the property tax
base grows, those work
ing pay income taxes, and
if they are retailing, they
collect sales tax.
All of these factors add
to our economy and serve
as an economic engine for
our communities and our
state.
We have requirements
in Georgia’s local govern
ments dealing with storm
water runoff.
Good engineers can
design a system to mitigate
the storm water caused by
a development’s imper
vious surface so that it
does not adversely impact
the stormwater system
any more than before the
development.
I don’t want to see this
relatively new fee being
charged harm business
growth in Georgia.
I am asking for my
partners in local govern
ment to work with me to
analyze their stormwater
utility rates and to charge
a utility fee more propor
tionate to the usage.
Millions of dollars are
spent to mitigate storm
water on site and those
property owners should
not have to pay multi
ple times when they
have solved the problem.
Please think about your
utility bill; “you don’t pay
for cable if you have an
antenna so why should
you pay for a ‘rain tax’
when you mitigated the
problem yourself?”
Senate Bill 116 is a
pro-business bill and I
hope to continue to work
with my partners in local
governments to paint the
fine details into their util
ity rate.
Sen. Frank Ginn serves
as Chairman of the Nat
ural Resources and Envi
ronment Committee. He
represents the 47th Senate
District, which includes
Barrow and Madison
counties, and portions of
Clarke and Jackson coun
ties. He may be reached at
404.656.4700 or by email
at frank. ginn@ senate.
ga.gov.
With the first month
of the 2017
legislative ses
sion behind us,
bills of interest
to the firefight
ers in Barrow
County and
Winder made
it to the floor
of the Georgia
House of Rep
resentatives
last week.
Firefighters,
the Georgia
Municipal Association
and the Association
County Commissioners
Georgia worked over
the summer to agree to
a program they all could
support.
On Feb. 7, my col
leagues and I passed
House Bill 146 by a
margin of 171-1.
The legislation is now
before the Senate. If
that chamber passes it,
and the governor signs
it into law, fire depart
ments will be required
in 2018 to start carry
ing supplemental cancer
coverage for firefight
ers.
Firefighters who have
worked 12 consecutive
months for a single
fire department would
be eligible to receive
a lump-sum insurance
payment of $25,000
after being diagnosed
with more serious can
cers or $6,250 for more
treatable cancers.
The policy also is to
provide up to 36 months
of disability benefits.
A paid firefighter
would receive up to 60
percent of his salary at
the time of diagnosis, or
up to $5,000, whichever
is less.
A volunteer firefight
er would receive up
to $1,500 per month.
The Barrow County
GOP will hold its next
meeting Monday, Feb.
20, at 7:30 p.m. at the
Winder Woman’s Club.
However, this month
ly coverage
would be sec
ondary to any
other disabil
ity benefits
from any other
source other
than a policy
purchased pri
vately by the
employee.
The House
of Represen
tatives on
Friday voted
unanimously to pass
two other bills that we
hope will give firefight
ers additional security
for retirement.
House Bill 84 would
allow the Georgia Fire
fighters Pension Fund to
invest up to 10 percent
of its assets into alter
native investments, and
House Bill 83 would
allow the fund to invest
up to 10 percent of its
assets in real estate.
The two bills will offer
greater flexibility and
investment options for
the pension fund.
Agriculture also
received some attention
last week.
The morning of Feb.
8, I emceed the 2017
Georgia Agribusiness
Council’s State Legis
lative Breakfast and had
the privilege of intro
ducing Gov. Nathan
Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey
Cagle, House Speaker
David Ralston, Agri
culture Commission
er Gary Black and the
chairmen of the House
and Senate Agriculture
& Consumer Affairs
committees, Rep. Tom
McCall (R-Elberton)
and Sen. John Wilkin
son (R-Toccoa).
This is always a big
event.
The same day, I par-
15 West Midland Ave.,
Winder.
The guest speakers
at the meeting will be
Georgia GOP chair can-
ticipated in the annual
4-H Day at the Capitol.
I was pleased to host
Barrow County 4-H’ers
Hunter Perkins and
McKayla Orr as pages.
Also participating in
this memorable day was
McKayla Snow, Barrow
County’s 4-H Ameri-
Corps member.
Then on Thursday, I
was one of the sponsors
of legislation to allow
the Georgia Depart
ment of Agriculture to
enter into agreements
with the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration to
conduct inspections of
certain farms and pack
ing houses to enforce
the federal Food Safety
Modernization Act. HB
176 passed by a vote of
172-2.
Thank you for allow
ing me the opportuni
ty to represent District
116.
If you have any ques
tions or concerns, feel
free to contact me at
terry @ terry england-
forgeorgia.com or at
404-463-2245. May
God bless you and your
family, this wonderful
county, and our great
state.
Rep. England has
served in the Georgia
House since 2005. Dis
trict 116 includes most
of Barrow County. In
addition to chairing the
House Appropriations
Committee, he is an
ex-officio member of the
Ways & Means Commit
tee and a member of the
Agriculture and Con
sumer Affairs Commit
tee, the Education Com
mittee, the Industry and
Labor Committee, and
the Natural Resources
and Environment Com
mittee.
didate Alex Johnson and
state Rep. Tom Kirby. A
legislative update will be
given. The public is invit
ed to attend.
February 15, 2017 ~ Crossword Puzzle
Barrow GOP to meet next week
Headmaster’s
Corner
PRESIDENT’S DAY - Each
year, the 1st and 2nd grade class
es at ACS treat us to a Patriotic
Program celebrating our great
Country. This year, the Patriotic
Program fittingly comes just be
fore President’s Day.
Congress originally estab
lished President’s Day in 1879 as
a way to honor George Washing
ton’s birthday. This national hol
iday is now generally recognized
to be a day honoring the birth
days of both George Washington
and Abraham Lincoln.
George Washington was argu
ably America’s greatest leader.
He was an active member of the
Anglican Church his entire life,
and he set aside time for prayer
and Bible reading each day. Too
bad today’s generation does not
know more about George Wash
ington. He was truly a man to
emulate.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
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