Augusta leaders head to Atlanta Tuesday, Jan. 10 for the start of the legislative session and a chance to bond.
Mayor Garnett Johnson called the group together for a dinner Tuesday evening and to attend the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Eggs and Issues” event Wednesday.
“I was surprised at the number wanting to appear. To get nine commissioners to say they want to attend is great. It will be a bonding session and there will be some community folks there,” Johnson said.
The goal of the Wednesday breakfast, which serves as an official kickoff for the state’s legislative session, is “providing attendees with a broadened sense of perspective” about the state economy, according to the mayor’s office.
“This year, I’m fortunate to have my colleagues join me so that we can collectively build relationships across the state,” said Johnson, who works at the state level as a board member for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
One commissioner, Catherine Smith McKnight, said she had “high hopes” for the trip.
A commission committee on Monday approved Augusta’s list of priorities for when the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday. The committee also approved the second year of a three-year contract with the lobbying firm Holland & Knight, to represent the city’s interests in Atlanta for a $102,000 annual fee.
The priorities include passage of a special sales tax for construction of a new arena downtown, which the lobbyists have been working on. The tax would go for voter approval in November.
Other priorities include waiving impact fees for affordable housing, raising the per-diem rate to house state inmates, ensuring compensation for use of city rights-of-way and amending the “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” to differentiate between tax increases based on tax rate hikes and those based on property reassessments.
Also on the list are restoring cuts to the state historic tax credit program, which reimburses 20% of project costs to the developer, protecting funding for the Army Cyber Center of Excellence through nearly $2 billion in construction projects and continuing efforts to open a state Veterans Cemetery in Augusta.
