One of numerous Pickens County residents who opted to enter their ballot extra early this year (voters are able to pull the proverbial lever up to 45 days in advance) approached a Progress reporter two weeks ago with a pointed complaint about his voting experience. He couldn’t, he told the reporter, understand what the three proposed Georgia constitutional amendments appearing on the ballot meant and, thus, had no inkling as to what he was voting for (or against).
Here's how the Amendments read:
Proposed Amendment 1 - "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the General Assembly by general law shall encourage the preservation, conservation, and protection of the state's forests through the special assessment and taxation of certain forest lands and assistance grants to local governments?"
Proposed Amendment 2 - "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize counties, municipalities, and local boards of education to use tax funds for redevelopment purposes and programs?"
Proposed Amendment 3 - "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by general law for the creation and comprehensive regulation of infrastructure development districts for the provision of infrastructure as authorized by local governments?"
Clear as mud, right? Well don't count on the ballot for any kind of explanation. All you get is a pithy rewording of the amendment in a more colloquial tone. In an effort to "inform the public" the state has put out a 14-minute video briefly outlining the three amendments. Here's a summary of the information provided in the video that, according to the woman narrating, is enough for you to make an "informed decision."
Proposed Amendment 1 - "Georgia Forestland Protection Act" - An effort to preserve Georgia's forests, 72 percent of which is owned by individuals, 21 percent of which is owned by corporate entities, by allowing land owners with 200 or more acres of contiguous forest property to enter into a 15-year contract with the state. The landowner agrees not to develop the property in exchange for a lower tax rate.
The contract is not void even when ownership changes hands.
According to the video, development in Georgia has caused ad valorem taxes to increase on neighboring property (i.e. forest land) and owners of this forestland are having a difficult time paying their property taxes.
Growing timber in Georgia is briefly mentioned as becoming "financially inviable."
Proposed Amendment 2 - "Redevelopment Powers Act" – Ad valorem taxes collected by the Board of Education are used to finance "tax allocation districts", or TADS, which include infrastructure and redevelopment projects such as "environmental clean-up," parks, streetscapes, etc., in "blighted" (or depressed) areas.
The idea, according to the video, is that by funding the projects and making improvements to nearby land, property value will increase and schools will be able to collect more money from taxpayers in the long run due to increased ad valorem revenues.
Atlantic Station in Atlanta, the old steel mill that is now a thriving "city within a city", is given as an example as a successful TAD.
(The video glosses over the fact that TADS were deemed unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court).
Proposed Amendment 3 - "Infrastructure Development District Act" - An attempt to secure "quality development and economic growth" in Georgia. Basically, areas are chosen (called IDD’s) within a district for new developments. Bonds (similar to loans) are issued (or taken out) by a public board that oversees the development projects like apartments or strip malls.
The cost of infrastructure development on the property is collected in the form of a tax to the future property owners (similar to city tax). The infrastructure, the video says, pays for itself over time.
While the video, which can be accessed through the "Political Directory" page on www.pickensprogressonline.com, can be used as a primer, it is certainly not recommended as a stopping point. The government video does NOT present the information in an unbiased manner and it makes voting "yes" to these amendments seem like a simple, no-brained decision. There will be a Proposed Georgia Constitutional Amendments educational forum Wednesday, October 15 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Pickens County Library (which we will be covering).
Visit www.sos.georgia.gov/elections/2008_amendments.htm for the unabridged legislation.
There is plenty of discussion for each amendment online, and we hope you will search it out. |
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