State GOP Adopts Resolution Opposing Regionalism

State GOP Adopts Resolution Opposing Regionalism

Published June 25, 2013 | By admin Media Contact
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Supports coordination like HB 195, allowing county governments to act on projects of mutual interest.

June 25, 2013, Roswell, GA – This past weekend, the Georgia Republican Party State Committee met to complete the business of adopting resolutions. Key among them was a resolution opposing mandated regionalism.

Regionalism was thrust upon the state in form of the Transportation Investment Act of 2010, known as T-SPLOST, instituting regional governance and taxation.

Even though T-SPLOST was handily defeated in most regions last summer, the law is still on the books and can be reintroduced to the voters in the future. The Transportation Leadership Coalition believes another T-SPLOST referendum using the same flawed law will only produce more anger and distrust from the voters.

Regionalism diminishes the local control and authority of local governments or self-government through “home rule” as provided for in the Georgia Constitution. “The whole point of local control and self-governance is that local elected representatives can be held accountable by the voter-taxpayer,” said Jack Staver, Chairman of the Transportation Leadership Coalition. “Throwing a group of counties into a one-size-fits-all regional scenario against their will is not a recipe for metro Atlanta’s success.”

In addition to the opposition to regional governance, the resolution supports State Representative Ed Setzler’s HB 195 introduced in the 2013 Georgia General Assembly. HB 195 allows counties with mutual interests to work on regional-type projects without the mandated regional government structure of the Transportation Investment Act.

Under HB 195, the duly elected county commission or city council of two or more adjoining counties work together to propose projects of mutual interest that can be brought to the voters for approval in a local tax referendum.

The GOP resolution requests that formal action be taken by the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Georgia General Assembly to dissolve the 12 Regional Commissions for purposes of taxation with the application to the Transportation Investment Act of 2010.

RepealRegionalism.com aims to educate the citizens of Georgia on the dangers of state mandated regional governance and the hazards of the unelected and unaccountable system. A copy of the GOP resolution as adopted can be found on RepealRegionalism.com under the articles tab.

About Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC

Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC, is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization, created in the belief that the State of Georgia can do a much better job of transportation planning. Transportation Leadership Coalition, LLC encourages the citizens of Georgia to become involved in their local governments to avoid the trappings of appointed regional government agencies. We know that if Georgians understand the facts about mandated regionalism, they will overwhelmingly reject it.

Source: Web: www.RepealRegionalism.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RepealRegionalism

 

GAGOP Convention Resolution 8: Opposing Regionalism Posted on June 1, 2013 6:39 PM by Todd Rehm

A Resolution Opposing “Regionalism”, which Violates the Georgia Constitution; and Supporting the Republican Form of Government

WHEREAS, Article IV, Section IV of the Constitution “guarantee[s] to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government.” A republican form of government is one in which sovereignty rests with the people and representatives are chosen by the people to represent them in public matters via a constitution; and

WHEREAS, under the Georgia Constitution there are no provisions for the creation of 12 special districts and 36 councils managed by the Department of Community Affairs and the Georgia Department of Transportation known as “regionalism;” and these districts are ruled in part by governing councils who were not elected to serve on a regional council but rather appointed by virtue of their county commission or city mayor seat; and

WHEREAS, “regionalism” diminishes the local control and authority of county and city governments for self-government through “home rule” as provided for in the Georgia Constitution, Article IX Section II; and

WHEREAS, voters living in city municipalities have greater representation on these councils than voters living in unincorporated parts of counties, violating the “one person, one vote” principle and the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause; and

WHEREAS, the “Transportation Investment Act of 2010” (known as T-SPLOST) instituted regional government and regional taxation, but was soundly defeated in 9 of 12 regions; and

WHEREAS, a bill, HB 195, has been introduced in the Georgia General Assembly to allow counties to cross over boundaries to work on regional projects with other counties, without the regional government structures of the “Transportation Investment Act of 2010.”

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT the Georgia Republican Party reaffirms its commitment to the “one person, one vote” principle, the Constitution and the republican form of government, and does hereby request that formal action be taken by the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Georgia General Assembly to dissolve the 12 Regional Commissions for purposes of taxation with the application to the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 (TIA).

Source: Georgia Pundit, 6/1/13

Comments:

The lack of coverage on the Repeal Regionalism Resolution is telling.  Unless Georgia Legislators are contacted to support legislation to repeal Georgia regionalism laws, and GA GOP Party Delegates who approved this resolution, nothing will happen.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader, Transportation Leadership Coalition Member