This legislation makes changes related to property in a Forest Land Protection Covenant (FLPA), the Department of Revenue Performance Review Boards and the interest owed on taxes due after an appeal is settled.

This legislation mandates that a local jurisdiction's water rate charged to a multi-family dwelling served by a master meter be no more than the water rate charged to a single family dwelling. ACCG is working with the Georgia Association of Water Professionals to understand the impact of this bill, any rate differentials, and will be commenting to the General Assembly.          

This preemption legislation prohibits local governments from requiring dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered, even in the cases of dangerous or vicious dogs and rescue/adoption.  Furthermore, counties and cities could not require a higher registration or ownership fee or tax on animals that are not spayed or neutered.  It also prohibits counties from enacting ordinances that require the tethering of dogs that are used for field trials, hunting, shows or disability services. Breed specific bans on dogs and cats is also prohibited.

 This legislation requires inmates to pay an annual $25 user fee to make purchases at the commissary. The detention facility may keep $5 to be placed in its operating account to fund inmate services.  The other $20 must go to the governing authority to be placed in a separate account and used for sexual assault centers, rape crisis centers, or human trafficking shelters.  If the governing authority fails to use the money for such purposes, the money will escheat to the state.

This legislation allows owners of vacant property within an historic district established by a county to subdivide their property in a way that is contrary to the county’s historic preservation ordinance so long as it is consistent with the county's zoning ordinance. The intent of the bill is to allow a property owner to circumvent county and city historic preservation ordinances. 

This legislation allows probate courts to have jurisdiction over traffic cases, even if the county has a state court. Under current law, probate courts do not have jurisdiction over traffic cases if the county has a state court.

This legislation expands probate courts' jurisdiction to include misdemeanors related to alcoholic beverages and under age persons; to livestock running at large, to criminal trespass; to littering, to illegal dumping, to shopfliting ($500 or less); to theft ($1,500 or less); to fourth degree forgery; to obstructing or hindering a law enforcement officer, firefighter, EMT or other emergency medical professional; to obstructing or hindering a person making an emergency call; to giving false name or date of birth; to affray; to disorderly conduct; to harassing phone calls; to unlawful conduct during a 9-1-1 call; to public drunkenness; to possession of marijuana (one ounce or less); to possession or use of drug related objects; and to mandatory education for children between the ages of six and 16. The probate court would only have the ability to hear these cases if the defendant waives their right to a jury trial in writing.

This bill makes several changes to the ad valorem tax laws.

• Requires forestland protection grants for 2008 to be based upon the final value once an appeal is settled;
• Before an appeal can be filed in Superior Court, the legislation authorizes the payment of the temporary tax bill as an alternative to payment of the amount of taxes that were paid in the year a final tax bill was determined;
• Reinstates appeal thresholds that cannot be exceeded in order to get digest approval;
• Gives the Commissioner the authority to reject a tax digest if evidence exists that the county has substantially failed to comply with the ad valorem tax laws or the Department's rules and regulations;
• Authorizes owners of nonhomestead property with a value of $2 million or more to pay a portion of the temporary tax bill to an escrow account held by the tax commissioner until the appeal is settled;
• Consolidates the provisions that define the amount of interest due once an appeal is settled into a single subsection;
• Changes the eligibility to request a refund of paid taxes or license fees from a case where it has been determined that the tax or fee was illegally erroneously collected to an allegation that the tax or fee was illegally or erroneously collected;
• Redefines the authorized time frame for submitting a refund request to the governing authority and filing suit in court for a refund;