Georgia Cities Newspaper

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May 2012

Changes Made to Taxes, Open Government Laws
The General Assembly passed legislation this year that will affect the way municipalities govern themselves and made significant changes in two of their major sources of tax revenue.

Op/Ed
Failure is Not an Option
Too often, people are reluctant to make changes for fear of failure, but, in hesitating, they fail their communities. If you want change to come to your city, you have to be willing to change yourself.

The Georgia MultiModal Passenger Terminal: Planning for and Enhancing Georgia’s Future
A critical component to enhancing Georgia’s appeal as an attractive state to live, work and play is connectivity.

Government Finance Officers Find Strength in Numbers
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada provides many valuable services to public-sector finance professionals at the state and local level. Founded in 1906, GFOA has more than 17,000 members who look to it as the gold standard for identifying, developing and communicating leading practices in government management.

Stories
Review City's Compliance of Internal Revenue Service Regulations

Q&A from Ask GMA.

City Officials Play Role at Capitol
The influence Georgia cities have at the State Capitol is real. Nearly 40 cities visited the State Capitol over the course of the 2012 Legislative Session.

City Officials Join Hundreds for Bike Ride to the Capitol
An estimated 1,500 bicycle enthusiasts and more than 30 metro-area mayors and city councilmembers converged on the state Capitol for the 7th annual Georgia Rides to the Capitol event on March 27.

Financial Pressures Constrain State and Local Government Hiring
A new survey by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence finds that more than half of state and local governments still have a pay freeze and are adjusting retirement and health care benefits.

Leesburg, Lee County Work Downtown Plans Together
The city of Leesburg is working its plan. It’s a plan that has been in the works for several years now, and will likely take several more to complete, but city and county leaders agree that once finished, it will transform downtown Leesburg.

What’s in Your Downtown Development Tool Box?
On September 1, 2011 the city of Douglasville received its first opportunity zone designation. The idea to research and apply for opportunity zone designation was generated in a Main Street Douglasville Economic Restructuring committee meeting.

Economy Takes Center Stage at Annual Convention
The state of the economy and the future of economic development will be the focus of the Monday morning general session at GMA’s Annual Convention, June 25. A panel of experts will address these issues and take questions from city officials.

Report Tells the Story of City Finances
Often called a citizen’s report, a Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) contains charts, graphics, photographs and easy to understand statements about a city’s financial status, services and projects.