Glynn reaps profits of legislative plans

Tue, Apr 8, 2008

By ANNA FERGUSON

The Brunswick News

The 2008 session of the state General Assembly ended Friday, but actions taken by legislators will be felt in Glynn County for years to come.

Brunswick will get a fifth judge and there will be funding for the airport on St. Simons Island and for construction on the campus of Coastal Georgia Community College. There also is more than $500,000 for the county and city. And homeowners in Glynn County, depending on their age and income, may be exempt from paying any school taxes in the years ahead, if the voters say it is OK.

There will be no tax relief statewide, however. House and Senate members were unable to compromise on legislation that would have reduced income taxes and eliminated ad valorem taxes on vehicles, effectively killing both proposals for this year.

After weeks of back and forth play, the Senate and House agreed to create a fifth judgeship for the five-county Brunswick Judicial Circuit.

But the new office will have to wait. Funding for it was not included in this year's $21.2 million state budget. Legislators are planning to include funds for the position in the 2009 budget, with the judgeship going into effect July 1 of that year, said House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons.

"Getting the judgeship created into law is the most important first step," Keen said. "This is very good news."

The creation of the office will carry a price tag of about $500,000, including the cost of another assistant district attorney. The Brunswick circuit, encompassing Glynn, Camden, Jeff Davis, Appling and Wayne counties, has a backlog of 3,000 cases.

Funds for McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport and for Coastal Georgia Community College were also back in the state budget after being taken out earlier. A $1 million bond for a new health science building at the Brunswick college, as well as $500,000 to be used for expansions and improvements to the airport, are included in the spending measure, said Keen.

As the college moves toward possible expansion to a four-year school, the bond was vital to make the needed steps. Funds granted to the airport will be used to repair safety hazards as well as move ahead on new designs for planned expansion, Keen said.

The legislature also agreed on new tax breaks for older residents in Glynn County. Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, the exemption will be decided by voters in Glynn County this November if signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Chapman's bill would exempt homeowners 65 and older with an annual income of $40,000 or less from paying school taxes.

"I'm very pleased that it's moved forward," Chapman said. "I think voters will fully support it."

A similar measure has gone into effect in McIntosh County and has been successful, said Rep. Roger Lane, R-Darien. Retirees age 65 and older there with an income of $25,000 or less are exempt from school taxes.

"This bill has a low impact on the school system but would give tax relief to these retirees," Lane said. "I am certainly in favor if it."

One measure Lane was not in favor of was Chapman's bill to increase compensation for members of the Glynn County Board of Education. The bill would have more than doubled their pay, taking it from $3,600 a year to more than $8,000 yearly.

Lane called it "a little excessive" and said neither he nor any of the other members of the local state House delegation – Keen or Rep. Cecily Hill, R-St. Marys – would sign it.

Besides, he said the local legislation was introduced too late in the session to find a compromise on the pay increase.

"No agreement could be made, so the legislation died," he said.

There will be other funds trickling down to Coastal Georgia, including $500,000 to Glynn County for the creation of a youth diversion program. Intended to find a middle ground for troubled youth, the program will work as an alternative to confinement for adolescents, Keen said.

The city of Brunswick was granted $40,000 in the state budget to create a wireless network to be utilized by public services. The city had requested the funds earlier this year, Keen said.

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