Sen. Ginn proposes axing comp plans

Ginn’s bill would make those plans optional, therefore eliminating the designation of “qualified” local government as a grant criterion through DCA. It has the backing of the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG).

“Planning is extremely important, but plans should be specific to an individual community based on its vision for economic development, public safety, health and human services and other areas — not developed just to meet the state requirements,” said ACCG legislative director Clint Mueller. “Local officials and community leaders are more likely to support and further the implementation of a plan that reflects local interests and goals, providing a solid return on their investment of time and resources.”

Local officials agree with Mueller’s sentiments.

“A comprehensive plan should not be a cookie-cutter approach,” declared Jim Dove, executive director of the Northeast Georgia Regional Development Commission. “The city of Arcade should not have to go through the same hoops and prepare a plan of the same magnitude as Gwinnett County. Arcade or Nicholson should be able to do something in four or five pages rather than in 45 pages.”

Dove especially likes the fact that SB 86 removes the requirement that the RDC review larger development projects — developments of regional impact (DRIs) for their appropriateness. The requirement, which is costly and time consuming for local governments, puts the RDCs and the Department of Community Affairs to whom the findings are sent, in an awkward position, he said.

“It is a purely advisory role,” he said. “It (the requirement) had no teeth, but everyone thought it did.”

While local leaders like SB 86, most say it will have little effect on their particular governments. Planning will continue.

“I agree with having tiers, or the ability of a government, based on its needs, to choose what planning it needs,” said Darrell Hampton, Jackson County manager. “But Jackson County, with the development pressures it has, we would elect to (do long-range planning) just for the sake of the protection of things that are important.”

Hampton said eliminating the DRI requirement will help the county’s economic development effort, because DRIs slow down the process.

He also notes that some communities don’t need the level of planning necessary in Jackson.

“Having one size fits all didn’t work,” Hampton said. “For some communities, there was a huge financial burden without hope of a return (on the investment).”

Board of Commissioners chairman Hunter Bicknell especially liked the elimination of the DRIs.

“DRIs didn’t accomplish anything,” he said.

He was not so sure about eliminating the requirement of a comprehensive plan altogether.

“Just give us some flexibility as to what is required,” Bicknell said. “The intent is not to get people to not do their planning, it’s to get some flexibility in there.”

Jackson County’s municipal leaders agree.

“This might do away with the cookie-cutter type plan,” said Jefferson Mayor Jim Joiner, but he quickly added, “We’ll have a comprehensive plan whether we’re required to have one or not.”

John Ward, Jefferson’s city manager, backs his boss.

“Allowing local jurisdictions to have local control of their plans without government interference might be a good idea,” Ward commented, but like Joiner, he stressed the need for planning.

“We use our comprehensive plan on every planning and zoning decision,” he said, adding that officials stay attuned to what citizens are saying to guide the direction of the plan updates, a process that makes meeting the required updates much easier.

Commerce city manager Clarence Bryant also likes the idea of having more control over what kind of planning his city does.

“The only reason we have (a comprehensive plan) is that someone told us we had to have one,” Bryant said. “People on the state level told us we have to have one on file. I don’t know what real legitimate reason the state uses those things for.

“I’m not saying every county in the region doesn’t need to be doing some local planning, because they do. Whether we need to do what someone else says we need to do is the question.”

Jennifer Dees, manager of the Town of Braselton, expressed similar sentiments.

“I know Braselton would not discontinue having a long-term plan, just as we have one for the short-term,” Dees said. “However, the bill, by making the comprehensive plan optional, gives the local government and its citizens control over what can be included in the plan. Given this flexibility, governments should end up with a product that is more suited to a particular government’s policies as well as the services it provides. The current law requires everyone to fit their vision into the same cookie-cutter format as every other government in the state, no matter the size or what its own citizens want.”

Anthony Dove (no relation to Jim Dove), chairman of the Madison County Board of Commissioners, notes that if the bill does not pass, this is the year that his county must update its comprehensive plan. That’s money that could be put to better use, he argues, and he suggests that a local update is not necessary.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t say we did one, we did an update five years ago, so why do we need to update it now?” he said. “Something to that effect. A lot of those mandates put pressure on property owners. They’re the ones who pay the bill.”

Dove says he thinks Madison County residents would rather see the $8,000 to $10,000 budgeted for the plan this year to be put to use on upgrading dirt roads.

“It’s a good starting point,” he said of SB 86. “When we sit here as a state and say we don’t want the federal governments handing down mandates to the state, then all we hear is about the unfunded mandates coming down from the state government. Once it gets to the county level, we’re the ones who have to pay for it.”

Like the others, Dove thinks each plan should be unique.

“Our planning is going to be different from what Clarke County is going to do or Jackson County,” he said. “Mandating that counties in South Georgia to do the same planning we do — it can’t be one-size-fits-all.”

SB 86 has five other sponsors, including Butch Miller of the 49th district, Tommie Williams, 19th district; Chip Rogers, 21st, Jack Murphy, 27th and Steve Gooch, 51st.

The bill was tossed into the hopper Feb. 10 and Feb. 15 was read and referred to the Senate’s State and Local Governmental Operations Committee.