Lawmaker hopes for special session on cuts

Dwindling state revenues, funding for road construction and water resources were among topics discussed Tuesday during a meeting between state lawmakers and Columbia County officials.

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State Rep. Ben Harbin, R-Evans, said officials must "remain vigilant" against anyone trying to pass legislation allowing for inter-basin transfers.

Currently, the Savannah River and Clarks Hill Lake are protected by state law from being used for such transfers, but Harbin warned that one never knows when someone will try to change that.

Economics might also protect the river's water, said state Sen. Bill Jackson, R-Appling.

"One thing we got in our favor is the Port of Savannah," he said. "It takes a certain amount of water to keep them (ships) afloat, and that is the second largest port on the East Coast."

To better haul that freight from the Savannah port and to fund other transportation needs in the state, Rep. Lee Anderson, R-Grovetown, a member of the House Transportation Committee, believes the state likely will impose a 1-cent sales tax. However, he said competing legislation might allow counties and municipalities to institute their own sales tax for transportation needs.

To make the state Department of Transportation "less political" and ensure funding is distributed based on need and growth, Harbin said he hopes some oversight will be instituted over the board of directors for that agency.

Harbin also said he hopes a special session of the state Legislature will be held to help Gov. Sonny Perdue deal with an expected $900 million shortfall in state revenues.

Harbin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said Perdue has initiated a 5-percent budget cut for state offices and a 3-percent cut in education funding because making such cuts is all he is constitutionally allowed to do.

Perdue also has asked state agencies to prepare budgets based on additional potential cuts of 4, 6 or 8 percent.

"We need to go in and end programs we don't need, and the only way we can do that is with a legislative session," Harbin said.

Though enough support exists in the House to convene a special session, Harbin said too many state senators are resistant.

County commissioners expressed their frustration with House Bill 233, which imposes a moratorium on property assessment increases for the next three years. However, the law does not freeze the value of properties that decrease in value and allows for properties sold during the moratorium period to be taxed at a higher rate if improvements are made.

The bill cost the county about $2 million in tax revenues and forced a two-month delay in revenue collections because the Tax Assessor's Office had to upgrade computer software to accommodate the law.

Typically, tax assessment notices are mailed during the second week of May. This year, those notices were mailed Aug. 14.

Harbin and Anderson said HB 233 was discussed numerous times prior to and during the most recent legislative session, yet no one ever warned them of the potential software hazards associated with it. They said they intend to discuss the omission with state Department of Revenues officials.