RBC 2005 Legislative Agenda

• Support the Exemption of Interstates from Congressional Balancing
• Support the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
• Oppose Efforts to Ban Interbasin Transfers Water Planning District

Support the Exemption of Interstates from Congressional Balancing

Current law requires the Georgia Department of Transportation to balance transportation funding among congressional districts. Funding transportation improvement projects in every region of the state is important to keeping our quality of life high and the economy in Georgia competitive. However, spending caps based on an annualized formula force projects to be spread out over more years, adding to the cost. Additionally, one large interstate project can consume an entire district’s annual allocation, forcing other local projects in the region to wait.

To ensure that our tax dollars are spent efficiently and effectively, the Regional Business Coalition supports exempting interstates from the congressional balancing formula.


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Support the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

The Metro North Georgia Water Planning District is continuing its work to develop and implement a regional plan to secure our water, wastewater and storm water runoff utilities into the future. The District has requested $250,000 in the 2005 supplemental budget and $250,000 in the 2006 state budget. This nominal amount will signal the state’s continued support for the planning agency’s work.

The Regional Business Coalition supports the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District’s budget request of $250,000 in the 2005 supplemental budget and $250,000 in the 2006 state budget.

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Oppose Efforts to Ban Interbasin Transfers in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

Recent sessions of the General Assembly have witnessed attempts to amend state law to preclude the use of interbasin transfers as a water management tool. Most of the counties in the metropolitan region are located in two or more watersheds and currently engage in interbasin transfers in some respect. Restricting interbasin transfers would prevent local governments from drawing on resources to serve their residents.

The Regional Business Coalition opposes efforts to preclude the use of interbasin transfers as a water management tool in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.

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