Thursday, March 6, 2008

Mayor Franklin Praises Local Lawmakers

Mayor Franklin today praised our local state representatives for defeating legislation that would have limited the level and number of services that local governments could provide to their communities. The House of Representatives voted for Speaker Glenn Richardson’s tax proposal with a vote of 110-62, 10 votes shy of the two-thirds majority required of a Constitutional Amendment.

Legislators voting against the plan cited concerns that placing artificial restraints on local governments would harm education, prevent local governments from providing needed road, water and sewer repairs and hamper the state’s economic development. The Atlanta Democratic representatives who voted to protect the state’s communities were: Reps. Sheila Jones, LaNett Stanley-Turner, “Able Mable” Thomas, Kathy Ashe, Robbin Shipp, Margaret Kaiser, Georganna Sinkfield, Joe Heckstall, Tyrone Brooks, Roger Bruce, Bob Holmes, Sharon Beasley-Teague, Stacy Abrams and Pat Gardner.

“By defeating this plan, our representatives have indicated they understand and respect the value of allowing local communities to govern themselves,” said Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin “City officials, like all Georgians, want tax reform. But that reform must allow for flexibility and local control; not reform that restricts cities from finding a funding mix that meets local needs without over-burdening residents and businesses.”

Mayor Franklin also thanked our delegation for being open to our concerns and listening to us on the issue. “We’ve been engaged in this issue since early last summer,” said Franklin. “It’s encouraging to see our local delegation heard our concerns and voted to protect our community. They are responsible representatives for our city.”
---
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Fayette Front Page
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
---

No comments: