State community assistance initiatives : innovations of the late 70's Page: 18
This book is part of the collection entitled: Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
its Downtown Development Program. Additional
technical assistance efforts provide local officials
with training in public management and financial
planning, while the Community Betterment Program
encourages local governments to undertake
smaller self-improvement projects. The department
has focused its efforts on assisting small, rural
communities which lack professional staff.
Other state community and economic development
efforts include these initiatives:
* The Georgia Department of Industry and
Trade provides statewide industrial marketing
services to attract new businesses to the state.
* The newly created Economic Development
Council has been charged with conducting a
research program to examine the state's economic
development needs.
* The Department of Community Affairs has
begun exploratory work on a state community
conservation strategy and will be developing a
rural assistance program in conjunction with
the Farmers' Home Administration's Section
111 effort during 1979.
* The DCA conducts housing planning activities
on behalf of local and regional authorities and
is designing a state building code.
* The Georgia Residential Finance Agency has
begun to implement a home improvement
loan program on a statewide basis.
A potentially significant development in statelocal
affairs was the creation of the Georgia Tax
Reform Commission. Established by the legislature
during 1977, the commission is assessing the state
tax structure with a view towards its modernization
and general reform. The commission hopes to issue
a final report in 1979 and offer legislation to go
before the 1980 General Assembly.
The adoption of state-local structural reforms
suffered a setback in Georgia during 1978, when
the electorate defeated a proposed constitutional
amendment to improve the delivery of local services
in Atlanta-Fulton County and nine smaller
municipalities. The amendment, which had been
approved by the legislature, would have transferred
library service and tax assessment responsibilities to
the county, given Atlanta responsibility for
areawide sewage treatment, and established acountywide water system with uniform rates. Also
proposed was the creation of county taxing and
service districts in urbanized unincorporated areas
of the county.
Hawaii
T he Hawaii State Plan, signed into law in May
1978, establishes state priorities in five major areas
of concern: population; the economy; the physical
environment; facility systems such as water, transportation,
and energy; and socio-cultural advancement,
including health, housing, education,
government, and cultural issues. The plan also establishes
procedures by which to implement state
development goals, including the use of county
general and development plans as the basis for
state functional planning activities. The plan also
calls for creation of a policy council, to be comprised
of citizens, local officials, and state executive
agency heads, to coordinate state-local planning
and development activities.
Hawaii has long provided extensive financial assistance
to local units of government: the state finances
all elementary and secondary education,
with $13.9 million appropriated for this purpose
during the 1978 legislative session. Grants to
county governments for economic planning and
infrastructure development activities totaled some
$5.7 million for fiscal year 1978, while state funds
for county transportation capital expenditures came
to $2.078 million for the same period. In addition,
state-county general purpose grants-in-aid came to
over $20.4 million for fiscal 1978.
The state finances additional statewide economic
development activities in the areas of agriculture,
tourism development, and industrial marketing.
Idaho
T he distribution of powers between state and
local governments and the development of a balanced
growth strategy represent the major statelocal
concerns facing Idaho.
The Governor's task force on Local Government
issued its final report and recommendations in December
1977. The task force recommended key
revisions in state policies toward localities, including
the enactment of legislation granting local governments
the authority to impose local option taxes
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
United States. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. State community assistance initiatives : innovations of the late 70's, book, May 1979; Washington, D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1274/m1/30/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.