Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1983-84 - the Digital Library ...

tion and distribution of all such amendments and revisions atleast annually.Paragraph II. Home rule for municipalities. The GeneralAssembly may provide by law for the self-government ofmunicipalities and to that end is expressly given the authority todelegate its power so that matters pertaining to municipalitiesmay be dealt with without the necessity of action by the GeneralAssembly.Paragraph III. Supplementary powers, (a) In addition toand supplementary of all powers possessed by or conferredupon any county, municipality, or any combination thereof,any county, municipality, or any combination thereof mayexercise the following powers and provide the followingservices:(1) Police and Tire protection.(2) Garbage and solid waste collection and disposal.(3) Public health facilities and services, including hospitals,ambulance and emergency rescue services, and animal control.(4) Street and road construction and maintenance, including curbs, sidewalks, street lights, and devices to control theflow of traffic on streets and roads constructed by counties andmunicipalities or any combination thereof.(5) Parks, recreational areas, programs, and facilities.(6) Storm water and sewage collection and disposal systems.(7) Development, storage, treatment, purification, and distribution of water.(8) Public housing.(9) Public transportation.(10) Libraries, archives, and arts and sciences programs andfacilities.(11) Terminal and dock facilities and parking facilities.(12) Codes, including building, housing, plumbing, andelectrical codes.(13) Air quality control.(14) The power to maintain and modify heretofore existingretirement or pension systems, including such systems heretofore created by general laws of local application by populationclassification, and to continue in effect or modify other benefitsheretofore provided as a part of or in addition to such retirement or pension systems and the power to create and maintainretirement or pension systems for any elected or appointedpublic officers and employees whose compensation is paid inwhole or in part from county or municipal funds and for thebeneficiaries of such officers and employees.(b) Unless otherwise provided by law, (1) No county mayexercise any of the powers listed in subparagraph (a) of thisParagraph or provide any service listed therein inside theboundaries of any municipality or any other county except bycontract with the municipality or county affected; and(2) No municipality may exercise any of the powers listed insubparagraph (a) of this Paragraph or provide any service listedtherein outside its own boundaries except by contract with thecounty or municipality affected.(c) Nothing contained within this Paragraph shall operateto prohibit the General Assembly from enacting general lawsrelative to the subject matters listed in subparagraph (a) of thisParagraph or to prohibit the General Assembly by general lawfrom regulating, restricting, or limiting the exercise of thepowers listed therein; but it may not withdraw any such powers.(d) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (b) of thisParagraph, the General Assembly shall act upon the subjectmatters listed in subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph only bygeneral law.Paragraph IV. Planning and zoning. The governing authority of each county and of each municipality may adopt plansand may exercise the power of zoning. This authorization shallnot prohibit the General Assembly from enacting general lawsestablishing procedures for the exercise of such power.Paragraph V. Eminent domain. The governing authority ofeach county and of each municipality may exercise the powerof eminent domain for any public purpose.Paragraph VI. Special districts. As hereinafter provided inthis Paragraph, special districts may be created for the provision of local government services within such districts; and fees,assessments, and taxes may be levied and collected within suchdistricts to pay, wholly or partially, the cost of providing suchservices therein and to construct and maintain facilities therefor. Such special districts may be created and fees, assessments,or taxes may be levied and collected therein by any one or moreof the following methods:(a) By general law which directly creates the districts.(b) By general law which requires the creation of districtsunder conditions specified by such general law.(c) By municipal or county ordinance or resolution, exceptthat no such ordinance or resolution may supersede a lawenacted by the General Assembly pursuant to subparagraphs(a) or (b) of this Paragraph.Paragraph VII. Community redevelopment, (a) TheGeneral Assembly may authorize any county, municipality, orhousing authority to undertake and carry out community redevelopment, which may include the sale or other dispositionof property acquired by eminent domain to private enterprisefor private uses.(b) In addition to the authority granted by subparagraph (a)of this Paragraph, the General Assembly is authorized to grantto counties or municipalities for redevelopment purposes andin connection with redevelopment programs, as such purposesand programs are defined by general law, the power to issue taxallocation bonds, as defined by such law, and the power toincur other obligations, without either such bonds or obligations constituting debt within the meaning of Section V of thisarticle, and the power to enter into contracts for any period notexceeding 30 years with private persons, firms, corporations,and business entities. Notwithstanding the grant of thesepowers pursuant to general law, no county or municipality mayexercise these powers unless so authorized by local law andunless such powers are exercised in conformity with thoseterms and conditions for such exercise as established by thatlocal law. The provisions of any such local law shall conform tothose requirements established by general law regarding suchpowers, become effective unless approved in a referendum by amajority of the qualified voters voting thereon in the county ormunicipality directly affected by that local law.Paragraph VIII. Limitation on the taxing power and contributions of counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions. The General Assembly shall not authorize any county,municipality, or other political subdivision of this state,through taxation, contribution, or otherwise, to appropriatemoney for or to lend its credit to any person or to any nonpubliccorporation or association except for purely charitable purposes.Paragraph IX. Immunity of counties, municipalities, andschool districts. The General Assembly may waive the immunity of counties, municipalities, and school districts by law.22