The Fulton County Board of Commissioners Wednesday voted to hire lobbyists heading into a legislative session that could prove contentious.
Commissioners agreed to hire a team consisting of Greenberg Traurig LLP, Peachtree Government Relations and Thompson Victory Group to represent the county on state and federal issues. The contract will cost $45,000 this year and $216,000 next year.
The vote was 4-0, with several commissioners absent or not voting. Commissioners approved the contract with no discussion.
The move comes as a Fulton County faces a General Assembly that appears bent on remaking county government.
Last year the General Assembly approved a slew of bills that, among other things, redrew county commission districts to give north Fulton a third seat on the seven-member commission and prohibited commissioners from raising property tax rates until 2015.
Despite the tax cap, commissioners approved a 17 percent tax increase in August, a decision that is the subject of two ongoing lawsuits.
Now Republicans in the General Assembly are considering a new round of legislation aimed at reining a county government run by Democrats. Perhaps the most significant: doubling Fulton County's property tax homestead exemption to $60,000. That would mean the owners of homes worth up to $150,000 would pay no county property taxes. Many more would get significant tax breaks.
The proposal would cost the county tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Supporters say the tax break would force Fulton officials to downsize a government they say spends too much. Fulton officials say it would decimate funding for services like libraries and Grady Memorial Hospital.
By hiring a lobbyist, commissioners hope to influence state officials and win federal grants that would benefit county residents. Critics say lobbying is a waste of taxpayer dollars.
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