Q: Who makes the decision to close public throughways for movie and TV filming? What is the source of that authority? Are the taxpayers compensated in any way?
—Bud Carter, Johns Creek
A: Decisions regarding road closures belong to the governing jurisdiction – cities, counties or the state – responsible for those roads. In Cobb County, where roads were closed in June to film AMC's "The Walking Dead," the Cobb Department of Transportation has the authority to close county roads, county spokesman Robert Quigley told Q&A on the News. The requesting party is responsible for hiring a company to provide road closing equipment such as cones, barricades and mobile signs to advise the public of the closing and detours, he wrote in an e-mail. Cobb County is in the process of developing a fee schedule for productions to utilize public areas. The money likely would go into the county's general fund, which pays for parks, libraries, police and other services, Quigley wrote. In the case of the temporary closure of Ga. 20 in Henry County for the filming of "The Walking Dead," Ga. 20 is a state road, so the Georgia Department of Transportation coordinated the location with the production company, Laura Luker, director of tourism for the Henry County Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitors Bureau, told Q&A on the News in an e-mail. Henry County tourism employed more than 2,000 people and generated $5.48 million in local tax revenue in 2009. Without tourism activity, Luker said Henry County households would have had to pay more to keep government services (savings were an estimated $171 per household).
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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