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VOL. 3 NO. 1

THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICE OF PLANNING AND RESEARCH RECREATION PLANNING SECTION

JULY-AUGUST, 1976

Fisher Named OPR Director
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Joe D. Tanner announces the appointment of James C. Fisher, Jr as Director of DNR's Office of Planning and Research.
Fisher, a native of Tennessee, is a graduate of Florence State University (Alabama), holds a Master of City Planning Degree from Georgia Tech, and has done graduate work in Governmental Administration at Georgia State University
Prior to his appointment with DNR, Fisher served as Director of Planning for the Georgia Mountains Planning and Development Commission and as Planning and Programs Coordinator for the Muscle Shoals Council of Lvcal Governments.
Commenting on his new position, Fisher said, "It will be my pleasure to be working with the State of Georgia and especially with the Department of Natural Resources. I hope that my background in resource management will add measurably to the efforts of the Department."
Fisher assumed his new duties on July 6.

PUBLIC WORKS BILL BECOMES LAW
The Local Public Works Employment Act became law on Thursday, July 22, 1976, as a result of Congress overriding a Presidential veto of the bill. This Act authorizes grants to local governments for the "construction, renovation, repair or other improvement of public works projects." It is expected that Georgia will receive in excess of $40 million of the $2 billion authorized for Title I of the Act, in which recreation projects are eligible.
The grants will cover up to 100% of the cost of a project. Grants are not intended for the purchase of land nor maintenance projects. No grant can be approved until it is shown that on-site labor can begin within 90 days of the project approval. Sixty-days are allowed for project approval with failure to complete review within this time to be assumed as approval.
Top funding priority will be given to federal projects already approved that otherwise could not be completed because a local government had run out of matching funds.
The grants can be used in lieu of or as a supplement to grants for which Federal financial assistance is authorized by other acts, such as the Land and Water Conservation Funds, to bring the Federal share to I00% of the cost. These grants cannot, however, be substituted for funds already approved for a project. This program is designed to assist governments that had to stop construction or could not begin because of a lack of funds. Grants can be made for the completion of plans, architectural design or preliminary engineering or related planning is required to permit construction.
(Continued on page 2)

Public Works
(Continued from page 1)
Governments making application under this Act should (I) "relate their specific requests to existing approved plans and programs of a local community development or regional development nature;" and (2) "where feasible, make requests which, although capable of early initiation, will promote or advance longer range plans and programs."
The rules and regulations of administering this program will be developed within 30 days. Applications may be obtained after that time from the Economic Development Administration, which will administer the program.
This is not a program for local governments to employ people as the recent CETA employment programs, unless perhaps the local government is the contractor for the project. In most cases, these grants would involve contracts with private contractors.
McCLURE ELECTED NIRA PRESIDENT
Roy McClure, Executive .Director of the Georgia Lockheed Employees Recreation Club in Marietta, has been elected President of the National Industrial Recreation Association.
HERITAGE TRUST ACQUIRES 2,925 ACRES .
IN FY '76
The Georgia Heritage Trust Land Acquisition Program for Fiscal Year 1976 (July 1, 1975 to June 30, 1976) shows seven acquisitions totaling 2,925 acres for $2,814,469
The acquisitions include, in whole or in part, the following sites: George T Bagby State Park, McDuffie Fishing Area, Hamburg State Park, Fort-at-Sunbury, Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Lazer Creek Wildlife Management Area, and Chattahoochee River State Park.
An additional 55 acres of Corps of Engineers land near Lake Allatoona was leased as an addition to Red Top Mountain State Park.
Negotiations for several additional sites were begun in FY'76 to be completed in FY'77
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TAXIDERMISTS TO BE LICENSED
As of July 1 of this year, taxidermists throughout the state are required to have a Taxidermy License to engage in the taxidermy business or provide these services to anyone other than themselves.
The 1976 General Assembly passed a bill stating that ..no person shall engage in the business of taxidermy or provide taxidermy services to anyone other than himself unless he has first been issued a taxidermist license by the Department of Natural Resources." The annual cost of the taxidermist license is $I0.00.
The General Assembly bill provides that a taxidermist license shall be issued only after submission of an application to the Department of Natural Resources on the Department's form for Application for License. A notation should be made at the bottom of this form indicating that the applicant is seeking a taxidermy license.
All taxidermists licensed under the newly passed legislation are required to make their premises and records avciilable for inspection by authorized agents of the Department during regular business hours, and refusal to allow such inspections is grounds for termination of the license.
NOTICE TO ALL HUNTERS & FISHERMEN
The Licensing and Boat Registration Unit of the Department of Natural Resources has moved its offices to Northlake Mall near I-285 and LaVista Road in the northeast section of metro Atlanta.
This Unit is now located at 2258 Northlake Parkway, Suite 100, Tucker, . Georgia, 30084. The telephone for the handling of hunting and fishing licenses will be 404-393-7263 The telephone for the handling of boat registrations will be 404-393-7174.
This move was made to provide more adequate spaces and facilities for the big and fast increasing operations of the Licensing Unit.
The License Unit processes and issues all hunting and fishing licenses, all boat registrations and also issues all honorary hunting and fishing licenses.

(Editor's Note: The following article is taken from the June, 1976 issue of "Georgia County Government Magazine.")
How The Court Views Question of "Double Taxation"
EQUAL TAXATION IS A
PRINCIPLE: EQUAL BENEFIT AN IMPOSSIBILITY
For a long while municipal interests have been using the term "double taxation" to attack a county government's right to collect its general levy within city limits. The phrase has become an emotional stimulus and sometimes an alibi for high municipal taxes.
A court case fought in the state's second largest county, however, should have silenced the cry of "double taxation," and helped put the situation in its right perspective. The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the trial court unanimously in declaring that the double taxation issue was not valid.
The Decatur Taxpayers League, Inc. had brought suit over due process and equal protection grounds against collecting of county taxes within the city of Decatur. They maintained that since the city was furnishing them zoning and police protection, among other services, which the county was furnishing residents outside the city for the same tax rate, that they in the city should not have to pay the general property tax levy of the county
Their complaint alleged that both the city and county were taxing their property to provide services that only the city was actually providing.
They based their claim on Code Ann. 2-7901a (Georgia Laws 1972, page 1552) which provided for joint service contracts among local governments for such things as fire protection, police protection, recreation, planmng and zoning, waste collection,
3

etc., then went on to say, "provided, however, that no city or county may exercise any such powers or provide any such service herein listed inside the boundaries of any other local governments except by contract with the city or county affected. "
The taxpayers group argued that since the county had authority to create special service districts to apportion the tax load more equitably among recipients of services, that the principle of uniformity requires that such authority be exercised.
"We cannot accept this argument," spoke the Court. "It overlooks the plain words of the provision (above Georgia Laws cited) that the new authority was 'in addition to and supplementary of' any pre~xisting powers of local governments."
In other words the Court saw the creation of service districts and joint service contracts as being permissive, but a county is not bound by law to create them.
The Court saw that in the first place there was no conflict between the longstanding principles of countywide taxation for services and new supplementary powers granted in the amendment. And even if there had been, the Court would not have favored repeal of a constitutional provision by implication of a new law
"We rule," continued the Court, "that the new amendment is permissive only, does not undercut prior law and principles of uniformity, and permits but does not require action by local governments to ameliorate tax inequities."
The Court went on to explain that a taxpayer is entitled to equal assessment of taxes, but there is no requirement that the persons paying the tax receive equal benefits from the facilities for which the taxes are raised.
When one considers the practical application of this concept, it is clear that equal benefit cannot be made mandatory One taxpayer may never use a bike trail built with county funds, but he is not exempt from the taxes that helped construct it. One citizen may be given emergency relief by the county, from county funds, but equal benefit would require that all citizens be given an amount equal to what the needy citizen got.
One taxpaying family may have no school age children, but it is not exempt from paying school taxes that help educate their neighbor's children.
(Conunued on page 4)

Double Taxation
(Continued from page 3)

To bolster their judgement, the Court cited other decisions that show principles of uniformity may be violated by improper discrimination in the imposition of taxes, but they do not so hold with respect to inequality in the distribution of benefits.

A point the complaining city taxpayers might have missed is that in the event their city government defaulted in provision of any of the services they thought were duplicated, it would'be the county that automatically and quite naturally stepped in to provide the services. In community after community around the state, county facilities back up city services. With few exceptions, cities and counties stand by with back-up firefighting units. If for any reason a city police force cannot function, the county sheriff will assume such duties.

Everyone is a citizen of the county where he lives. Some have chosen to be citizens of a municipality as well, but they cannot thereby secede from the county which is their basic local government.
FY '77 L & WCF PRE-APPLICATIONS
APPROVED
The Board of Natural Resources has recommended, that of Georgia allottment of Land and Water Conservation Funds, $2,823,750 be given to 71 local units of government, based on 270 pre-applications submitted.
These local governments must now submit formal applications.

The following agencies received approval:

Applicant Catoosa County Trion Plainville Chickamauga Dalton Woodstock Atlanta Canton White County Gainesville Hartwell Clayton County Fulton County Decatur College Park

Grant Amount $ 30,000 20,000 8,000 20,000 15,000 50,000 425,000 25,000 25,000 50,000 25,000 100,000 35,000 50,000 30,000

Jackson Monroe Madison County Walnut Grove Troup County Carrollton Coweta County Covington-Newton County DeKalb County Jackson-Butts County Henry County Thomaston-Upson County Milledgeville-Baldwin County Hancock County Jefferson County Millen-Jenkins County Warren County
Columbia County Burke County Bibb County Macon Warner Robins Jones County Cordele Ellaville Dooly County-Byromville Dublin-Laurens County Soperton-Treutlen County Smyrna Mount VernoH McRae - Helena Cadwell Statesboro Baxley Jesup-Wayne County Savannah Chatham County Mcintosh County Bryan County Brunswick Guyton Liberty County Lumpkin-Stewart County Cuthbert Georgetown Thomasville Moultrie Albany Bainbridge-Decatur County Lee County Edison Valdosta Tifton-Tift County Blackshear Charlton County Clinch County

12,000 21,500 20,000 20,000 40,000 70,000 40,000 75,000 250,000 25,000 20,000 20,000 10,000 70,000 27,000 20,000 15,000 18,000 20,000 21,000 68,000 25,000 20,000 50,000 17,000
5,000 60,000 12,500 100,000 15,000 10,000
6,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 100,000 25,000 25,000 20,000 40,000
5,000 30,000 24,000 10,000
7,000 60,000 50,000 25,000 18,000
7,500 6,250 75,000 40,000 40,000 20,000 30,000
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RECREATORS RESIGN
Several recreators have left the field of recreation in Georgia recently After eleven years as Director of Parks and Recreation in Douglas, Georgia, Tom Williams has resigned to join a mobile home sales fmn in Douglas.
Charles Webb, Superintendent of Recreation in Dalton, has resigned to accept a position of Athletic Director and Coach at' a private school in Statesboro.
Dr Chrystos Siderellis has accepted a position as Professor in the School of Forestry at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Siderellis will be involved in research as well as teaching.
Donald NeSmith has resigned as Director of the Baxley-Appling County Parks and Recreation Department to join his father in private business in Statesboro. NeSmith is also State Athletic Chairman for the Georgia Recreation and Park Society and will continue in that office for the remainder of the year
Turner Joins DNR
Ralph G. Turner has been appointed Supervisor of Region I of the State Parks System of the Department of Natural Resources.
Turner, a native of Canton, will supervise the eleven parks situated in North Georgia. He is a graduate of Georgia Southern College and has fourteen years experience in the field of parks and recreation. He has served as Director of the Parks and Recreation Departments of Dalton, Statesboro, and more recently of Towns County He has also been active in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Society, serving in many capacities including Second Vice-President and Treasurer.
Tume.Jio is succeeded at Towns County by Loyce Harpe, former Director of Habersham County Parks and Recreation Department.

Georgia Wheelchair Sports
The first Georgia Wheelchair Sports Jamboree was held in Winder, Georgia, May 7-9 at Will-A-Way Recreation Area. The event was organized by Ms. Mariann Soulek who was with the Department of Natural Resources as a six-month intern from the National Recreation and Park Association. The Jamboree was sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and Sports Charities Offering Recreation Experiences, Inc. (SCORE).
The participants were very enthusiastic and showed interest in continuing to participate in activities that were provided at the Jamboree. As a result, the Georgia Wheelchair Sports Steering Committee was formed tci research and plan a course of action.
The overall purpose of the Georgia Wheelchair Sports Steering Committee is to introduce, promote, and develop wheelchair sports and recreation opportunities for the physically disabled. This committee is presently divided into three functional subcommittees. The By-Laws and Organizational History Committee is to study documents and procedures used in other locales as guidelines for forming Georgia's statewide organization. The Evaluation Committee is responsible for conducting a more extensive evaluation of the '76 Jamboree and presenting suggestions for improvements. The Formation of the Jamboree Committee is primarily responsible for identifying potential participants and local areas for hosting "mini" jamborees, considering available resources and manpower These sub-committees are actively pursuing their goals and will prepare an informational newsletter to be distributed to potential participants as soon as a more defmite direction is established.
The steering committee is formulating a mailing list ofpotential participants and interested supporters. All interested individuals may write to the following to be placed on the mailing list:
Ga. Wheelchair Sports Steering Committee c/o Department of Nafutal Resotircts 270 Washington Street; S. W Room 703--B Atlanta, Georgia 30334

(The photo at left shows the competition in one of the wheelchair races at the Georgia Wheelchair Sports Jamboree, held in Winder, Georgia, May 7-9 at WillA-Way.)
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Recent Personnel Action
New Appointments
College Park Recreation Dept.. Paul Brown Athletic Director
Nashville Parks & Rec. Dept.. Ellen Crawford Director of Recreation
Peachtree City Parks & Recreation Dept.. Richard Shook Director of Recreation
University of Georgia Dept. of Recreation & Leisure Studies: Dr Gerald O'Morrow Professor, Therapeutic
Recreation
Towns County Parks & Recreation Dept.. Loyce Harpe Director of Recreation
Department of Natural Resources, Recreation Planning Section:
Steve Kish SCORP Planner Doug Allen SCORP Planner Edgar Johnson Funding Planner
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Baxley-Appling Co. Director
Dalton Supervisor of Youth Athletics
Habersham County Director

Dates to Remember

Augusr 24

GRPS Municipal/County Workshop -Macon

26

GRPS Municipal/County Workshop

Gainesville

September 8-10

Therapeutic Workshop Valdosta

9

- GRPS Board of Trustees Macon

October 17-21
i

NRPA National Congress on Recreation & Parks - Boston

November 2

National Election Day

2-4

GRPS Conference on Recreation

and Parks Savannah

The Department of Natural Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and employs without regard to race or color, sex, religion, or national origin.

Published Bi-Monthly by Department of Natural Resources Office of Planning and Research
Recreation Planning Section 270 Washington Street Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Telephone: (404) 656-2790

No. Copies 2,000

Approx. Cost $360.00

270 WASHINGTON ST., S. W . ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30334