Local Government Authorities

All local authorities should complete the Annual Authority Registration and Financial Reporting (AARF) within six months of the conclusion of the authority's fiscal year.

A listing of all local authorities that have previously filed a registration with the Department of Community Affairs can be found at the link below. This listing can also be used to verify an authority's compliance status and determine which year's reports are outstanding.

As in the rest of the nation, Georgia's local government authorities have been steadily growing since the 1950s. The growth in authorities reflects the increased public demand for specialized services and local government's reliance on alternative methods of service delivery. Authorities are often better suited to deliver these services since they focus on one specific function, allowing a greater degree of concentrated effort in providing services. Financial considerations are also a very large part of the decision to provide services through an authority. As new programs are initiated, or new services required, the establishment of authorities may reduce the financial burden on cities and counties. Constitutional debt limitations are also an important reason for the increase in authorities since they are less restricted in their efforts to raise both capital construction and operating expenditure funds.

Local government authorities are separate entities created for a specific public purpose. Local governments create authorities as a means of providing a wide range of services to their citizens and have used them in increasing numbers to deliver services. The 1992 Census of Governments notes that authorities are by far the most rapidly growing type of government. Realizing the ever-increasing role authorities play in service delivery at the local government level, the General Assembly passed the Local Government Authorities Registration Act O.C.G.A. 36-80-16 during the 1995 legislative session. This act requires local government authorities to register annually with the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) beginning January 1, 1996. The act also specifies that local government authorities may not incur any debt or credit obligations after January 1, 1996, unless they are registered.

Consolidated Reporting

Previous to FY2018, local authorities have had two annual reporting requirements to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs – 1) Authority Registration; and 2) the Report of Authority Finance, due on two different timelines. During the 2018 legislative session, HB257 passed overwhelmingly in both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly and was signed into law by Governor Deal on May 3, 2018. This bill combines these two into a single report on one timeline.

Beginning with FY2018, these two separate reporting requirements are now a single filing - the Annual Authority Registration and Financials, or AARF - due within six months of the end of your authority's fiscal year.

Method Of Creation

Under Georgia Statute, local government authorities can be created in three ways: by general enabling act, local laws, and Constitutional Amendments. There are 11 types of authorities that can be created through a general enabling act:

• Development Authority
• Downtown Development Authority
• Hospital Authority
• Housing Authority
• Joint Development Authority
• Recreation Authority
• Regional Industrial Development Authorities
• Regional Jail Authority
• Regional Solid Waste Management Authority
• Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Authority
• Resource Recovery Development Authority
• Urban Residential Finance Authority (municipalities over 350,000)

Cities or counties are authorized to create authorities through general enabling legislation by passing an ordinance or resolution. The majority of authorities registered with DCA fall within this category.

Other authorities are formed under local law, to create a single, unique local government authority. Some authorities are created through this means even if there is a general enabling statute available. For example, several development and downtown development authorities were created under local law rather than general enabling statute.

The third possible method of creating a local government authority is through a Constitutional Amendment. These are similar to local laws; however, they must be approved by the voters of the affected jurisdiction and, as such, are included in the Constitution. Authorities can no longer be created by Constitutional Amendment, but there are some existing authorities that were created this way. Most of the constitutionally created authorities are development authorities.

Authority Operations

Authorities can be created to serve a single jurisdiction or may be established to provide services to multiple cities or counties. Most of the authorities registered with DCA were created to serve a single jurisdiction. Some authorities, however, are by their nature set up to serve more than one jurisdiction, such as regional solid waste authorities, regional jail authorities, and joint development authorities. Examples of other authorities that serve multiple jurisdictions include airport, hospital, housing, and development authorities.

Local government authorities may also function as either dependent or independent entities. If an authority's finances are included in a local government's audit or financial statements, or if its operating decisions are made by a local government's executive officer or governing board, it is considered to be dependent. All other authorities are classified as independent. Of those authorities registered with the Department, most indicated they were independent.

As mentioned earlier, local government authorities are established to carry out a specific public purpose. These purposes can include economic development, hospital operations, housing, the operation of a water and sewer system, and others. The largest percentage of authorities registered with DCA are development authorities, including downtown development, industrial development, and joint development authorities. The next most common type of authority is housing, followed by hospital and water and sewer.

DCA provides an annual on-line directory of registered local government authorities. To find our more about this directory or get additional information on the authority registration process, please contact the Office of Research

In accordance with HB257 during the 2017-2018 legislative session, this AARF combines authority registration and financial reporting into a single report, due within six months of the conclusion of the authority's fiscal year.