By Maggie Lee / Staff

Fulton County is not very popular in the Gold Dome these days.

Some state lawmakers want to kill it, while others seem content to let the state's economic capitol starve to death.

Fulton County started the year watching about a dozen bills in the state legislature that had the potential to affect the county. Fulton spent more than $160,000 for lobbyist assistance fighting guns and Milton County on one hand, while trying to boost bucks for MARTA, mental health and Grady on the other. Fulton didn't come out wildly successfully, but, says one commissioner, it's not the lobbyists' fault but an anti-Fulton legislature.

"We've got to get past this ridiculous behavior of assault on local government and in particular Fulton County government," said retiring Commissioner Emma Boxhill (D), as the county's lobbying team gave an end-of-session report to the Democrat-dominated commission.

Boxill stopped short of actually naming names, but lamented the "pettiness" of some of the Fulton County legislative delegation. She beseeched her commission colleague Lynne Riley, who's in a walkover race for the state house, to help shove some lawmakers "past some stupid battles."

And, of course, the most visible battle this year was over House Resolution 21, which would have laid the first legal step for the old Milton County in north Fulton to work on secession from Fulton County.

That's easily the legislation that had the most potential to rock Fulton, though it would also take a constitutional amendment and perhaps a countywide election to make Milton happen.

House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones (R-Milton), an avowed Milton partisan, said she would have put it to the floor if she thought she had the votes. But she never got that far with it, so the record will never show how close -- or far -- Fulton was from being dismantled.

MARTA MAULING

MARTA funding didn't turn out right for Fulton's citizens, believes Commissioner Emma Darnell.

The new MARTA legislation will temporarily allow the cash-strapped transit authority to tap their capital fund to pay for operations for three years. Normally, MARTA revenue must be split evenly between capital and operations.

Because the relaxation is only temporary, Commissioner Emma Darnell declared, "I'm one of those people who is a supporter of MARTA who does not consider that good legislation."

As for funding, if the metro votes itself a one-cent sales tax for roads, bridges and transit, the already-underwater transit authority cannot spend new revenue on its existing system.

"No new money may be spent on operations of the present system?" Darnell lamented. "I don't consider this good legislation."

MARTA might have been taking the hit for Milton failure, alleged county lobbyist Mike Vaquer.

"Make no mistake," he told the Commission, "Milton was connected to MARTA."

On the other hand, there are explanations besides politics.  There's a policy argument that MARTA should not get more funds until it implements distance-based fares.

FULTON FALLS BEFORE FIRING SQUAD

Georgia licensed concealed weapon carriers will be able to bring their guns into more places by default under a bill on the governor's desk. Four of the seven commissioners voted to oppose such a bill, which eventually evolved into the successful SB 308.

Darnell called it "the most ridiculous foolishness I've ever heard of," and voted against it.

Three abstained from the vote, including the Northside and Buckhead's two commissioners, Lynne Riley (R) and Tom Lowe (R).

Riley is resigning from her commission post to run for the state house to replace Mark Burkhlater (R-Johns Creek), who decided not to continue in the D-50 seat he's held for 18 years. She is unopposed in the election, and wins by default.

Most of Fulton's legislators from Sandy Springs and points south agreed that the gun law stinks, but to no avail.

FAIR HEALTH

And the county that's home to Grady in fact supported a controversial -- and successful -- tax on hospitals, because it should trigger federal money that will be focused on hospitals with a large indigent care load like the downtown landmark grapples with.

The hospital can look for a net gain of $4 to $5 million annually, according to Fulton's projections.

The hospital also loses about $40 million per year on trauma services, according to the county. Granted the governor's signature, car tags will cost $10 more; all to subsidize such expensive care statewide. While trauma centers are critical to saving lives, they are typically unprofitable to the hospitals that provide the care.

Public health monies will shrink, but not by so much in a year when the state's under court order to improve public mental health provision.

"We were able to survive an effort to cut public health in the neighborhood of three percent," reported lobbyist David Pratt. Fulton will actually see a drop of about 1.3 percent in that department.


SO WHY HIRE LOBBYISTS?

Fulton's legislative lobby team falls in line with its large metro neighbors. DeKalb has a bigger team, Gwinnett and Cobb slightly smaller. And it's wise to have representation under a dome where lawmakers are making decisions that can impact county budgets by millions of dollars.

Besides, only some lobbyists are the cartoonish cigar-chomping, good 'ol boys, or the attractive young females the media hypes. State lobbying is big business, and practitioners of the trade call themselves governmental affairs professionals. The name is accurate for lobbyists like the ones from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or the Garden Clubs of Georgia -- hardly nefarious. Say lawmakers, good lobbyists are in fact very valuable sources of information and research.

Fulton County's half-year lobbying contract costs $160,000 and is split among a few firms. That pays for five lobbyists, who also have other clients, to give testimony, do research, prepare reports, and other services. But mostly they meet with legislators and try to get their point of view across to influence legislation. Naturally, campaign donations -- and sometimes gift giving -- is part of the trade. Some of the more lavish trips and perks given to lawmakers by lobbyists in the recent past spurred new ethics legislation this year. 

Fulton is also a dues-paying member of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, a very vigorous and active lobby and the National Association of Counties, a research-based non-profit group.