Cities and Counties Get Centralized Resource for LOST Mediation
Cities and counties can now take advantage of the centralized resources of the University of Georgia's Vinson Institute and Fanning Institute for help in reaching agreement during negotiations of the local option sales tax (LOST), thanks to a new partnership. The Vinson-Fanning program will provide cities and counties that seek assistance with experienced, impartial mediators who are well versed in the intricacies of the legal aspects of LOST in addition to the renegotiation process.
The joint venture brings to bear considerable and broad expertise of both organizations in a process that can be challenging. Governments can receive individualized assistance from a mediation team that includes the skills and knowledge of attorneys, local government specialists, and certified meditators.
In 2012, 148 of Georgia's 159 counties and qualified cities will need to renegotiate the distribution of LOST revenues for the next decade. Mediation provides local governments with an objective intermediary to help them reach an agreement in a process with high stakes.
"With LOST negotiations gearing up in earnest, it quickly became clear to us that local governments would benefit from a one-stop shop of experts who are adept at mediation and deeply familiar with the dynamics of local government and the local option sales tax," says Dennis Epps, associate director of governmental services and research at the Vinson Institute. "The cooperation between Fanning and Vinson was a very natural response to that need."
The joint mediation team will be available to local governments in need of mediation services in areas other than LOST negotiations as well. Governments can contact Murray Weed to request mediation assistance.
