Commissioner Speaks to Students about Local Government

Athens-Clarke County citizens avoided some of the local government complexity that most Georgia citizens deal with after consolidating county and city governments in 1991, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner David Lynn told University of Georgia journalism students Monday morning.

“It makes a lot of sense to people to pay taxes to one government” instead of paying separate taxes to both county and city governments, Lynn said.

Lynn, commissioner for District 5 in Athens-Clarke County and a public service assistant at the University of Georgia, spoke to the 16 students about the forms of county governments in Georgia and more specifically about Athens-Clarke County government.

Athens-Clarke County also has fewer of the problems associated with separate county and city governments like duplication of services and increased competition for revenue sources, according to Lynn.

But consolidated governments like Athens-Clarke County may make it more difficult for minorities to be elected to local government positions and may further remove citizens from their local representatives, Lynn said.

Lynn urged University of Georgia students to register to vote in Athens-Clarke County.

“You live in Athens so you should vote in Athens,” Lynn said. “This is your home now.”