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Georgia Referendum B, Include Business-Financed Properties in Existing Non-Profit Mentally Disabled Housing Tax Exemption Measure (2018)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9[1]
- Early voting: Oct. 15 - Nov. 2
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
| Georgia Referendum B | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Taxes | |
Status Approved | |
| Type State statute | Origin State legislature |
Georgia Referendum B, the Include Business-Financed Properties in Existing Non-Profit Mentally Disabled Housing Tax Exemption Measure, was on the ballot in Georgia as a legislatively referred state statute on November 6, 2018. It was approved.
| A "yes" vote supported this measure to clarify that an existing tax exemption for nonprofit housing for the mentally disabled can be applied to housing constructed or renovated through financing from businesses. |
| A "no" vote opposed this measure to clarify that an existing tax exemption for nonprofit housing for the mentally disabled can be applied to housing constructed or renovated through financing from businesses. |
Aftermath
Approval of the measure benefited 3Keys, a nonprofit that provides housing units for people with mental illnesses who have been homeless in the City of Atlanta and Dekalb County. Darlene Schultz, president and CEO of 3Keys said, "We at 3Keys are very pleased with the outcome of the vote in favor of Referendum B. 3Keys will be able to use the property tax savings to continue our mission of developing and managing permanent supportive housing for the homeless mentally ill in metro Atlanta."[2]
Election results
|
Georgia Referendum B |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
2,860,293 | 76.93% | ||
| No | 857,809 | 23.07% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Referendum B was as follows:[3]
| “ |
Shall the Act be approved which provides an exemption from ad valorem taxes on nonprofit homes for the mentally disabled if they include business corporations in the ownership structure for financing purposes?[4] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for Referendum B was as follows:[3]
| “ |
This proposal clarifies that the existing exemption from ad valorem taxation for nonprofit homes for the mentally disabled applies even when financing for construction or renovation of the homes is provided by a business corporation or other entity. It amends paragraph (13) of Code Section 48-5-41 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. If approved by a majority of the voters, the Act becomes effective on January 1, 2019, and applies to all tax years beginning on or after that date.[4] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the Referendum B measure is available here.
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
| Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here. |
Campaign finance
Ballotpedia did not identify any committees registered in support of or in opposition to the measure.
Path to the ballot
Article VII, Section II, Paragraph II(a) of the Georgia Constitution requires the legislature to pass any proposed tax exemptions by a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber. Legislative approval of a proposal refers it to the ballot, where simple majority voter approval is required.
Referendum B was put on the ballot by the approval of House Bill 196. The Georgia House of Representatives approved an initial version of the measure on March 3, 2017. The state Senate passed an amended version on March 28, 2018. A conference committee was appointed and provided a version of the bill that was approved by both the House and the Senate on March 30, 2017. Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed the bill on April 25, 2017. [3]
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The registration deadline was extended to October 16, 2018, in Clay, Grady, Randolph, and Turner counties by executive order of Gov. Nathan Deal in response to Hurricane Michael.
- ↑ Albany Herald, "Measure passage offers help for mentally ill housing," accessed November 20, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Georgia State Legislature, "House Bill 196," accessed August 29, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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