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Executive Summary Housing affordability is a pressing concern for state and local policymakers as existing inventory is unable to fulfill historic demand for housing across Georgia. The purpose of this study is to determine one factor contributing to rising home prices: the cost of regulation to build a new single-family home.  This study, like its national counterpart, does not argue that all regulation is bad or should be eliminated. Some costs included in the study would have to be borne by taxpayers who derive no direct benefit, if they were … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield You’ve heard the saying “follow the money.” What happens when the money follows you? No, I’m not revealing myself as a lottery jackpot winner. I refer to the task Georgia lawmakers face in dealing with an unexpected and seemingly unwelcome budget surplus. It’ll be the overarching theme of the legislative session that began this past week. You’ve heard the numbers before, but they’re worth repeating because they’re so staggering: The fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, yielded $3.7 billion more than expected in revenues. Even after … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield Hello, again. When you last heard from me, I was preparing for open-heart surgery. It was planned and non-emergent, but getting your chest cut open is just as unnerving no matter how long you know it’s coming. Maybe more so, the longer you know. The short version of this story is that the operation was a success, my recovery was easier than expected, and I’m mostly back to “normal,” whatever that means anymore. The longer version goes like this: Traveling for a major surgery is no light … Continue Reading →

It’s Friday!  Memory Lane Not the think tank of ‘no’: Through the years, critics have accused the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and its transportation analysts of being “anti-transit.” The Foundation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2021, has prided itself on being an organization of practical solutions, and this list of our recommendations, the focus of a March 1999 article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (link here), demonstrates our commitment to viable alternatives in transit. The Foundation continues to insist that state transportation agendas be focused on needs, not inefficient approaches … Continue Reading →

It’s Friday!    Memory Lane In 2010, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation held its first legislative policy forum. The issues tackled have changed through the years; the first event helped pave the way for criminal justice reform in Georgia. This year, as the Foundation marks 30 years of “Changing Georgia Policy, Changing Georgians’ Lives,” the focus of the 2021 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum being held this week is on the pocketbook issues of education, energy and tax reform. Foundation Vice President Benita Dodd joined criminal justice reform champions Jerry Madden … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield I still remember the voicemail, four years later: I have some bad news. You need surgery. I’m scheduling appointments for you with two surgeons first thing next week … Four years later, I still haven’t had surgery. Next week, that changes. Next week, I’ll travel to New York City for open-heart surgery. The prognosis is great. But the recovery won’t be easy, and I’ll be away from work, and thus column-writing, through year’s end. Besides letting you know someone else will occupy this space for several weeks … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield Most communities in Georgia are dealing with a common problem: housing affordability. The problem looks different in different places, but the commonality is having too many people who can’t find a home that fits their budget. So why do so many cities and counties insist on making housing more expensive? This, too, can appear slightly different depending on where you look. Architectural ordinances, dictating certain design or material requirements unrelated to health and safety, have proliferated in many areas, particularly suburbs. Some ban the use of vinyl … Continue Reading →