Deal announces $28 million for local government airport sponsors

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced $28 million would be made available to 48 communities with airports, following the Department of Revenue’s (DOR) announcement on Friday that it is suspending the collection of local jet fuel sales tax to comply with federal regulations.

Clayton County, where Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is located, is receiving the bulk of the funding—$26,949,340.

The funding, included in the amended FY2018 budget, will be provided to local government airport sponsors through a Department of Community Affairs (DCA) grant, Deal said.

“Today, Georgia has taken critical action to ensure our federal funding is not jeopardized and local governments that rely upon local jet fuel sales tax are made whole,” said Deal. “…The grants, based on the remaining time and monthly average of each community’s Special Local Option Sales Tax, will be disbursed by DCA by the end of this fiscal year.”