Hotel Motel Tax Performance Review Board; composition; appointments; investigations of complaints; expenses of members.

(b) (1) The member of the board who is appointed under subparagraph (a)(2)(A) of this Code section shall serve for a term of office of five years. Members of the board who are appointed under subparagraphs (a)(2)(B), (a)(2)(C), (a)(2)(D), and (a)(2)(E) of this Code section shall serve for terms of office of three years each. Members of the board who are appointed under paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of subsection (a) of this Code section shall serve for terms of office of three years each. Members of the board who are appointed under paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) of subsection (a) of this Code section shall serve for terms of office of five years each. Members of the board shall serve for the terms of office specified in this subsection and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified. Members of the board may be reappointed to the board upon the expiration of their terms of office if they otherwise continue to meet the qualifications for such office.

(2) If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the board, the appropriate appointing entity shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the unexpired term and until a successor is appointed and qualified.

(c) It shall be the duty of the performance review board to make a thorough and complete investigation of any complaint with respect to all actions of a county, municipality, or any other entity regarding its expenditure of funds received from a tax under this article and such county’s, municipality’s, or other entity’s compliance with state law and regulations. Complaints may be received from taxpayers, local governments, innkeepers, or private sector nonprofit organizations. All complaints shall be received by the department by June 1 in order to be heard the following year. The performance review board shall meet annually from September 1 through December 1. The department shall send a notice to all interested parties of the meeting place and time. The performance review board shall issue a written report of its findings which shall include such evaluations, judgments, and recommendations as it deems appropriate.

(d) The findings of the report of the review board under subsection (c) of this Code section shall be transmitted to the commissioner of community affairs within 60 calendar days of hearing the complaint. The commissioner of community affairs shall have 30 calendar days to review the findings of the performance review board. If the commissioner of community affairs determines that remedial action is necessary, the subject of the complaint shall be issued a notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, or statutory overnight delivery and shall be given a period of 90 calendar days to take the necessary remedial action with respect to such findings. In the event that such remedial action does not occur within the specified period, the commissioner of community affairs shall immediately notify the state revenue commissioner, and the state revenue commissioner shall be authorized to take appropriate action to enforce compliance with such remedial action, up to and including termination of the tax.

(e) The commissioner of community affairs shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the administration of this Code section.

(f) Each member of the board shall receive the same per diem expense allowance as that received by members of the General Assembly for each day a committee member is in attendance at a meeting of the committee, plus reimbursement for actual transportation costs incurred while traveling by public carrier or the mileage allowance authorized for certain state officials and employees for the use of a personal automobile in connection with such attendance. Such allowance and reimbursement shall be paid in lieu of any other per diem, allowance, or remuneration and shall be paid from funds appropriated to the Department of Community Affairs. History. Code 1981, § 48-13-56.1, enacted by Ga. L. 2004, p. 403, § 3; Ga. L. 2005, p. 60, § 48/HB 95; Ga. L. 2005, p. 532, § 2/HB 505; Ga. L. 2008, p. 1032, § 11/HB 1168. Cross references. Annual local government finances reports and local independent authority indebtedness reports, § 36-81-8. Code Commission notes. Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2004, “economic development” was substituted for “industry, trade, and tourism” in paragraph (a)(7) and “state revenue commissioner” was substituted for “commissioner of revenue” in paragraph (a)(8).