GNB Update

It's Thursday...One day left until "Good Friday"...

Tax collections in Georgia have experienced a steady decline lately. On Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that they were off for the fourth straight month at $167 million. That's down 14.5 percent from March 2008. The news came in the wake of lawmakers passing the budget for fiscal year 2010 last week. Still, tax collections have fallen every since November.

A few cities and counties in north Georgia have joined forces to save money and gasoline.

Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that 14 local governments there have teamed up to buy fuel in bulk for their government vehicles. The coalition includes select communities in metro Atlanta, as well as a few from northeast Georgia. They hope to save a few dollars by finding better prices to keep their vehicles running. Individual cities and counties, though, do have the option of pulling out of the arrangement if they find a better deal.

More good economic news for a Georgia public university. The Clayton News-Daily reports that Clayton State University generated almost $200 million for the Clayton County economy during fiscal year 2008. That's according to a recent study from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. Almost half the money generated by Clayton State came from students spending money in Morrow and surrounding areas. Also, the university was responsible for creating nearly 1,700 jobs within the region.

That's the news. Remember to log on to GNB at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com for all of your Georgia business and political news. Enjoy your Easter Weekend.