The medias are jam-packed with stories about cash-strapped states these days, and Georgia is certainly among them, with a projected budget shortfall of $1.3 billion for 2012. So of course the state's leaders are looking to scrape cash together any way they can. Or not. Seems there are 13 state-owned buildings- ranging from a closed prison appraised at $20 million (pictured) to an old Forestry Commission office valued at $300k- sitting vacant, waiting to be sold. But a combination of legal red tape and bureaucracy is keeping those buildings from hitting the market. Though the state's total building sales over the past 8 years have only brought in $45 million (and we say "only" in the context of a billion-plus dollar deficit), it still seems like a missed opportunity, and not just fiscally. Abandoned buildings are notoriously good for no one, save the odd squatter. Remind us again- what bills didn't die in committee under the Gold Dome this past session?
· Millions of dollars in state property unneeded, but not for sale [11Alive.com]
· States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact [Center on Budget & Policy Priorities]