Committee advances bill updating GDOT public-notice rules, towing incentives and utility coordination

The House Transportation Committee on Monday advanced House Bill 575, a package of technical and programmatic updates to Georgia transportation law, by voice vote after a brief explanation from a Georgia Department of Transportation staff member.

The bill’s sponsor and GDOT staff said the measure makes four main changes: it updates statutory language for clarity, adjusts public-notice timing for hearings, allows condominium associations to serve as the agent for owner notices in negotiations over common property, clarifies the state’s towing-recovery incentive program for commercial vehicles and permits earlier coordination with utility owners for relocations on projects where the department already owns right of way.

Sponsor and GDOT briefers said the public-notice change would require two printings as before but allow the second printing to be either within five days of the meeting or in the last publishing before the meeting in jurisdictions with weekly newspapers. "So this just says either 5 days or the last publishing before the meeting," GDOT staff member Josh Waller said.

Waller told the committee the condominium provision would let the homeowner association or condo board serve as the department’s agent for communicating about negotiations that affect common property such as green space or shared parking. "Basically makes the HOA for the condo the agent on behalf of all of them for communication with us," he said, adding that the HOA’s governing documents would remain in force and not be superseded by the statute.

The bill also spells out the towing recovery and incentive program, known in practice as TRIP, which pays a supplemental premium to prequalified towers to encourage rapid removal of disabled or wrecked commercial vehicles on interstates. Waller said the premium typically ranges from about $800 to $2,000 and is tied to the complexity of the incident and the timeliness of the response; the premium is generally payable if the qualified tower clears the scene within about 90 minutes, although circumstances vary.

Finally, HB 575 would clarify that when the department already holds the right of way for a future project, GDOT may coordinate earlier with utility owners to relocate facilities before the construction contract is awarded. Waller said early relocation can reduce cascading delays when multiple utilities must be moved in sequence.

Committee members asked for examples and for clarity on how the towing premium is set; Waller described the scale as variable depending on the complexity of the crash and the need for specialized equipment. Committee members also discussed the practical benefits of being able to begin utility relocation sooner in projects where the department already owns the needed property.

The committee adopted a substitute and approved the bill by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The measure proceeds to further consideration; the substitute was identified in committee as LC4628.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 575 — Do pass substitute (LC4628); voice vote; substitute adopted.