Troup County residents and employers now are required to have certain documents while seeking benefits such as business licenses from the county.
The state Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act has put in place new requirements for residents and business owners, county attorney Mark DeGennaro told the County Commission on Tuesday.
One of the requirements is that anyone seeking a public benefit through the county must present a secure and verifiable document. Public benefits are define as occupation tax certificates, business licenses, alcohol permits and contracts with the county, DeGennaro said.
Those secure and verifiable documents include items such as a passport, military ID or driver’s license.
“The documents have to be received in person or electronically, they cannot be mailed,” DeGennaro said.
Those applying for public benefits also must submit a Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements affidavit, something that has been done for the past two years said county CFO Stewart Mills.
“I think we were far ahead of the curb when we started doing this,” said County Manager Mike Dobbs.
The other requirement affects private employers seeking benefit or business with the county.
“What this requirement does is it requires another affidavit that folks bring to the county for a business license,” DeGennaro said. “It will have them say they are actively participating in the E-Verify program.”
E-Verify program checks the employment eligibility and immigration statuses of all new hires.
Currently only private employers with 500 or more employees need to have the E-Verify affidavit. DeGennaro said the county does not have any businesses the rule applies to.
After July 1, private employers with 100 or more employees will be required to have the affidavit, and businesses with 10 employees or more will need the paperwork by July 1, 2013.
DeGennaro said his office has spent considerable time to try and work through the new requirements, and he believes the biggest challenge will be getting residents to understand the new rules.
Mills said it could take up personnel time by having to verify documents and keep them on file, but he did not have an estimated cost to the county for the new requirements.
The county has lost some low bids for contracts from businesses that did not want to sign the affidavit, said Assistant County Manager Tod Tentler.
In other business Tuesday, the Commission set candidate qualifying fees for county offices this year. The most expensive fee is state court judge at $3,459.19. County Commission seats are least expensive at $180 each.
A majority of the fees are set up based on the office’s salary, and all fees going into general funds, officials said.
Also Tuesday:
• Commissioner Buck Davis was elected vice chairman. The position rotates among board members annually.
• The county amended an agreement to include the purchase 34.8 acres to expand the county construction and demolition waste landfill. LaGrange voted in December to pay half of the expansion’s cost.
• A wine and malt beverage license was approved for Tall Tales Bait and Grocery at 3191 Robert Hayes Road.
Read more: La Grange News - New requirements for county benefits private employers
