GeorgiaHB 6852025-2026 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Bartow County Community Improvement Districts Act; enact

Sponsored By: Matthew Gambill (Republican), Mitchell Scoggins (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Intragovernmental CoordinationState and Local Governmental OperationsLocal Bill

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

7 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 5 mixed.

District Investors Face Securities Law Exemption

Offers, sales, and issuances of district bonds, notes, and other debt are exempt from Georgia's Uniform Securities Act of 2008. Investors do not receive that law's regulatory coverage for these offerings. The exemption does not approve a particular sale or set its financial terms.

District Charges Apply To Nonresidential Property

District boards can impose taxes, fees, and assessments, capped at 5 mills—0.5% of eligible property's aggregate assessed value. Residential, agricultural, forestry, tax-exempt, and personal property is excluded. Charges must be fairly divided based on development-related service needs, rather than necessarily being equal for every property. Bartow County collects them and keeps 1%, capped at $25,000 per calendar year; money cannot fund countywide or citywide services. Removed parcels, or parcels becoming nontaxable, keep their existing millage for outstanding bonded debt until that debt is paid or refinanced.

Property Owners Govern Districts With Limits

Each district has at least seven board members, combining local-government appointments and property-owner elections; all members must be district electors. Eligible voters are owners listed in the latest property-tax records whose property is subject to district charges. Owners have one vote for one seat; four seats use one vote per $1,000 of assessed value, including any fraction. Initial elected terms are two or four years, followed by four-year terms; members are unpaid but can receive expense reimbursement. A recall petition requires 20% of the applicable voters who elected the member. Districts cannot campaign for, against, or otherwise communicate about elections; this restriction does not apply to residents.

District Borrowing Funds Projects And Repayment

Districts can borrow outside the usual Georgia limits on local-government borrowing; each issuance requires a board resolution. Bonds and other obligations can last up to 40 years, with no state usury limit or bond interest-rate ceiling. General obligation bonds use district credit and taxing power; other obligations are payable only from pledged property. Debt proceeds can pay project, financing, professional, administrative, loan repayment, and approved reserve costs, or refinance prior obligations. Bonds require validation, and later borrowing cannot impair earlier agreements unless those agreements reserve that authority. District debt does not automatically obligate Georgia, Bartow County, or other local governments.

Bartow Property Owners Can Approve Districts

The law allows improvement districts in unincorporated Bartow County, municipalities, or both. Districts can provide roads, sidewalks, lighting, parks, water, sewage, stormwater, docks, and parking facilities. Activation requires local-government approval and written consent from a majority of owners subject to district charges. Those owners must represent at least 75% of the affected property's assessed value, as certified by the Tax Commissioner. Adding areas requires the same owner thresholds in the added area, plus district board and applicable local-government approval.

District Projects Expand With Local Limits

Districts can manage property, build and operate projects, hire staff and professionals, and accept grants and gifts. They can contract with public and private groups, including state or local agreements lasting up to 50 years. Services require a cooperation agreement with Bartow County and municipalities the district partly occupies. Services cannot conflict with or duplicate local services, and local governments keep control of their facilities and laws. Certain projects in adjoining or specified contiguous districts are allowed only when they directly benefit the funding district.

Owners Can Dissolve Districts After Repayment

One dissolution route requires applicable local-government resolutions and written consent from two-thirds of charged owners representing at least 75% of property value. Every six years, owners also hold a dissolution caucus. That route requires a majority voting yes at the caucus and at least 75% of value-based votes cast. Follow-up ballots require a majority of owners representing at least 75% of assessed value; the Tax Commissioner certifies consent thresholds. After successful dissolution action, districts cannot start projects, take on new obligations, or acquire property; dissolution waits until all debt is satisfied. Assets are used to settle debts, with retained public facilities transferred to local government. Charges then stop, and remaining cash is refunded based on each owner's share of taxes and assessments paid in the latest tax year. A district can later reactivate through the original approval process.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 217 • No: 0

Senate vote • 3/27/2025

LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR

Yes: 52 • No: 0

House vote • 3/10/2025

Local Calendar

Yes: 165 • No: 0 • Other: 8

Actions Timeline

House Date Signed by Governor
5/13/2025House
Act 160
5/13/2025
Effective Date
5/13/2025
House Sent to Governor
4/10/2025House
House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub
4/4/2025House
Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
3/27/2025Senate
Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
3/27/2025Senate
Senate Read and Referred
3/11/2025Senate
House Committee Favorably Reported
3/10/2025House
House Third Readers
3/10/2025House
House Passed/Adopted
3/10/2025House
House Second Readers
3/4/2025House
House First Readers
3/3/2025House
House Hopper
2/28/2025House

Bill Text

HB 685/AP* (v6)
PDF

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