# Georgia SB 457: City of Mulberry; provision of services and exercise of powers by the city; provide Georgia SB 457, City of Mulberry; provision of services and exercise of powers by the city; provide, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Bill Cowsert (Republican), Clint Dixon (Republican), Shawn Still (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-05-11 (Senate Date Signed by Governor) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB457-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia SB 457 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: City of Mulberry; provision of services and exercise of powers by the city; provide - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-03 - Last action: 2026-05-11, Senate Date Signed by Governor - Sponsors: Bill Cowsert (Republican), Clint Dixon (Republican), Shawn Still (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Intragovernmental Coordination, State and Local Governmental Operations, Local Bill - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (198 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Mulberry cannot charge city property taxes: benefit, high. Mulberry cannot assess, levy, or collect property taxes on real or personal property within its city limits. This ban applies to city property taxes, not taxes imposed by other governments. The law sets no tax rate or dollar amount of savings. - Removal protections for Mulberry’s city manager: benefit, medium. Removing Mulberry’s city manager starts with a preliminary resolution approved by a majority of the council. The council can temporarily suspend the manager for up to 45 days, and the manager can request a public hearing. Final removal requires four councilmembers. Salary continues through the effe… - City manager runs Mulberry’s daily operations: benefit, low. Mulberry’s city manager is its chief administrator, appointed by the mayor with council approval for an indefinite term. The manager serves at the council’s pleasure and must be chosen solely for executive and administrative qualifications, including education and experience. The manager must devot… - Mulberry can arrange local city services: benefit, low. Mulberry can plan and zone, support community and economic development, and adopt and enforce codes. It can also arrange solid-waste collection and disposal and storm-water collection and disposal. The city can use agreements with other governments, contracts, franchises, or lawful agreements with… - Mulberry sets staggered council election terms: benefit, low. Except for initial elections covered elsewhere in the charter, municipal general elections begin in 2027 and occur every two years. Election day is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Members elected in 2027 from Districts 1, 3, and 5 serve four-year terms through December 31, 2031. Tho… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Bill Cowsert (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Clint Dixon (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Shawn Still (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Chuck Efstration (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-20 | House | Local Calendar | pass | 153 | 0 | 18 | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR | pass | 45 | 0 | 7 | ## Actions (13) - 2026-05-11: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2026-05-11: Act 610 - 2026-05-11: Effective Date - 2026-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-20: House Committee Favorably Reported (House) - 2026-03-20: House Third Readers (House) - 2026-03-20: House Passed/Adopted (House) - 2026-03-06: House Second Readers (House) - 2026-03-04: House First Readers (House) - 2026-03-03: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate) - 2026-02-04: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2026-02-03: Senate Hopper (Senate) ## Bill text - SB 457/AP* (v6): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/246960) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [SB 457/AP* (v6) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/246960) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB457-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).