SB70: SB70 "Conyers Community Improvement Districts Act"; enact

This bill, the "Conyers Community Improvement Districts Act," allows the City of Conyers to establish special districts that can levy taxes, fees, and assessments on nonresidential property to fund specific services like streets, stormwater systems, parks, and public transportation. Each district would be run by a five-member board, one appointed by the Mayor and City Council and four elected by qualifying property owners called electors. A district can only be created if the City Council consents and a majority of affected property owners (representing at least 75 percent of property value) agree in writing. The board can levy up to five mills on nonresidential property, issue bonds and other debt backed by the district itself (not the city or state), and expand or dissolve under specified consent procedures. Residential, agricultural, and forestry land are exempt from these taxes.

• Authorizes the City of Conyers to create one or more community improvement districts to fund services like roads, parks, stormwater systems, water systems, and public transportation.
• Creates a five-member governing board for each district, with one member appointed by the city and four elected by property owners called electors.
• Allows each district's board to levy taxes, fees, and assessments of up to five mills on nonresidential real property within the district, excluding homes, farmland, and forestry land.
• Gives districts the power to issue general obligation bonds, notes, and other debt backed by the district's own taxing power, not by the city or state.
• Sets out procedures for creating, expanding, dissolving, and reactivating a district, each requiring consent from property owners representing a majority and at least 75 percent of property value.
• Exempts district actions from certain standard notice, publication, and referendum requirements otherwise required under Georgia law.

Owners of nonresidential real property within any Conyers community improvement district, since they would pay the new taxes, fees, or assessments and could vote for board members. The City of Conyers government, the Rockdale County Tax Commissioner and Board of Tax Assessors, and any future bondholders are also affected.

If districts are created, nonresidential property owners in those areas would pay an additional tax (up to five mills) dedicated to local infrastructure projects, and a partly elected board rather than the city council would decide how that money is spent, changing who controls local development funding decisions.

• Section 2 limits district purposes to specific services: roads, parks, stormwater and sewage systems, water systems, public transportation, terminal and parking facilities, and other services allowed by general law.
• Section 4 requires City Council approval plus written consent from a majority of affected property owners representing at least 75 percent of property value before a district can be activated.
• Section 5 sets board composition (one appointed, four elected members) and establishes staggered initial terms and an annual caucus of electors to fill board seats.
• Section 6 caps the district tax rate at five mills on nonresidential property, exempts residential, agricultural, and forestry property, and directs the City of Conyers to collect and transmit the proceeds to the board, keeping up to $25,000 or 1 percent as a collection fee.
• Section 8 allows districts to incur debt backed by the district's own credit and taxing power, explicitly stating the debt is not an obligation of the state or the City of Conyers.
• Section 10 grants districts broad powers including contracting, borrowing, issuing bonds, acquiring property, and cooperating with other governments to carry out district projects.
• Section 14 lays out the process for dissolving a district, including required consents, transfer of remaining assets to the City of Conyers, and the possibility of later reactivating a dissolved district.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2025-05-13
2. 2025-05-13Act 244
3. 2025-05-13Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2025-03-04House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-04House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-02-13House Second Readers (House)

• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)Primary sponsor
• Rhonda Taylor (D, HD-092)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 11, 2025

   49 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #33

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   172 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #148

• community improvement districts
• local taxes
• Conyers Georgia
• infrastructure funding
• property taxes