HB548: HB548 Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority Act; enact

The Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority is a public body created in 1977 to help redevelop and finance projects in the City of Albany and Dougherty County. This bill restates and updates the law that governs the authority, replacing Sections 1 through 12 of the earlier Acts with new, consolidated language. The bill keeps the authority's basic structure (a mayor as a nonvoting member plus seven appointed members) but spells out definitions, powers, conflict of interest rules, and procedures for issuing revenue bonds in more detail. It confirms the authority's tax-exempt status, protects its property from being seized to pay debts except when pledged as collateral, and says the changes apply only going forward, without disturbing bonds or projects already underway. The bill also repeals conflicting laws and directs that it be read broadly to carry out its purposes.

• Restates the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority's governing law, replacing prior sections with updated definitions, powers, and procedures.
• Confirms the authority's structure: the Albany mayor as a nonvoting member plus seven members appointed by the city commission for two-year terms.
• Clarifies that the mayor and city commission members can vote on transactions between the city and the authority without it counting as a conflict of interest.
• Authorizes the authority to issue revenue bonds maturing in up to 40 years to pay for projects, with bonds exempt from state taxation.
• Declares authority property protected from being seized to pay debts, except property specifically pledged to secure an obligation.
• States the changes apply only prospectively, so existing bonds, projects, and actions taken before the bill's effective date are not affected.

The Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority and its appointed members, the City of Albany's mayor and city commission, Dougherty County government, holders of the authority's revenue bonds, and any private businesses or public bodies that contract with the authority on redevelopment projects.

The bill does not create new taxes or spending but modernizes the legal framework the authority uses to finance and manage redevelopment projects in Albany and Dougherty County, affecting how the authority borrows money, contracts with private parties, and operates day to day.

• Section 2 defines key terms including 'project,' 'costs of the project,' 'public bodies,' and 'redevelopment powers law,' shaping what the authority can finance.
• Section 3 continues the authority as a public corporate body, sets its membership (mayor plus seven appointed members) and quorum rules, and states it is an institution of purely public charity.
• Section 4 lists the authority's powers, including contracting, borrowing, acquiring and selling property, and exercising redevelopment powers delegated by the city or county.
• Section 5 sets rules for issuing revenue bonds, including a 40-year maximum maturity, tax exemption for the bonds, and validation procedures through the Superior Court of Dougherty County.
• Section 6 gives the authority and its officers the same tort immunity as the City of Albany.
• Section 7 shields authority property from levy and sale except property specifically pledged as collateral for a debt.
• Section 9 states that authority earnings cannot benefit private persons and that its property reverts to the city if the authority is dissolved.
• Section 11 makes the changes prospective only, preserving the authority's powers over projects and bonds that existed before the bill takes effect.

1. 2025-03-11Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-10House Passed/Adopted (House)
3. 2025-03-10House Third Readers (House)
4. 2025-03-10House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
5. 2025-02-24House Second Readers (House)
6. 2025-02-21House First Readers (House)
7. 2025-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)Primary sponsor
• Bill Yearta (R, HD-152)
• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)
• David Sampson (D, HD-153)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 10, 2025

   165 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 7 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #270

• local government authorities
• Albany Georgia
• Dougherty County
• redevelopment financing
• revenue bonds