HB816: HB816 Greene County Public Facilities Authority Act; enact

This bill sets up a new public corporation called the Greene County Public Facilities Authority. Its five members would be appointed by the Greene County Board of Commissioners, and its job is to acquire, build, and operate public buildings and facilities for the county, the Greene County School District, or municipalities within the county. To pay for projects, the authority can issue revenue bonds under Georgia's Revenue Bond Law (O.C.G.A. Title 36, Chapter 82, Article 3), charge fees and rates for its services, and accept grants or loans from governments. These bonds are not backed by county or state tax money; they are repaid only from the authority's own revenues. The authority gets the same lawsuit immunity as the county for its officers and employees, and its property and bonds are tax exempt. If the authority is ever dissolved, its assets go to Greene County. The law takes effect immediately once signed by the Governor.

• Creates the Greene County Public Facilities Authority as a political subdivision with power to sue, be sued, and hold property.
• Sets up a five-member board appointed by the Greene County Board of Commissioners, serving four-year terms without pay beyond expenses.
• Authorizes the authority to issue revenue bonds (with a maximum 40-year term) to pay for building and equipping public facilities.
• Exempts the authority's income, property, and bonds from state and local taxes.
• Grants the authority and its employees the same immunity from lawsuits over torts and negligence that Greene County itself has.
• Specifies that revenue bonds are repaid only from project revenues and do not count as debt of the county or the state.

Greene County government and its Board of Commissioners, the Greene County School District, municipalities within the county, potential bondholders and investors, and county residents who may use facilities the new authority builds or operates.

Greene County gains a new tool for financing public buildings and infrastructure without directly using county tax revenue or debt capacity, since the authority's bonds are repaid solely through its own fees and project income rather than taxpayer funds.

• Section 2 creates the authority as a body corporate with five members appointed by the county commission, serving four-year terms, with a three-member quorum.
• Section 4 lists the authority's powers, including acquiring property, hiring staff, entering contracts, and issuing bonds or other debt instruments.
• Section 5 caps revenue bond maturities at 40 years and ties bond issuance to the state's Revenue Bond Law.
• Section 9 states that revenue bonds are not a debt of Greene County or Georgia and do not obligate either government to levy taxes to pay them.
• Section 14 designates the Superior Court of Greene County as the exclusive venue for lawsuits involving the authority or bond validation.
• Section 17 states the authority's purpose is financing and providing public facilities for the county, and that its assets revert to the county if dissolved.
• Section 20 gives the authority and its employees the same tort immunity Greene County has.
• Section 25 sets the effective date as upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without approval.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2025-05-13
2. 2025-05-13Act 235
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-04-02Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-31Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-31House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2025

   165 yea, 0 nay (10 not voting, 5 absent)

   Local Calendar Without Hbs 851 & 852: House Vote #342

2. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2025

   51 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #381

• local government authorities
• public facilities financing
• revenue bonds
• Greene County government
• municipal bonds