---
title: HB 1555. Fort Valley, City of; deannex certain territory
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1555
cite_as: HB 1555, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1555
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1555.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1555/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74100
date: 2026-05-12
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1554.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1556.md
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 887
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1555.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1555
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-12
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-12
sponsors:
  - Bethany Ballard
  - Patty Stinson
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1555/2025
upstream_id: 2134474
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - city boundaries
  - Fort Valley
  - local government charter
  - utility commission
  - annexation and deannexation
---

# HB 1555. Fort Valley, City of; deannex certain territory

## Text

House Bill 1555 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Ballard of the 147th and Stinson of the 150th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act providing a new charter for the City of Fort Valley, approved
August 22, 1907 (Ga. L. 1907, p. 651), as amended, so as to deannex certain territory from
the city limits; to provide that the city shall be obligated to transfer title in any real or
personal property related to the operation of the utility system upon the request of the utility
commission; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act providing a new charter for the City of Fort Valley, approved August 22, 1907
(Ga. L. 1907, p. 651), as amended, is revised by adding a new section following Section 1A
to read as follows:
"SECTION 1B.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this charter to the contrary, the right-of-way of
State Route 96 east of a point found at 32.554019, -83.865025 and any portion of the
right-of-way of Houser's Mill Road shall be removed from the corporate limits of the city."
SECTION 2.
Said Act is further amended in Section 1.1 by revising subsection (f) as follows:
"(f) The commission is hereby expressly authorized to purchase or sell real or personal
property at public or private sale in its own name and under such terms and conditions and
for whatever consideration the commission deems necessary. The commission is further
authorized to trade, exchange, lease, rent, and otherwise contract in its own name
concerning any real or personal property that the city may now or hereafter own or have
an interest in and which forms a part of the commission's utility system, provided that the
commission satisfies any indebtedness thereon. All proceeds from any such sale shall be
used solely for the benefit of the utility system, provided that the commission has satisfied
any indebtedness thereon or purchased the same, as applicable, from commission proceeds.
All such property acquired after July 1, 2019, shall be the property of the commission, but
the commission shall have the right and responsibility to manage and operate any real or
personal property that the city may now or hereafter own or have an interest in and which
forms a part of the commission's utility system; provided, however, that nothing in this
subsection shall impair obligations or covenants entered into in respect of such property
or revenues prior to the date of its enactment; and provided, further, that the terms of
existing agreements permitting additional and future obligations to be issued or refinanced
by the repledging of such property or revenues shall be unaffected by the terms of this Act.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this charter to the contrary, the city shall be
obligated to transfer title to the commission of any real or personal property that the city
may now or hereafter own or have an interest in and which forms a part of the
commission's utility system upon the commission adopting a resolution requesting that title
in such property be transferred to the commission."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 1555 removes a stretch of State Route 96 and part of Houser's Mill Road from the City of Fort Valley's corporate limits and requires the city to transfer utility-related property to its utility commission when asked.

### Plain-language summary

This bill amends the 1907 charter of the City of Fort Valley, Georgia. It removes ('deannexes') the right-of-way of State Route 96 east of a specific coordinate point, along with any portion of Houser's Mill Road, from the city's official boundaries.
The bill also changes the section of the charter governing the city's utility commission. It keeps existing rules letting the commission buy, sell, lease, or trade real or personal property tied to the utility system, but adds a new requirement: the city must transfer title of any such property to the commission whenever the commission passes a resolution asking for it. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date beyond normal enactment.

### What it does

- Removes the right-of-way of State Route 96 east of a named coordinate point, and part of Houser's Mill Road, from Fort Valley's city limits.
- Adds a new charter section (1B) stating this deannexed land is excluded from the corporate limits regardless of other charter provisions.
- Requires the city to transfer title of utility-related real or personal property to the utility commission whenever the commission adopts a resolution requesting it.
- Preserves the commission's existing authority to buy, sell, lease, trade, or otherwise manage property tied to the utility system, as long as any debt on it is satisfied.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these changes.

### Who it affects

Residents and property owners along the affected stretch of State Route 96 and Houser's Mill Road, who would no longer be within Fort Valley's city limits; the City of Fort Valley government; and the city's utility commission, which gains a stronger legal claim on utility-related property.

### Why it matters

People living or owning property in the deannexed area would shift out of the city's jurisdiction, potentially changing which local government provides services, taxes, or regulates them. The utility commission would also gain a clearer legal path to obtain title to property tied to its operations whenever it formally requests it.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 adds new charter Section 1B, removing the State Route 96 right-of-way east of coordinates 32.554019, -83.865025, and part of Houser's Mill Road, from city limits.
- Section 2 revises Section 1.1(f) of the charter, keeping the commission's power to buy, sell, lease, and trade utility-related property under conditions that satisfy existing debt.
- Section 2 adds a requirement that the city must transfer title of utility-related property to the commission once the commission adopts a resolution requesting the transfer.
- Section 2 preserves protections for existing debt obligations and covenants tied to utility property or revenues predating this change.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-12)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-12 (2026-05-12)
- Sponsors: Bethany Ballard, Patty Stinson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74100

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1555.md?full=1