---
title: HB 1560. Springfield, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1560
cite_as: HB 1560, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1560
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1560.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1560/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74115
date: 2026-05-11
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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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1561.md
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 887
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1560.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1560
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Jon Burns
  - Bill Hitchens
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1560/2025
upstream_id: 2134489
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - redevelopment powers
  - tax allocation districts
  - local referendum
  - Springfield Georgia
  - municipal government
---

# HB 1560. Springfield, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum

## Text

House Bill 1560 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Burns of the 159th and Hitchens of the 161st
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the City of Springfield, Georgia, to exercise all redevelopment and other powers
provided for under Article IX, Section II, Paragraph VII(b) of the Georgia Constitution and
Chapter 44 of Title 36 of the O.C.G.A., the "Redevelopment Powers Law," as amended; to
provide for a referendum; to provide for effective dates; to provide for automatic repeal
under certain circumstances; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
The City of Springfield, Georgia, shall be and is authorized to exercise all redevelopment and
other powers provided for under Chapter 44 of Title 36 of the O.C.G.A., the "Redevelopment
Powers Law," as amended. The intention of this Act is to authorize the City of Springfield
to undertake and carry out community redevelopment, to create tax allocation districts, to
issue tax allocation bonds, and to incur other obligations within the meaning of and as fully
permitted under the provisions of Article IX, Section II, Paragraph VII(b) of the Constitution
of the State of Georgia of 1983, as amended, and to authorize the City of Springfield to
exercise redevelopment powers as fully as the "Redevelopment Powers Law" may now or
hereafter permit and not to limit any redevelopment powers permitted under the
"Redevelopment Powers Law."
SECTION 2.
The election superintendent of the City of Springfield shall call and conduct an election, as
provided in this section, for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of the City of
Springfield for approval or rejection. The election superintendent shall conduct that election
on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 2026, and shall issue the call and
conduct that election as provided by general law. The election superintendent shall cause the
date and purpose of the election to be published once at least 90 days immediately preceding
the date thereof and once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date thereof in
the official organ of Effingham County, Georgia. The ballot shall have written or printed
thereon the words:
"( ) YES Shall the Act be approved which authorizes the City of Springfield,
( ) NO Georgia, to exercise all redevelopment powers allowed under the
'Redevelopment Powers Law,' as it may be amended from time to time?"
All persons desiring to vote for approval of the Act shall vote "Yes," and all persons desiring
to vote for rejection of the Act shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on
such question are for approval of the Act, then Section 1 of this Act shall become of full
force and effect immediately. If this Act is not so approved or if the election is not
conducted as provided in this section, Section 1 of this Act shall not become effective and
this Act shall be automatically repealed on the first day of January immediately following
such election date. The expense of such election shall be borne by the City of Springfield.
It shall be the election superintendent's duty to certify the result thereof to the Secretary of
State.
SECTION 3.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 2 of this Act, this Act shall become effective upon
its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.
SECTION 4.
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 1560 would let the City of Springfield use Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law, including creating tax allocation districts and issuing tax allocation bonds, but only if city voters approve it in a November 2026 referendum.

### Plain-language summary

Under Georgia's Constitution and the Redevelopment Powers Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 36-44), cities can undertake redevelopment projects, create tax allocation districts, and issue tax allocation bonds to pay for them, but only if the General Assembly first authorizes the specific city to do so. This bill grants that authorization to the City of Springfield in Effingham County.
The authorization does not take effect automatically. The bill requires the city's election superintendent to hold a referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026, asking voters to approve or reject the city's use of these redevelopment powers. If more than half of votes cast favor approval, the authorization takes effect immediately. If voters reject it, or if the election is not held as required, the authorization never takes effect and the bill automatically repeals itself on the following January 1. The bill takes general effect upon the Governor's signature or otherwise becoming law.

### What it does

- Authorizes the City of Springfield to use all powers under Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 36-44), including creating tax allocation districts and issuing tax allocation bonds.
- Requires a citywide referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026 asking voters to approve or reject the redevelopment authorization.
- Makes the redevelopment authorization take effect immediately only if more than half of the votes cast favor approval.
- Automatically repeals the authorization on the following January 1 if voters reject it or the election is not held as required.
- Requires the election superintendent to publish notice of the election in the county's official legal newspaper on a set schedule and to certify results to the Secretary of State.
- Assigns the cost of holding the referendum to the City of Springfield.

### Who it affects

Registered voters in the City of Springfield who will decide the referendum, city officials and the election superintendent who must administer it, and residents and property owners in any future tax allocation districts the city might create if voters approve the redevelopment powers.

### Why it matters

If Springfield voters approve the referendum, the city gains a financing tool used elsewhere in Georgia to fund redevelopment projects through future property tax revenue growth in designated districts. If voters reject it, the city gains no new powers and the authorization law disappears entirely.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 grants the City of Springfield authority to exercise all powers under the Redevelopment Powers Law, including creating tax allocation districts and issuing tax allocation bonds.
- Section 2 requires a referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026, specifies the exact ballot language, and sets newspaper publication requirements for the election notice.
- Section 2 states that approval by more than half of votes cast makes Section 1 effective immediately, while rejection or a failure to hold the election as required triggers automatic repeal on the following January 1.
- Section 3 sets the general effective date as upon the Governor's approval or the bill otherwise becoming law, except where Section 2 governs.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Jon Burns, Bill Hitchens
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74115

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1560.md?full=1