HB 356: City of Doraville Building and Public Facilities Authority Act; enact

This bill sets up a new public body, the City of Doraville Building and Public Facilities Authority, to acquire, build, equip, and operate buildings and facilities the city needs for its government offices and other functions. The authority is legally separate from the city and state, run by five members appointed by the Doraville City Council, with no more than two also serving on the council. The authority can borrow money by issuing revenue bonds, which are repaid only from rents, fees, and other revenue the authority collects, not from city or state taxes. It can enter into leases and contracts, pledge its revenue to bondholders, and hold property tax-exempt for its official activities, though not exempt from sales and use tax. Lawsuits against the authority go to DeKalb County Superior Court. If the authority is ever dissolved after all its bonds are paid off, its property would transfer to the City of Doraville.

• Creates the City of Doraville Building and Public Facilities Authority as a separate public corporation to build and operate city government facilities.
• Establishes a five-member board appointed by the Doraville City Council, with no more than two members also serving on the council, and sets staggered three-year terms.
• Authorizes the authority to issue revenue bonds to pay for projects, repaid only from rents and revenue the authority collects, not from city or state tax dollars.
• Exempts the authority's bonds and property used for its governmental purposes from state taxation, except sales and use tax.
• Grants the authority the same immunity from tort and negligence lawsuits as the City of Doraville itself.
• Directs that all lawsuits against the authority, including bond validation actions, be filed in DeKalb County Superior Court.

The City of Doraville's government, which gains a new financing tool for public buildings; the five appointed authority board members; DeKalb County Superior Court, which handles related lawsuits and bond validations; and any private parties, lenders, or contractors that lease facilities from or do business with the authority.

Doraville would gain a way to finance new government buildings and facilities through bonds backed by project revenue rather than raising taxes or adding to the city's or state's direct debt. Residents would not be on the hook for these bonds, but they would gain a new city-linked entity with borrowing, contracting, and leasing powers.

• Section 2 establishes the authority as a public corporate body and instrumentality of the state, headquartered in Doraville, separate from city and state government structures.
• Section 3 sets membership rules: five members appointed by the city council, staggered terms, a quorum of two, and no compensation beyond expense reimbursement.
• Section 5 lists the authority's powers, including acquiring property, issuing revenue bonds, leasing projects, and pledging revenue as bond security.
• Section 6 specifies that revenue bonds do not create debt or pledge the credit of the City of Doraville or the State of Georgia.
• Section 9 sets DeKalb County Superior Court as the exclusive venue for lawsuits against the authority and for bond validation actions.
• Section 14 exempts the authority from most taxes on its property and income related to its governmental function, but not from sales and use tax.
• Section 15 gives the authority and its employees the same tort and negligence immunity as the City of Doraville.
• Section 20 requires that if the authority dissolves after paying off its bonds, its remaining property transfers to the City of Doraville.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 138
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-02-21Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-02-21Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-02-13House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Long Tran (D, HD-80)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 13, 2025

   163 yea, 0 nay (11 not voting, 6 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #32

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 21, 2025

   46 yea, 0 nay (9 not voting, 1 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #78

• local government authorities
• public facilities financing
• revenue bonds
• Doraville city government
• municipal law