HB 513: Local government; criteria for service delivery strategy; revise provisions

Georgia law generally bars counties and cities from requiring gas stations to install video surveillance equipment. This bill carves out an exception: any local government that had already adopted such an ordinance before May 6, 2024 can keep enforcing it. The bill also rewrites part of the state's service delivery strategy law (O.C.G.A. § 36-70-24), which governs how counties and cities divide the cost of shared services. It clarifies that when a county and cities jointly fund a county-wide service, the county's share must come from unincorporated area residents, and it expands and reorganizes the list of taxes and fees counties can use for that funding, adding zoning fees and alcohol licensing fees. It also requires counties to give an annual report to other local governments detailing funds received and costs for these services, and it specifies that future legislative changes to this section do not automatically trigger a required review of existing strategies. The surveillance provision takes effect July 1, 2025; the service delivery changes take effect January 1, 2026.

• Allows counties, municipalities, or consolidated governments that adopted gas station video surveillance ordinances before May 6, 2024 to keep enforcing them, despite the general ban on such mandates.
• Confirms that when a county and one or more cities jointly fund a county-wide service, the county's portion of that funding must come from unincorporated area residents.
• Expands the list of allowable funding sources for county services to include zoning fees, alcohol licensing fees, and solid waste franchise fees, while excluding amounts collected from incorporated areas.
• Requires counties to give each party to a service delivery strategy an annual report showing funds received and the cost of providing the relevant services.
• Specifies that a party does not have to keep separate accounts to comply with the new reporting requirement.
• States that a General Assembly amendment to the service delivery criteria law does not itself trigger a required review and revision of an already-approved strategy.

Georgia counties, municipalities, and consolidated governments, especially those with existing gas station surveillance ordinances; unincorporated area residents and property owners who fund county services; and local governments that are parties to service delivery strategy agreements with their counties.

Local governments that already required gas station cameras can keep those rules in place instead of repealing them. Counties gain clearer authority and more funding tools, plus a new reporting duty, when splitting the cost of shared services with cities, which affects how unincorporated residents are charged.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-60-32 to let local governments that adopted gas station video surveillance ordinances before May 6, 2024 continue enforcing them, effective July 1, 2025.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-70-24 to state the county's share of jointly funded county-wide services must be borne by unincorporated area residents, individuals, and property owners.
• Section 2 adds zoning fees, alcohol licensing fees, and solid waste franchise fees to the list of funding sources counties may use, excluding amounts from incorporated areas.
• Section 2 requires counties to give an annual report to each strategy party listing funds received and the cost of covered services, without requiring separate accounts.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-70-28 to state that a General Assembly amendment to the service delivery criteria section does not by itself require a strategy review.
• Section 4 sets the surveillance provision effective July 1, 2025, and the service delivery provisions effective January 1, 2026.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-14Act 270
3. 2025-05-14House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-04-04House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2025-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2025-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2025-03-21Senate Read Second Time (Senate)

• John LaHood (R, HD-175)Primary sponsor
• Victor Anderson (R, HD-10)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)
• Brian Prince (D, HD-132)
• Max Burns (R, SD-23)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   169 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 7 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #214

2. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2025

   50 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE: Senate Vote #389

3. PassedHouse voteApril 4, 2025

   163 yea, 2 nay (6 not voting, 9 excused)

   Agree to Senate Substitute: House Vote #440

• local government funding
• gas station surveillance
• service delivery strategy
• county and city cost sharing
• property taxes and fees