HB 637: Cobb County; board of commissioners; revise a requirement for public hearings

Cobb County's local law currently requires the county commission to hold a public hearing before spending $100,000 or more on an independent consultant, consulting firm, or independent study or survey. This bill raises that threshold to $200,000, meaning smaller expenditures on outside consultants would no longer trigger the public hearing requirement. The bill keeps the existing rule that at least 15 days' notice of the hearing's time and place must be published in a local newspaper of general circulation once the new $200,000 threshold is met. It also keeps an existing exemption for consultants used to support construction or renovation projects, who remain exempt from the public hearing requirement regardless of cost. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and applies only to Cobb County.

• Raises the dollar threshold that triggers a required public hearing before Cobb County can spend money on an independent consultant or study, from $100,000 to $200,000.
• Keeps the requirement that the county publish at least 15 days' notice of the hearing's time and place in a local newspaper once the threshold is reached.
• Preserves an existing exemption for consultants hired to support construction or renovation projects, who are not subject to the hearing requirement.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with this change.

Cobb County residents and taxpayers, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, and outside consultants or consulting firms and researchers hired by the county for studies or surveys are all affected by this change in when public hearings are required.

With the threshold doubled, the county commission could spend up to $200,000 on outside consultants or studies without holding a public hearing or publishing advance notice, reducing the number of contracts subject to that public input step.

• Section 1 rewrites Section 11A of the 1991 Act creating the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, raising the public hearing trigger from $100,000.00 to $200,000.00.
• Section 1 retains the requirement for at least 15 days' published newspaper notice of the hearing's time and place once the threshold applies.
• Section 1 retains the exemption for consultants supporting construction or renovation projects from the public hearing requirement.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 158
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-20Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-18House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Terry Cummings (D, HD-39)Primary sponsor
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
• David Wilkerson (D, HD-38)
• Michael Smith (D, HD-41)
• Lisa Campbell (D, HD-35)
• Mary Frances Williams (D, HD-37)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 18, 2025

   171 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 3 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #279

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #313

• Cobb County government
• local government transparency
• public hearings
• county spending