--- title: HB 734. Vidalia, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb734 cite_as: HB 734, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb734 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb734.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb734/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71187 date: 2025-05-13 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb733.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb735.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb734.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 734 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 sponsors: - Leesa Hagan text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB734/2025 upstream_id: 1994198 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - local referendum - redevelopment powers - tax allocation districts - Vidalia city government - Toombs County --- # HB 734. Vidalia, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum ## Text 25 LC 62 0062/AP House Bill 734 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representative Hagan of the 156th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the City of Vidalia, Georgia to exercise all redev elopment and other powers1 provided for under Article IX, Section II, Paragraph VII(b) of the Georgia Constitution and2 Chapter 44 of Title 36 of the O.C.G.A., the "Redevelopment Powers Law," as amended; to3 provide for a referendum; to provide for effective dates; to pr ovide for automatic repeal4 under certain circumstances; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 SECTION 1.7 The City of Vidalia, Georgia shall be and is authorized to exer cise all redevelopment and8 other powers provided for under Chapter 44 of Title 36 of the O.C.G.A., the "Redevelopment9 Powers Law," as amended. The intention of this Act is to autho rize the City of Vidalia to10 undertake and carry out community redevelopment, to create tax allocation districts, to issue11 tax allocation bonds, and to incur other obligations within the meaning of and as fully12 permitted under the provisions of Article IX, Section II, Paragraph VII(b) of the Constitution13 of the State of Georgia of 1983, as amended, and to authorize the City of Vidalia to exercise14 redevelopment powers as fully as the "Redevelopment Powers Law" may now or hereafter15 H. B. 734 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0062/AP permit and not to limit any redevelopment powers permitted unde r the "Redevelopment16 Powers Law."17 SECTION 2.18 The election superintendent of the City of Vidalia shall call a nd conduct an election, as19 provided in this section, for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of the City of20 Vidalia for approval or rejection. The election superintendent shall conduct that election on21 the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 2025, and shall issue the call and conduct22 that election as provided by general law. The election superintendent shall cause the date and23 purpose of the election to be published once at least 90 days immediately preceding the date24 thereof and once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date thereof in the official25 organ of Toombs County, Georgia. The ballot shall have written or printed thereon the26 words:27 "( ) YES28 29 ( ) NO30 Shall the Act be approved which authorizes the City of Vidalia, Georgia to exercise all redevelopment powers allowed under the 'Redevelopm ent 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 desiring31 to vote for rejection of the Act shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on32 such question are for approval of the Act, then Section 1 of th is Act shall become of full33 force and effect immediately. If this Act is not so approved o r if the election is not34 conducted as provided in this section, Section 1 of this Act shall not become effective and35 this Act shall be automatically repealed on the first day of Ja nuary immediately following36 such election date. The expense of such election shall be born e by the City of Vidalia. It37 shall be the election superintendent's duty to certify the resu lt thereof to the Secretary of38 State.39 H. B. 734 - 2 - 25 LC 62 0062/AP SECTION 3.40 Except as otherwise provided in Section 2 of this Act, this Act shall become effective upon41 its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.42 SECTION 4.43 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.44 H. B. 734 - 3 - ## 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 734 would let the City of Vidalia 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 2025 referendum. ### Plain-language summary Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 44 of Title 36) lets cities undertake redevelopment projects, create tax allocation districts, and issue tax allocation bonds to pay for them, but a city must be specifically authorized to use these tools. This bill grants that authorization to the City of Vidalia. The authorization does not take effect automatically. Section 2 requires Vidalia's election superintendent to hold a referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2025, asking voters whether to approve the city's use of these redevelopment powers. If more than half of the votes cast favor approval, the authorization becomes effective immediately. If voters reject it, or if the election is not held as required, the authorization never takes effect and the entire Act is automatically repealed on the following January 1. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Authorizes the City of Vidalia to exercise all redevelopment powers under Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 44 of Title 36), including creating tax allocation districts and issuing tax allocation bonds. - Requires a local referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2025 before the authorization can take effect. - Sets the vote threshold at more than half of votes cast in favor for the authorization to become effective immediately. - Automatically repeals the entire Act on the following January 1 if voters reject it or the election is not properly held. - Requires the election superintendent to publish notice of the election's date and purpose in Toombs County's official legal organ before the vote. - Places the cost of holding the referendum on the City of Vidalia and requires certification of results to the Georgia Secretary of State. ### Who it affects Registered voters in the City of Vidalia, who will decide the referendum; Vidalia city government and its election superintendent, who must run the vote and could gain new redevelopment financing tools; and Toombs County's official legal newspaper, which must publish the election notice. ### Why it matters If voters approve it, Vidalia could pursue redevelopment projects funded through tax allocation districts and bonds, tools it currently cannot use. If voters reject it or the election does not happen properly, the authorization disappears and the law is automatically repealed. ### Key provisions - Section 1 authorizes Vidalia 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 2025, with notice published at least 90 days before and weekly for two weeks before the election in Toombs County's official organ. - Section 2 states the authorization takes effect immediately if a majority of votes cast favor approval, otherwise the Act is automatically repealed the following January 1. - Section 2 assigns election costs to the City of Vidalia and requires certification of results to the Secretary of State. - Section 3 makes the rest of the Act effective upon the Governor's approval or its becoming law without signature. - Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Leesa Hagan - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71187 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb734.md?full=1