HB 763: Richmond Hill-Bryan County Airport Authority Act; enact

Bryan County and the City of Richmond Hill currently have no joint authority dedicated to operating public airports. This bill creates the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Airport Authority as an independent public corporation with an 11-member board, seven appointed by the county and city governments and four by the county's legislative delegation. The authority can acquire, build, lease, and operate airports and landing fields, both inside and outside Bryan County with local approval, and can borrow money by issuing revenue bonds backed only by airport earnings, fees, and rents, not by local tax dollars. The bill sets out how board members are appointed and replaced, requires quarterly meetings under Georgia's Open Meetings Law, and spells out bond procedures under the state's Revenue Bond Law, including refunding bonds and court validation in Bryan County Superior Court. The authority must hold its first organizational meeting by April 30, 2026. The law takes effect once the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law.

• Establishes the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Airport Authority as an independent public corporation with perpetual existence and the power to sue and be sued.
• Creates an 11-member board with seven members appointed by Bryan County and Richmond Hill governments and four by the county's legislative delegation, with staggered four-year terms.
• Authorizes the authority to acquire, build, lease, and operate airports and related facilities, including issuing revenue bonds backed only by project revenues, not local tax money.
• Allows the authority to request that the county or city use eminent domain (government seizure of private property for public use, with payment) on its behalf, with the authority covering costs.
• Requires the authority's first organizational meeting by April 30, 2026, and at least quarterly meetings under Georgia's Open Meetings Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 14 of Title 50).
• Sets procedures for issuing, selling, and validating bonds under Georgia's Revenue Bond Law (O.C.G.A. Article 3 of Chapter 82 of Title 36), including refunding bonds and tax exemption for bond income.

Residents and officials of Bryan County and the City of Richmond Hill, including the county manager and city manager who serve on the board, the county's legislative delegation, bondholders who invest in authority-issued bonds, and businesses or governments that lease or use airport facilities the authority builds or operates.

The new authority would take over airport planning, construction, and financing decisions for the area, funded through bonds tied to airport revenue rather than local taxes. Residents would gain a dedicated public body responsible for airport development, while county and city officials would share appointment power over its governing board.

• Section 3 sets the board at 11 members: seven appointed by county and city governments (including the county manager and city manager by title) and four by the county's legislative delegation.
• Section 4 requires the first organizational meeting by April 30, 2026, at Richmond Hill City Hall, with at least quarterly meetings thereafter and compliance with the Open Meetings Law.
• Section 7 grants broad powers including acquiring property, borrowing money, issuing revenue bonds, and requesting eminent domain assistance from the city or county, but not exercising eminent domain directly.
• Section 8 authorizes revenue bonds maturing in up to 30 years, issued under the state's Revenue Bond Law.
• Section 11 exempts the authority's bonds, their transfer, and their income from state taxation.
• Section 17 states that authority bonds do not constitute a debt of Bryan County or Richmond Hill and cannot obligate either government to levy taxes for repayment.
• Section 24 sets venue for lawsuits and bond validation actions in the Superior Court of Bryan County.
• Section 32 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.

1. 2025-05-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-01Act 61
3. 2025-05-01House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-09House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)Primary sponsor
• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)
• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2025

   170 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 4 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #302

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

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

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #313

• airport authority
• Bryan County government
• Richmond Hill
• local government bonds
• transportation infrastructure