HB 766: Sumter-Americus Unification Commission Act; enact

Right now Sumter County, the City of Americus, and the towns of Andersonville, De Soto, Leslie, and Plains operate as separate governments. This bill would set up a six-member unification commission, including the county commission chair, the mayor of Americus, and business community representatives, to study whether those governments should merge into one county-wide government. The smaller cities could join the study as nonvoting members. The commission would have subpoena power, could hire staff, and would be funded initially by up to $20,000 each from Sumter County and Americus. If it decides consolidation makes sense, it must draft a charter, hold public hearings, and file the charter by August 31, 2027 (extendable). The charter would then go to separate referendums in Sumter County, Americus, and each participating city. Certain protections are built in, including that the Sumter County School District, the sheriff, clerk of superior court, and tax commissioner offices cannot be abolished. The law would take effect once the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature.

• Creates a six-member Sumter-Americus Unification Commission with representatives from the county, the city of Americus, and local business organizations to study government consolidation.
• Allows the cities of Andersonville, De Soto, Leslie, and Plains to join the commission as nonvoting members within 30 days of the law taking effect.
• Authorizes the commission to hire staff, subpoena witnesses and records, and hold public hearings while studying whether to merge local governments.
• Requires Sumter County and the City of Americus to each initially fund the commission with up to $20,000 and to share future costs proportionally.
• Sets an August 31, 2027 deadline (extendable) for the commission to complete a proposed charter, which must then go through separate voter referendums in each affected jurisdiction.
• Protects the Sumter County School District, the sheriff, clerk of superior court, and tax commissioner from being abolished or altered by any resulting charter.

Residents and voters of Sumter County, the City of Americus, and the smaller cities of Andersonville, De Soto, Leslie, and Plains; local elected officials including the county commission chairperson and city mayors; county and city employees who may be asked to provide records; and business groups named in the bill such as the One Sumter Development Foundation.

If the commission recommends and voters approve a merged charter, Sumter County's separate city and county governments could be replaced by a single county-wide government, changing how local services, taxes, and elected offices work. Until then, the bill mainly sets up a study process and funding, not an actual merger.

• Section 3 establishes the commission's six voting members and allows four small cities to join as nonvoting members within 30 days of the law's effective date.
• Section 4 requires an organizational meeting within 30 to 45 days, election of a chairperson, and initial funding of up to $20,000 each from Sumter County and Americus.
• Section 5 authorizes the commission to study consolidating all local governments into one county-wide government and to issue written findings.
• Section 6 lists mandatory and optional charter provisions, including creation of a new governing authority, tax districts, and rules for amending the charter, while explicitly protecting the school district, pensions, and certain elected offices from abolition.
• Section 7 requires at least two public hearings on the commission's work and additional hearings by each affected government after the final report.
• Section 8 sets an August 31, 2027 deadline for completing and filing the proposed charter, extendable by local resolutions or legislative action.
• Section 10 details separate ballot referendums for Sumter County, Americus, and each participating small city, each requiring majority approval to take effect.
• Section 12 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without his approval.

1. 2025-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)
3. 2025-03-25House Third Readers (House)
4. 2025-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
5. 2025-03-18House Second Readers (House)
6. 2025-03-13House First Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-11House Hopper (House)

• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2025

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

   Local Calendar: House Vote #302

• city-county consolidation
• local government
• Sumter County
• Americus
• government reorganization