--- title: HB 802. Cedartown, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb802 cite_as: HB 802, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb802 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb802.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb802/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71487 date: 2025-05-14 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/hb801.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb803.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 885 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb802.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 802 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-14 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-14 sponsors: - Trey Kelley text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB802/2025 upstream_id: 2012195 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - local government - redevelopment law - tax allocation districts - Cedartown referendum - Polk County --- # HB 802. Cedartown, City of; Redevelopment Powers Law; provide for a referendum ## Text 25 LC 44 2973/AP House Bill 802 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representative Kelley of the 16th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the City of Cedartown, Georgia, to exercise all redevelopment 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 Cedartown, Georgia, shall be and is authorized to exercise 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 authorize the City of Cedartown10 to undertake and carry out community redevelopment, to create t ax allocation districts, to11 issue 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 t he City of Cedartown to14 exercise redevelopment powers as fully as the "Redevelopment Powers Law" may now or15 H. B. 802 - 1 - 25 LC 44 2973/AP hereafter permit and not to limit any redevelopment powers perm itted under the16 "Redevelopment Powers Law."17 SECTION 2.18 The election superintendent of the City of Cedartown shall call and conduct an election, as19 provided in this section, for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of the City of20 Cedartown for approval or rejection. The election superintendent shall conduct that election21 on the Tuesday next following the third Tuesday in June, 2025, and shall issue the call and22 conduct that election as provided by general law. The election superintendent shall cause the23 date and purpose of the election to be published once at least 90 days immediately preceding24 the date thereof and once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date thereof in25 the official organ of Polk County, Georgia. The ballot shall have written or printed thereon26 the words:27 "( ) YES28 ( ) NO29 30 Shall the Act be approved which authorizes the City of Cedartown, Georgia, to exercise all redevelopment powers allowed under the 'Redevel opment 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 borne by the City of Cedartown.37 It shall be the election superintendent's duty to certify the result thereof to the Secretary of38 State.39 H. B. 802 - 2 - 25 LC 44 2973/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. 802 - 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 802 would let the City of Cedartown use Georgia's redevelopment powers law to create tax allocation districts and issue tax allocation bonds, but only if city voters approve it in a referendum. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law allows cities to use special redevelopment tools, including creating tax allocation districts and issuing tax allocation bonds, under the state's 'Redevelopment Powers Law' (O.C.G.A. Chapter 44 of Title 36) and a related provision of the Georgia Constitution. Cedartown currently is not authorized to use these tools. This bill would grant that authority, but it does not take effect on its own. Instead, the bill requires Cedartown's election superintendent to hold a referendum asking voters whether to approve the city using these redevelopment powers. If more than half of voters say yes, 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 the following January 1. The bill also sets notice and publication requirements for the election and repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Authorizes the City of Cedartown to use 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 in which Cedartown voters must approve the authorization before it can take effect. - Sets the referendum date and requires public notice of the election be published in Polk County's official legal organ on a specific schedule before the vote. - Makes the redevelopment authorization automatically repealed if voters reject it or if the election is not properly held. - Requires the election superintendent to certify the referendum results to the Georgia Secretary of State. ### Who it affects Cedartown city government and officials who would gain new redevelopment financing tools, Cedartown voters who must approve the measure in a referendum, and the Polk County official newspaper responsible for publishing election notices. ### Why it matters If approved by voters, Cedartown could use tax allocation districts and bonds to fund redevelopment projects, a financing tool many Georgia cities use to spur development in targeted areas. Whether the city gains this power depends entirely on the outcome of the local referendum. ### Key provisions - Section 1 authorizes Cedartown to exercise all redevelopment powers under the Redevelopment Powers Law and the related state constitutional provision, including tax allocation districts and bonds. - Section 2 requires a referendum held on the Tuesday after the third Tuesday in June 2025, with election notice published in Polk County's official organ at set intervals beforehand. - Section 2 specifies that Section 1 takes effect immediately if more than half the votes cast favor approval. - Section 2 states the entire Act is automatically repealed on the following January 1 if voters reject it or the election is not properly conducted. - Section 3 sets the bill's general effective date as upon the Governor's approval or becoming law without approval, except as modified by the referendum outcome in Section 2. - Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-14) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-14 (2025-05-14) - Sponsors: Trey Kelley - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71487 > The history, votes, and amendments (885 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb802.md?full=1