HB 953: City of Statesboro Public Facilities Authority Act; enact

This bill sets up a new public corporation called the City of Statesboro Public Facilities Authority, which acts as an instrumentality of the state but focuses on helping Statesboro build and finance facilities it needs for its government operations, such as buildings, sewers, utilities, and broadband. The authority has five members appointed by the Statesboro city council, no more than two of whom can also sit on the council, serving staggered three year terms. The authority can acquire land, construct projects, sign leases and contracts, and issue revenue bonds to pay for construction. Those bonds are repaid only from rents and revenues the authority collects, not from city or state tax dollars, so no public debt is created. The bill also gives the authority the same legal immunity from lawsuits over torts as a Georgia county, exempts its bonds and property from most taxes, sets Bulloch County Superior Court as the venue for legal disputes, and provides that if the authority is ever dissolved, its property goes to the City of Statesboro.

• Establishes the City of Statesboro Public Facilities Authority as a separate public corporation that can acquire, build, and operate government facilities for the city.
• Authorizes the authority to issue revenue bonds to pay for projects, with repayment coming only from project revenues and rents, not from city or state taxes.
• Sets up a five-member board appointed by the Statesboro city council, limiting elected officials to two of the five seats and setting staggered three-year terms.
• Grants the authority county-level immunity from tort and negligence lawsuits and exempts its property, bonds, and bond income from most state taxes.
• Requires that legal actions against the authority or over its bonds be filed in the Superior Court of Bulloch County.
• Provides that if the authority is dissolved after paying off its bonds, all of its remaining property transfers to the City of Statesboro.

The City of Statesboro's government, which gains a new financing tool for public buildings and infrastructure; the five appointed authority board members; bondholders who purchase the authority's revenue bonds; and any private companies or contractors that lease, build, or do business with authority projects.

Statesboro would gain a way to finance new government buildings, utilities, or broadband projects through bonds that are repaid from project revenue rather than city tax dollars, meaning the city could pursue capital projects without directly increasing its own debt load or tax burden.

• Section 2 creates the authority as a state instrumentality with its legal home in the City of Statesboro, separate from state financing oversight under O.C.G.A. Title 50.
• Section 3 sets a five-member board appointed by the city council, three-year staggered terms, and a rule that no more than two members can also be council members.
• Section 5 lists the authority's powers, including acquiring property, signing contracts and leases, and issuing revenue bonds for its projects.
• Section 6 states that revenue bonds do not count as debt of the City of Statesboro or the State of Georgia and cannot be repaid using tax money.
• Section 9 requires lawsuits involving the authority or its bonds to be filed in the Superior Court of Bulloch County.
• Section 14 exempts the authority's property, activities, and income from most taxes, though not from sales and use tax on its purchases.
• Section 15 gives the authority and its employees the same immunity from tort lawsuits that Georgia counties have.
• Section 20 directs that the authority's property go to the City of Statesboro if the authority is dissolved after its bonds are paid off.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 658
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-17Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-17Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-06House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)Primary sponsor
• Butch Parrish (R, HD-158)
• Jon Burns (R, HD-159)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 6, 2026

   163 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #480

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 17, 2026

   48 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #548

• local government finance
• public authorities
• Statesboro
• revenue bonds
• municipal infrastructure