Georgia CommonsSB 621: "Barrow County Public Facilities Authority Act"; enact
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
Senate Bill 621 creates the Barrow County Public Facilities Authority, a new government body that can build public facilities, borrow money through revenue bonds, and manage them on behalf of Barrow County.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This bill sets up a new public corporation called the Barrow County Public Facilities Authority. It would be run by five members: the chairperson of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners, two other county commissioners, and two Barrow County residents appointed by the Board of Commissioners. The Authority can own property, hire staff, sign contracts, and build or operate 'projects,' meaning buildings and facilities the county or its departments need. To pay for these projects, the Authority can issue revenue bonds, a type of debt repaid from project revenue rather than general tax dollars, following Georgia's Revenue Bond Law (O.C.G.A. § 36-82-60 et seq.). The bill specifically bars the Authority from issuing bonds for the Barrow County School District or other cities within the county, limiting its bond financing to Barrow County itself. The Authority gets tax exemption and limited tort immunity similar to the county's. If dissolved, its assets revert to Barrow County. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.
What the bill does
- Establishes the Barrow County Public Facilities Authority as an independent public corporation with the power to sue, be sued, and hold property.
- Creates a five-member governing board made up of Barrow County commissioners and county residents appointed by the Board of Commissioners.
- Authorizes the Authority to issue revenue bonds to pay for building and operating public facilities, but bars using those bonds for the school district or other cities in the county.
- Grants the Authority the same tort immunity (protection from certain lawsuits) and tax exemptions that Barrow County itself has.
- Requires that revenue bond debt not be backed by the county's or state's general tax credit, meaning bondholders are repaid only from project revenues.
- Directs that all Authority assets go to Barrow County if the Authority is ever dissolved.
Who it affects
Barrow County government and its Board of Commissioners, county residents who may serve on or be affected by projects built by the Authority, potential bondholders who invest in the Authority's revenue bonds, and Barrow County taxpayers who could benefit from or be excluded from funded projects such as the school district.
Why it matters
Barrow County would gain a dedicated entity that can finance and manage public facilities through borrowing, without directly obligating county or state tax dollars. Because bond financing is barred for the school district and other municipalities, those entities could not tap this new financing tool, concentrating its use on county government projects.
Key provisions
- Section 2 creates the Authority as a political subdivision with perpetual existence and defines its five-member board, including term lengths and eligibility rules.
- Section 4 lists the Authority's powers, including acquiring property, condemning land, hiring staff, and entering contracts.
- Section 5 authorizes revenue bond issuance for county projects but explicitly excludes financing for the Barrow County School District or other municipalities in the county.
- Section 7 states that revenue bonds are not a debt of the county or state and cannot be backed by tax pledges, only by project revenue.
- Section 13 sets the Superior Court of Barrow County as the exclusive venue for lawsuits and bond validation actions involving the Authority.
- Section 16 states the Authority's purpose is promoting public welfare in Barrow County and provides that its assets revert to the county upon dissolution.
- Section 19 gives the Authority the same tort immunity as Barrow County for its officers and employees.
- Section 24 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law.
From the bill
“no such revenue bonds shall be issued to finance a project for the Barrow County School District or any other political subdivision or municipal corporation of the state located within Barrow County other than Barrow County”
“Revenue bonds of the Authority shall not be deemed to constitute a debt of Barrow County or the State of Georgia, nor a pledge of the faith and credit of this state or such county”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 621
- Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
- Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
- Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
- Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 19, 2026
49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)
- House voteApril 2, 2026
94 yea, 75 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)
Topics
- local government authorities
- public facilities financing
- Barrow County
- revenue bonds
- county government powers