---
title: SB 630. City of Hiram; transfer of duties and obligations to Paulding County; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb630
cite_as: SB 630, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb630
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb630.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb630/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74339
date: 2026-03-23
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
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/sb629.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb631.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb630.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 630
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-20
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
  - Jason Anavitarte
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB630/2025
upstream_id: 2136822
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - city dissolution
  - Paulding County
  - municipal government
  - local taxes
  - Hiram Georgia
---

# SB 630. City of Hiram; transfer of duties and obligations to Paulding County; provide

## Text

Senate Bill 630
By: Senator Anavitarte of the 31st
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To repeal an Act incorporating the City of Hiram, approved February 27, 1956 (Ga. L. 1956,
p. 2620), as amended; to provide for transfer of duties and obligations to Paulding County;
to provide for transfer of all legal rights, privileges, and assets to Paulding County; to
establish a special tax and service district for outstanding bonded indebtedness and other
obligations; to provide for transfer of all federal and state permits and licenses; to provide
for the transfer of ongoing judicial actions; to provide for the continuation of zoning and land
use regulations; to provide for future proceeds of special and regular local option sales taxes;
to provide for the designation of the Community of Hiram; to provide for related matters; to
provide for legislative findings and intent; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has a responsibility to ensure that municipalities operate
in a fiscally sound and sustainable manner for the protection of their residents; and
WHEREAS, concerns have arisen regarding the financial condition and long-term viability
of the City of Hiram; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the citizens of such municipality and the surrounding
community to provide a clear and orderly framework to address such concerns; and
WHEREAS, the General Assembly finds it appropriate to establish a future effective date
for the dissolution of the municipal corporation, thereby providing the City with a defined
opportunity to demonstrate financial stability, responsible governance, and long-term
viability prior to such date; and
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the General Assembly that such time be used by the City to
take necessary corrective action, and that the General Assembly retains the authority to
revisit and amend such dissolution prior to its effective date should the City demonstrate its
ability to operate in a financially sound manner.
SECTION 2.
An Act incorporating the City of Hiram, approved February 27, 1956 (Ga. L. 1956, p. 2620),
as amended, is hereby repealed in its entirety.
SECTION 3.
Paulding County, Georgia, shall be vested with full authority to provide all governmental
services within that area comprising the former jurisdictional boundary of the City of Hiram.
All ordinances, rules, and regulations of Paulding County shall apply within that area as they
do in other unincorporated areas of the county, and the appropriate courts of Paulding County
shall have jurisdiction to enforce such ordinances; provided, however, that this transition
shall not impact any vested rights accrued prior to the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 4.
Upon the effective date of this Act, the existence of any local authority created by or for the
City of Hiram shall likewise terminate on the same date; provided, however, that any joint
authority of which the City of Hiram was a part shall be modified by operation of law to
remove the City of Hiram, and that authority shall continue in existence with its remaining
members. The assets and liabilities of any authority terminated pursuant to this section shall
be treated in the same manner as assets and liabilities of the City of Hiram under this Act.
SECTION 5.
There is hereby created a special tax and service district to be known as the Hiram Services
District which shall correspond to and be coterminous with the corporate limits of the City
of Hiram as those corporate limits existed on the effective date of this Act. Upon the
completion of the purposes provided in this Act for such service district, the tax and service
district may be abolished by resolution of the governing authority of Paulding County.
SECTION 6.
(a) Except as provided herein, all legal rights, privileges, and assets of the City of Hiram and
all records of such assets shall pass to Paulding County without the necessity or formality of
a deed, bill of sale, or other instrument of transfer. The assets that shall transfer include all
real property assets of the City of Hiram of any nature, including, without limitation, freehold
estates, easements, life estates, future interests, and co-owned interests; all tangible and
intangible personal property assets of the City of Hiram of any nature, including, without
limitation, vehicles, heavy equipment, office equipment, and software; all accounts
receivable, rights to payment under contracts fully performed by the City of Hiram, and
similar financial assets of the City of Hiram of any nature; and all digital and electronic
papers and records of the City of Hiram. Expressly excluded from this section are any rights
or assets that derive from executory contracts of the City of Hiram addressed in Section 6 of
this Act.
(b) Those amounts in any general fund for the City of Hiram shall be immediately
transferred to the general fund of Paulding County and segregated by Paulding County for
the provision of services within the Hiram Services District.
(c) Those amounts in any special fund for the City of Hiram shall immediately be transferred
to a special fund of Paulding County and segregated by Paulding County for their designated
special purpose.
SECTION 7.
(a) Except as specifically provided in this Act, neither Paulding County nor the State of
Georgia nor any political subdivision of the State of Georgia shall bear any responsibility or
liability for obligations, amounts, claims, debts, causes of action, judgments, or liabilities that
have accrued to the City of Hiram or its local public authorities, up to and including the
effective date of this Act. Nothing in this Act shall in any manner obligate Paulding County
to provide continued employment for any employee of the City of Hiram or any local public
authority of the city.
(b) Any bonded indebtedness of the City of Hiram shall become the debt and obligation of
the special tax and service district established pursuant to Section 4 of this Act. Paulding
County shall be the successor to the City of Hiram for all purposes relating to such bonded
indebtedness, including the enforcement of rights and remedies of bondholders. The county
shall be authorized but not required to levy a special district tax, fee, or assessment within
the Hiram Services District for the purpose of paying the amounts due on such bonded debt.
(c) Other than those bonded debts provided for in subsection (b) of this section and
Section 11 of this Act, Paulding County shall be authorized but not required to assume the
rights and duties of any executory contract of the City of Hiram in effect as of the effective
date of this Act. If assumed, any rights and obligations of such contracts that by their nature
are personal to the city shall be deemed to apply to the personnel, services, and assets
formerly belonging to the city so as to reasonably fulfill the basic purpose and bargain of the
original contract. The county shall be authorized but not required to levy a special district
tax, fee, or assessment within the Hiram Services District for the purpose of paying the
amounts due under such assumed contracts, to the extent that the financial obligations under
such contract cannot be fully funded by funds and assets devolved to the county from the
City of Hiram.
(d) Financial assets and property devolved to Paulding County that are deemed by the
county to be excess for purposes of serving the Hiram Services District shall be used to
satisfy any obligations and retire any indebtedness of the City of Hiram.
SECTION 8.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, all federal and state permits and licenses issued
to the City of Hiram or its local authorities shall be transferred by operation of law to
Paulding County.
SECTION 9.
Notwithstanding any provisions of this Act to the contrary, on the effective date of this Act,
if any person is held in the custody of the City of Hiram, such person may be transferred over
to the custody of the Paulding County Sheriff's Office or other appropriate law enforcement
agency.
SECTION 10.
All cases pending in the Municipal Court of the City of Hiram shall be automatically
transferred to the Paulding County Magistrate Court or the appropriate court of competent
jurisdiction in Paulding County if jurisdiction does not lie in magistrate court. Any transfer
of law enforcement jurisdiction to Paulding County shall not in and of itself abate any
pending prosecution of any violation of any ordinance of the City of Hiram, and the county
shall be entitled to enforce such city ordinance if a violation occurred while the city
ordinances were in effect. As for any other lawsuits involving the City of Hiram in the
Georgia judicial system, the city shall cease to exist and therefore shall no longer be a proper
party to any legal action.
SECTION 11.
The zoning and land use regulations of the City of Hiram shall be deemed Paulding County
ordinances and shall apply within the Hiram Services District only, unless and until Paulding
County adopts zoning and land use regulations covering the properties within the Hiram
Services District.
SECTION 12.
Paulding County shall be entitled to receive the City of Hiram's share of proceeds of any
special purpose local option sales tax imposed pursuant to Article 3 of Chapter 8 of Title 48
of the O.C.G.A. and shall use those proceeds to complete the city projects authorized by the
applicable referendum or otherwise abandon the projects in accordance with general law.
To the extent that any intergovernmental agreement has been approved between Paulding
County and its qualified municipalities in connection with such special purpose local option
sales tax, the county shall have the power to act in place of the city for purposes of that
agreement.
SECTION 13.
Paulding County and its qualified municipalities shall divide the City of Hiram's share of
proceeds of any local option sales tax in accordance with the provisions of Code
Section 48-8-89.2 of the O.C.G.A.
SECTION 14.
There is hereby designated a Community of Hiram which shall correspond to and be
coterminous with the corporate limits of the City of Hiram as those corporate limits existed
on the effective date of this Act. Paulding County is authorized to provide appropriate
signage so as to mark the boundaries of such community.
SECTION 15.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2027.
SECTION 16.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## 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.

A Georgia Senate bill would dissolve the City of Hiram in Paulding County, transferring all its duties, property, debts, and legal authority to Paulding County, effective July 1, 2027.

### Plain-language summary

This bill repeals the 1956 state law that created the City of Hiram, effectively ending the city as a municipal corporation. In its place, Paulding County would take over all governmental functions within Hiram's former boundaries, treating that area like any other unincorporated part of the county.

The bill transfers Hiram's property, funds, contracts, permits, and pending court cases to Paulding County, and makes the county responsible for the city's bonded debt through a new Hiram Services District, a special tax zone that can be used to repay bondholders. Hiram's zoning rules would carry over until the county adopts its own. A 'Community of Hiram' designation would preserve the name with signage marking the old boundaries. The bill states the delay to 2027 gives the city time to show it can become financially stable, and the General Assembly could still change course before then.

### What it does

- Repeals the 1956 Act that incorporated the City of Hiram, ending its existence as a municipal government.
- Transfers all of the city's property, funds, contracts, permits, and licenses to Paulding County automatically, without deeds or other transfer paperwork.
- Creates the Hiram Services District, a special tax zone matching the old city limits, to handle the city's bonded debt and other lingering obligations.
- Moves pending municipal court cases to Paulding County Magistrate Court and shifts law enforcement custody of anyone jailed by the city to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.
- Keeps Hiram's zoning and land use rules in effect within the former city limits until Paulding County passes its own zoning covering that area.
- Sets the effective date as July 1, 2027, and states the General Assembly may revisit the decision before then if the city shows financial stability.

### Who it affects

Residents, businesses, and property owners within the current City of Hiram; Hiram city employees and officials, who would lose their positions; Paulding County government, which absorbs the city's assets, debts, and service duties; and bondholders and contract counterparties owed money by the city.

### Why it matters

If enacted, people living in Hiram would see their local government replaced by Paulding County, changing who sets zoning rules, collects taxes, runs courts, and provides services. The city's debts would shift to a new special tax district, and the city name would survive only as an unincorporated 'Community of Hiram.'

### Key provisions

- Section 2 repeals the 1956 Act that incorporated the City of Hiram in its entirety.
- Section 3 gives Paulding County full authority to provide government services and enforce county ordinances within the former city boundaries.
- Section 5 creates the Hiram Services District, a special tax and service district matching the old city limits, which the county can later abolish by resolution.
- Section 6 transfers nearly all of Hiram's real and personal property, accounts receivable, and records to Paulding County without formal deeds.
- Section 7 makes the Hiram Services District responsible for the city's bonded debt, with Paulding County able to levy special taxes or fees there to pay it off, and shields the county and state from other city liabilities.
- Section 10 moves pending municipal court cases to the Paulding County Magistrate Court and says the city can no longer be a party to lawsuits.
- Section 11 keeps Hiram's zoning and land use rules in effect within the district until Paulding County adopts its own zoning for the area.
- Section 15 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2027.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-20)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-03-23)
- Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74339

> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb630.md?full=1