Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 70: "Conyers Community Improvement Districts Act"; enact
Last action May 13, 2025 · Effective Date
This Senate bill creates a legal framework for one or more community improvement districts inside the City of Conyers, letting property owners tax themselves to pay for local infrastructure like roads, parks, water and sewer systems.
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 the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law allows cities to set up community improvement districts, special local zones where owners of nonresidential property can vote to tax themselves to fund specific projects like roads, parks, stormwater systems, water service, and parking. This bill, the 'Conyers Community Improvement Districts Act,' sets up the specific rules for creating such districts inside the City of Conyers. A district can only be activated if the Conyers Mayor and City Council pass a resolution and a majority of affected nonresidential property owners, representing at least 75% of the property's value, agree in writing. Each district would be run by a five-member board, one appointed by the city and four elected by property owners called electors, and could levy taxes or fees up to five mills only on nonresidential property, excluding homes, farms, and forestry land. The district could borrow money and issue bonds backed by its own taxing power, separate from city or state debt. Districts can also be dissolved or later reactivated under specified conditions, and the act repeals conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Authorizes the creation of one or more community improvement districts within Conyers, each providing specific services like roads, parks, stormwater, water systems, transit, or parking.
- Requires both city council approval and written consent from a majority of affected nonresidential property owners (representing at least 75% of property value) before a district can start operating.
- Creates a five-member governing board for each district, with one member appointed by the city and four elected by property owners called electors.
- Allows each district's board to levy taxes, fees, or assessments up to five mills on nonresidential property only, with proceeds collected by the city and passed to the board.
- Lets each district borrow money and issue general obligation bonds backed by its own taxing power, without those debts becoming obligations of the city or state.
- Sets out procedures for expanding a district's boundaries, dissolving a district, and later reactivating a dissolved district.
Who it affects
Owners of nonresidential real property in Conyers, such as commercial, retail, office, industrial, and parking properties, who could be taxed and could vote in district elections. It also affects the Conyers Mayor and City Council, the Rockdale County Tax Commissioner and Board of Tax Assessors, and residents who use district-funded infrastructure.
Why it matters
If a district is created, businesses and other nonresidential property owners in Conyers could face a new tax of up to five mills dedicated to local projects like road, park, or water system improvements. The tax and governance decisions would be controlled by an elected board of property owners rather than the general public.
Key provisions
- Section 2 lists the services a district may fund: streets and roads, parks, stormwater and sewage systems, water development, public transportation, terminal/dock/parking facilities, and other services allowed by general law.
- Section 4 requires a city council resolution plus written consent from a majority of affected owners representing at least 75% of property value before a district can operate.
- Section 5 establishes a five-member board (one appointed, four elected by property owner 'electors') with staggered two-year terms and exempts board elections from the state Election Code.
- Section 6 caps district taxes, fees, and assessments at five mills on nonresidential property, excludes homes, farms, forestry, and personal property, and sets a collection fee cap of $25,000 per year for the city.
- Section 7 allows district boundaries to expand later if a majority of owners, representing 75% of value, in the added area consent along with board and city approval.
- Section 8 allows districts to incur debt backed by the district's own taxing power, explicitly not obligating the state, city, or any other government body.
- Section 14 sets out conditions for dissolving a district, including city and owner consent, and describes how remaining assets and debts are handled, plus how a dissolved district may be reactivated.
From the bill
“Any tax, fee, or assessment so levied shall not exceed five mills of the aggregate assessed value of all such real property.”
“which debt shall be backed by the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the community improvement district, but said debt shall not be an obligation of the State of Georgia, the City of Conyers, or any other unit of government”
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 244
- 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
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
- Rhonda Taylor (D, HD-92)
Votes
- Senate voteFebruary 11, 2025
49 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 excused)
- House voteMarch 4, 2025
172 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 2 excused)
Topics
- community improvement districts
- local taxes
- Conyers Georgia
- infrastructure funding
- Rockdale County