SB624: SB624 Public Facilities Authority of the City of Milledgeville and Baldwin County; references to the City of Milledgeville; remove

In 2009 the Georgia General Assembly created a joint public facilities authority for the City of Milledgeville and Baldwin County. This bill amends that 2009 Act to drop the city's name and role entirely, renaming the body the Public Facilities Authority of Baldwin County and treating every reference to the city in the original law as instead referring to Baldwin County. The bill also rewrites the section on authority membership. Current members' terms end December 31, 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, the authority will have five members, all appointed by the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners and all county residents, serving one year terms and eligible to reappoint themselves. A commissioner may also serve on the authority, with a term tied to their commission seat. It restates that revenue bonds issued by the authority remain exempt from state taxation. Conflicting laws are repealed.

• Renames the authority from the Public Facilities Authority of the City of Milledgeville and Baldwin County to the Public Facilities Authority of Baldwin County, effective under the amended Act.
• Deems all references to the City of Milledgeville in the original 2009 Act to instead mean Baldwin County or its successor.
• Ends the terms of the current authority members on December 31, 2026 and replaces the membership structure entirely.
• Gives the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners sole authority to appoint the five members of the authority starting January 1, 2027, each serving one year terms.
• Allows authority members to reappoint themselves and allows county commissioners to simultaneously serve on the authority.
• Restates that revenue bonds and other obligations issued by the authority are exempt from state taxation as an essential public purpose.

The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners, current and future members of the Public Facilities Authority, City of Milledgeville officials who previously had a role in the authority, and holders of revenue bonds issued by the authority.

The city would lose any formal role in an authority that helps finance and manage public facilities, shifting full appointment power to the county commission. Residents of Baldwin County would see local governance of shared infrastructure projects consolidated under one government body instead of a joint city-county arrangement.

• Section 1 adds a new Section 1.1 renaming the authority the Public Facilities Authority of Baldwin County and redefining all city references as county references.
• Section 2 revises Section 5 to end current members' terms on December 31, 2026 and set up a five-member, county-appointed authority starting January 1, 2027 with one year terms.
• Section 2 also allows commissioners to serve concurrently on the authority and lets members be reappointed to succeed themselves.
• Section 2 keeps existing rules on vacancies, quorum, officer elections, and lack of compensation for authority members, carried over from the original Act.
• Section 3 revises Section 16 to reaffirm that the authority's revenue bonds and other obligations remain exempt from state taxation.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-25House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-23House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-20Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
4. 2026-03-19Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
5. 2026-03-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
6. 2026-03-17Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)Primary sponsor

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 20, 2026

   44 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 5 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #761

• local government
• Baldwin County
• public facilities authority
• Milledgeville