HB 786: Dodge County Building and Public Facilities Authority Act; enact

Dodge County currently has no dedicated public authority to build and finance government buildings such as offices, courthouses, or other facilities for the county, its school district, or municipalities within it. This bill creates the Dodge County Building and Public Facilities Authority as a separate public corporation, an instrumentality of the state but not a state agency, based in Dodge County. The authority would be run by five members elected by the Dodge County Board of Commissioners, with staggered three-year terms, and could acquire land, construct and equip buildings, and lease them back to the county, school district, or municipalities. To pay for projects, the authority can issue revenue bonds repaid from rents and fees it collects, but these bonds cannot create debt for Dodge County or the state, and the county's general tax credit is not pledged. The authority's bonds and property would be exempt from state taxation, and its property could not be seized to pay debts. If the authority is ever dissolved, its remaining property would go to Dodge County.

• Creates the Dodge County Building and Public Facilities Authority as a separate public corporation to build and manage government facilities in Dodge County.
• Allows the authority to issue revenue bonds to pay for construction, with repayment coming only from rents and fees, not county or state tax dollars.
• Sets up a five-member board elected by the Dodge County Board of Commissioners, limits board overlap with the commission to two members, and sets three-year terms.
• Exempts the authority's bonds, income, and property from state taxation, though not from sales and use tax on purchases.
• Gives the authority the same legal immunity from lawsuits over negligence that the State of Georgia has, while still allowing contract-based lawsuits.
• States that if the authority is dissolved after paying off its bonds, its remaining property transfers to Dodge County.

Dodge County government, the Dodge County Board of Commissioners, the Dodge County School District, municipalities within Dodge County, bondholders who purchase the authority's revenue bonds, and residents who use county buildings and facilities that the authority would finance and manage.

Dodge County would gain a new financing tool to build offices, facilities, and infrastructure through bonds repaid by user fees and rents rather than new county taxes or county debt, potentially speeding up construction projects while shielding the county's general credit from direct liability if bonds are not repaid.

• Section 2 establishes the authority as a state instrumentality, not a county or state agency, headquartered in Dodge County.
• Section 3 sets board membership at five people elected by the Dodge County Board of Commissioners, with staggered three-year terms and unpaid service aside from expense reimbursement.
• Section 5 lists the authority's powers, including acquiring property, entering contracts and leases, and issuing revenue bonds under Georgia's Revenue Bond Law (O.C.G.A. Title 36, Chapter 82, Article 3).
• Section 6 makes clear that revenue bonds do not create debt for Dodge County or the State of Georgia and cannot be enforced against county or state property.
• Section 14 exempts the authority's property and income from state and local taxes, except sales and use tax on its purchases.
• Section 15 gives the authority and its employees the same immunity from tort and negligence lawsuits as the State of Georgia.
• Section 20 requires that, upon dissolution after all bonds are paid off, remaining authority property be transferred to Dodge County.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2025-05-13
2. 2025-05-13Act 227
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
6. 2025-04-02Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
8. 2025-03-27House Passed/Adopted (Cámara de Representantes)

• Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)Patrocinador principal

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes27 de marzo de 2025

   164 a favor, 0 en contra (12 sin votar, 4 ausentes)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #317

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado2 de abril de 2025

   51 a favor, 0 en contra (2 sin votar, 3 ausentes)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #381

• local government authorities
• public facilities financing
• Dodge County
• revenue bonds
• county government