ATLANTA — Cities, towns, and other local municipalities seeking to grow may have a new hurdle to clear if a bill going through the Georgia Legislature passes.
State lawmakers are considering a proposal to limit annexations across Georgia by allowing county governments to block territory annexations.
Currently, local municipalities are able to attempt the addition of unincorporated county territories into their city or town limits through a vote and planning process, which requires a referendum.
Should Senate Bill 496 pass both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly and get approved by Gov. Brian Kemp, counties would be able to, effectively, tell local governments “no.”
SB 496 is currently in the early phases of the legislative process and has not been voted on in a committee yet, nor made it to a full floor vote.
Bill sponsor state Sen. Matt Brass said in a statement that the bill was aimed at helping voters have more of a say in the annexation process.
“We’re seeing a process that isn’t working for all Georgians right now. People choose to live in the county and have no vote or representation when they’re annexed into a city,” Brass said in a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News. “This is about reviewing that process and ensuring it is fair to all our citizens.”
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