GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - — Gwinnett County filed a new legal challenge Friday over a state law it says unfairly forces its taxpayers to cover services for the newly formed city of Mulberry.
Channel 2’s Matt Johnson reports that Senate Bill 138 is at the center of the fight.
The bill requires Gwinnett County to continue providing services like road maintenance, stormwater management and police protection inside Mulberry city limits without reimbursement from the city’s residents.
County officials argue the law is unconstitutional and would place an unfair financial burden on the rest of Gwinnett’s 1 million residents.
“There is a mandate for the county to provide those services at the expense of all county residents who do not live in the city,” said Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson.
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County officials say the law has four big problems for Gwinnett taxpayers: it takes away county legal protections, makes the county pay for Mulberry’s stormwater upkeep, leaves them covering some police costs, and leaves them the bill for Mulberry’s elections.
Hendrickson said the county attempted to negotiate an intergovernmental agreement with Mulberry earlier this year but received no response.
Mulberry Mayor Michael Coker pushed back on that claim.
He said the city is trying to follow the law and wants the county to work with them, not against them.
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“We are a city, we are here to stay. Let’s start working together,” Coker said. “Despite repeat attempts by me to sit down to speak with the chairwoman, to speak with the commissioners, they’ve refused.”
Coker said the county sent a draft agreement just before a key Senate hearing but included language questioning whether Mulberry was a legitimate city.
The law provides a transition period for Mulberry to become fully operational.
Mulberry, a city of about 42,000 residents, was approved by voters in 2024.
This new lawsuit follows a separate challenge earlier this year, when a judge dismissed Gwinnett’s attempt to block Mulberry from forming. This case targets the financial aspects, not the city’s existence.
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