Georgia committee simplifies cityhood feasibility study rules in organizational meeting

The Governmental Affairs Committee of the State of Georgia convened on January 29, 2025, for an organizational meeting aimed at outlining its processes and reviewing committee rules. The meeting highlighted a significant change in the rules regarding feasibility studies for proposed cityhoods, simplifying the previous requirements that specified certain universities and entities for conducting these studies.

The committee chair emphasized the importance of this change, noting that some institutions had either declined or delayed their involvement due to other commitments. By removing the specific language from the rules, the committee aims to streamline the process for future cityhood proposals.

Additionally, the chair announced plans to introduce a bill that would move the definition and process for creating a city from committee rules into state code. This shift is intended to provide greater protection and intentionality in the cityhood process, as state code requires a more rigorous legislative process compared to committee rules, which can be altered by a simple majority vote.

The committee is expected to discuss this bill further in the coming weeks, marking a proactive step towards enhancing governance and procedural clarity in cityhood matters in Georgia.