Villa Rica considers standalone intergovernmental agreement with Douglas County for tax/election services, settles on per-registered-voter fee

Teresa Campbell, Villa Rica city clerk, presented a proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Douglas County and the Douglas County tax commissioner to continue county collection and election services for properties on the Douglas County side of Villa Rica.

Campbell said the city historically had joint IGAs covering both Carroll and Douglas counties; Douglas County requested a standalone agreement for the portion of the city that lies in Douglas. Under the proposed agreement Douglas County will bill the city on a per-registered-voter basis. Campbell told council the new agreement specifies $3 per registered voter for election services on the Douglas County side, which staff said would make budgeting easier after Douglas billed more than staff estimated in 2023.

Nut graf: Council members asked how double-county parcels were handled and whether Carroll County would adopt a similar per‑voter approach. Campbell said the city expects a separate standalone IGA with Carroll County in the coming months and that the Douglas approach is intended to make billing more predictable.

Council members raised operational questions about early voting, precinct arrangements, and whether a per‑voter fee is charged based on registered voters rather than actual turnout. Campbell replied that the Douglas County billing spreadsheets break the charge into several components (ballot distribution, poll workers, precinct share) and that the $3 per registered voter covers the county's proposed cost framework.

Ending: Council placed the Douglas County IGA on the consent agenda for the next meeting; Campbell said staff will continue to coordinate with Carroll County and the county election supervisors about any future election‑specific arrangements.