House State Properties panel approves HR 97 and HR 98 to convey state land and grant utility easements

House Resolution 97 and House Resolution 98, which bundle dozens of state property conveyances and easements across Georgia, were approved by the House State Properties Committee after agency staff described the parcels and the public-purpose rationale for nominal fees.

The committee voted to give HR 97 and HR 98 a do-pass recommendation by voice vote; members signified approval by saying “aye” with no recorded opposition.

Committee members heard detailed explanations from Frank Smith, deputy executive director of the State Properties Commission, who walked the panel through roughly two dozen conveyances, leases and easements affecting technical colleges, wildlife management areas, county campuses and local infrastructure projects. “The reason we have all of these conveyances bundled into one resolution is the General Assembly is the only body that can authorize the conveyance of state property,” Smith said.

The committee’s packet listed 16 conveyances under HR 97, including small parcels sold or conveyed for public purposes (often for a nominal $10 consideration) and several transactions priced at fair market value because they were intended to benefit or run through property without a sole state purpose. Examples discussed during the meeting included a roughly 0.162-acre conveyance of a portion of a Bryan County fire tower site, a roughly 5.47-acre conveyance in Colquitt County to the Moultrie/Colquitt County Development Authority intended to support Pratt & Whitney expansion (to be sold at market value), and conveyances in Habersham County for municipal water and emergency operations (some at $10, one larger parcel at fair market value to support local economic development).

Under HR 98 staff described multiple easements commonly granted to utility companies such as Georgia Power, electrical cooperatives and local water authorities. Smith said many easements carry a nominal $10 consideration when the utility work directly serves a state facility – for example, power or distribution lines to Quick Start technical college buildings and other state-owned training centers. By contrast, long transmission corridors or easements that serve a broader non-state purpose were described as being charged market value; the committee discussed one Fulton County easement assessed at about $96,000 and a Lanier Technical College parcel where a conveyance to the Department of Transportation for a roundabout was listed at about $230,000.

Committee members questioned how market value is established and how the state handles private entities that claim title to state land. On the latter topic, Smith described a negotiated settlement under which the state would convey title of about 4,000 acres of disputed marshland to a private entity, Glen New Hope, while preserving a long-term path back to clear state title. “The State will receive 20% of any mitigation credits generated from the property,” Smith said, describing a mitigation-bank approach in which Glen New Hope could generate and sell wetland mitigation credits while the state retains a share of credits for future state use. Smith said the settlement includes safeguards: if a mitigation bank is not approved or no credits are produced after 10 years, Glen New Hope would convey the property back to the state, and the state would regain clear title by the 25-year mark.

Members also discussed multiple 25-year leases of communications tower space to Southern Link and others, with the state retaining tower ownership while private or regional carriers pay fair market value for collocation and provide services that also benefit state public-safety communications. Smith said these arrangements can be mutually beneficial where the lessee also supplies communications service used by the Department of Public Safety.

Several members asked for follow-up briefings on related topics. The committee chair and members requested a future report on state prison oversight, staffing and vendor payments, and staff said they would coordinate with relevant agencies. Committee members also asked for continued outreach to local representatives before finalizing conveyances in their districts.

Both resolutions were recommended to the full House by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Committee discussion and staff explanations were limited to the items in the packet; no amendments or recorded roll-call tallies were taken during the meeting.

The committee also received a brief update that work on the new Legislative Office Building is ongoing; staff said the move-in date is expected sometime in calendar year 2026 but no firm date was given.

Votes at a glance: HR 97 — Do pass recommendation, approved by voice vote; formal mover/second not specified in the transcript. HR 98 — Do pass recommendation, approved by voice vote; formal mover/second not specified in the transcript.