Committee advances bill to force Gwinnett County into transition talks with new City of Mulberry

A legislative committee voted to advance SB 138, moving the measure to the rules committee and setting up further consideration of a bill that would require Gwinnett County to enter intergovernmental agreements to transition municipal services to the newly formed City of Mulberry.

The bill sponsor, Sen. Dixon, told the committee the measure — filed as LC473385S — is "very narrowly tailored, to the city of Mulberry, which is a newly formed city, in Gwinnett County. And it has to do with, service delivery and intergovernmental agreements between the the city and the county." The vote to advance the bill passed after a motion by Rep. Martinez; the chair recorded one no vote but did not name the dissenting member.

Why it matters: Mulberry was created by a voter-approved charter that, according to testimony, includes a two-year transition period for moving services from Gwinnett County to the new city. City officials and residents say the county has delayed or refused to negotiate that transition, while county officials asked the committee to allow direct negotiations between the parties.

Sen. Dixon and supporters said the bill is intended to compel the county to negotiate a transition…