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Subcommittee advances bill imposing 90‑day deadline for municipal approval of county-initiated deannexations
Summary
House subcommittee approved HB 521 to require municipalities to act within 90 days when a county-owned parcel is submitted for deannexation; Henry County officials told the panel that delays have held up multimillion-dollar projects.
The House Governmental Affairs subcommittee advanced House Bill 521 after hearing testimony that delayed municipal action on county-initiated deannexations has stalled important county capital projects.
Sponsor Chairman Anderson said HB 521 is narrowly tailored: when a county is the owner of all parcels proposed for deannexation and the county governing authority consents, the municipal governing authority must approve the deannexation within 90 days of filing. Anderson said the existing law lacks a strict timeframe and cited at least one situation in which the process was delayed without a statutory deadline.
Henry County Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell and county staff told the committee their 10‑parcel deannexation request, filed with McDonough in April 2024, remained unresolved after multiple mediation attempts and had not yet been submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Harrell said the delay had delayed several large capital projects sited on the parcels, including a multimillion-dollar aquatic center, a new E‑911 center, a fire-rescue training facility, and a planned tiny‑home project for homeless veterans by a nonprofit called Mighty Heroes.
Committee members asked factual questions about tax treatment and relationships with municipalities; Harrell said county-owned parcels do not pay city property taxes and emphasized the county’s interest in progressing projects needed to maintain and improve services. Anderson said the change is intended to clarify an administrative timeline so local governments can work together more efficiently.
After testimony, a committee member moved and a second was recorded. The subcommittee approved the measure by voice vote, with the chair announcing the bill would go to the full committee.
