ATLANTA – State Representative Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) was appointed by Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) to serve as chair of the House Study Committee on Annexation and Cityhood on Thursday, May 20.
“Georgia’s population has grown over the past 10 years,” said Rep. Anderson. “As a result of this growth, we’re witnessing a boom in annexation movements and a push to create new cities, especially surrounding Atlanta. Often these efforts fail to consider the voices of local property owners and service providers who are impacted by those seeking to develop these unincorporated areas. There is also mounting pressure to incorporate new cities which often leaves citizens paying for fragmented and duplicated government services. We have a busy summer ahead of us as we study these issues, work to protect property owners and promote smart development.”
Established by House Resolution 222 during the 2021 legislative session, the House Study Committee on Annexation and Cityhood will conduct a thorough study of annexation dispute resolution and cityhood procedures to determine appropriate revisions to these laws. In 2007, the Georgia General Assembly amended Georgia code to create an annexation dispute resolution procedure. However, this procedure has not been amended or subject to legislative review since its enactment. It has also been several years since the General Assembly updated certain laws regarding the incorporation of new municipalities. This study committee will report its findings by December 2021.
For more information on this study committee, please click here.
For more information on HR 222, please click here.
Representative Victor Anderson represents the citizens of District 10, which includes portions of Habersham and White counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves on the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Governmental Affairs and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.
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