05 LC 28
2133/AP
House
Bill 581 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By:
Representative Butler of the
18th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend an Act creating a new charter for the City of Bremen, approved December
30, 1898 (Ga. L. 1898, p. 136), as amended, particularly by an
Act approved March 22, 1990 (Ga. L. 1990, p. 4406), so as to
provide that the Bremen City Board of Education shall have sole authority to
set, approve, and amend its budget; to provide taxing authority; to vest title
of certain property in the board of education; to provide a joint review
committee with the board of education and the city council; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
An
Act creating a new charter for the City of Bremen, approved December 30, 1898
(Ga. L. 1898, p. 136), as amended, particularly by an Act
approved March 22, 1990 (Ga. L. 1990, p. 4406), is amended by
designating the present text contained in Section 3 as subsection (a) and
inserting new subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g) to read as
follows:
"(b)
The board of education shall have the sole responsibility and authority to
prepare and adopt an annual budget in the same manner as is authorized and
required by law for county boards of education.
(c)
The board of education shall certify annually to the mayor and council of the
City of Bremen the rate of the tax levy, not greater than the mills per dollar
allowable under the laws and Constitution of the State of Georgia, necessary for
the support, maintenance, and operation of the schools in the independent Bremen
City School District. The mayor and council shall levy the tax so certified by
the board of education upon the assessed value of all taxable property in the
incorporated limits of the City of Bremen. For the calendar years 2005, 2006,
and 2007, the board of education shall not levy school taxes in excess of six
mills per dollar based upon a 100 percent valuation of property subject to ad
valorem taxes. In the event a financial exigency occurs that requires a levy in
excess of six mills per dollar for the calendar years 2005, 2006, and 2007, the
city council, upon application by the board of education, may permit, in its
discretion, a levy greater than six mills. Beginning with the calendar year
2008 and each year thereafter, the board may levy school taxes in its sole
discretion in an amount authorized by general law.
(d)
The City of Bremen and the Bremen City School District shall enter into an
intergovernmental agreement for the purpose of collecting and distributing the
ad valorem taxes levied by both the city council and the board of education as
is provided by law. The cost for collecting city and school taxes shall be
divided by the city and the school district pro rata based on the amount of
taxes levied by each governing body.
(e)
After complying with the procedure for authorization of bonded debt set forth in
Georgia law and applicable to public school districts, the Board of Education of
the City of Bremen shall have the same power and authority to issue bonds or
notes, or both, for capital outlay purposes on the same basis and for the same
reasons as county boards of education, provided that the debt that may be
created under this subsection shall never exceed any limitations established by
the Constitution or laws of the State of Georgia.
(f)
Title to all property utilized or occupied by the Bremen City School District or
the Board of Education of the City of Bremen for school purposes shall be vested
in the Board of Education of the City of Bremen and the board of education shall
have the power to hold, manage, control, and dispose of such property. Such
property consists of the following tracts and improvements thereon: Bremen High
School and Middle School campuses consisting of approximately 25 acres; Jones
Elementary School campus consisting of approximately 15 acres; the Bremen Board
of Education offices located at 504 Laurel Street, Bremen; and any other
property, real or personal, purchased by the Bremen City Board of Education or
its schools, including any property for which the title currently is in the
Bremen City Board of Education or School District.
(g)
The board of education and the city council shall establish a joint committee of
such members as the board of education and the city council shall agree. The
committee shall meet at least twice annually in order to review the financial
status of both governmental agencies, to examine the amount of taxes levied by
both agencies and the tax burden on businesses and property owners, to consider
tax exceptions and to otherwise review the tax burden on its citizens, and to
make appropriate recommendations to the board and council as to these
matters."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.