Vinings Cityhood Bill Advances To Full House Committee Hearing

VININGS, GA — A bill proposing a city of Vinings unanimously passed the first legislative subcommittee hearing Thursday, and will now face a full state House of Representatives committee hearing.

House Bill 840, proposed by state Rep. John Carson, R-northeast Cobb, will be heard by the House next week, in addition to a bill proposing a city of Lost Mountain in west Cobb. The news comes on the heels of the House passing the East Cobb cityhood bill on Thursday.

The proposed city would include about 7,000 residents, the smallest of the cityhood efforts in Cobb County, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The proposed city would offer zoning, code enforcement and parks services, as opposed to that of East Cobb, which plans to include public safety services.

The bill also pushed up the timeline for voter approval in a referendum from November to May, just as the East Cobb cityhood bill did. This would allow for mayoral and council member elections to take place in November, if the referendum is passed.

“Most of the community think they already live in a city, they just write their checks for taxes to the Cobb County government in Marietta," Carson said Thursday.

If HB 840 passes the House next week, it would then have to get full Senate approval and a signature from Gov. Brian Kemp before being voted on in May.

Related:

• Vinings Cityhood Considered 'Fiscally Feasible': UGA Study
• East Cobb Cityhood Bill Passes Georgia House Of Representatives