Vinings Cityhood Bill Heads To Governor's Desk, Lost Mountain Cityhood Bill Signed

COBB COUNTY, GA — Bills that could create a city of Vinings and a city of Lost Mountain are on Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for final legislative approval, with Lost Mountain getting his signature Tuesday.

House Bill 840 and House Bill 826 — the bills for Vinings and Lost Mountain, respectively — were both passed by the Senate and House, respectively, on Tuesday. This marks three of four cityhood movements in Cobb County to pass the state House and Senate, and the second to be signed by the governor.

The East Cobb cityhood bill got Kemp's signature last week, and a bill proposing a city of Mableton earned unanimous approval from a House panel last Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Mableton cityhood bill still has a few more steps to move through the General Assembly.

The Lost Mountain bill already passed both chambers, but was required to return to the House to vote on an amendment that was made in the Senate. The amendment specified that members of the proposed city's council would be required to live in the districts they represent, and that the mayor would have to be elected citywide rather than chosen by the city council.

The state House approved the Lost Mountain bill with the changes in a 98-64 vote. The state Senate voted 33-19, largely along party lines, to push the Vinings bill to Kemp.

Voters in the proposed cities of Vinings and Lost Mountain will vote May 24 to approve or deny the creation of the cities, and would then elect local leaders in November.

Vinings, which would be a city of roughly 7,000 people, would include a mayor and four city council members, all elected at-large. The area would stretch between Insterstate 285 and the Chattahoochee River, and include parks and recreation services, code enforcement and zoning services.

Meanwhile, Lost Mountain would be the largest of the four cityhood movements at roughly 75,000 residents. The city would offer parks and recreation, zoning, sanitation and code enforcement services, and would have six members on the city council as well as a mayor.

Related:

• Kemp Signs East Cobb Cityhood Bill, May Referendum Set
  
• Vinings, Lost Mountain Cityhood Bills Pass Georgia House
• Vinings, Lost Mountain Cityhood Bills Move Forward
• Vinings Cityhood Bill Advances To Full House Committee Hearing
• Vinings Cityhood Considered 'Fiscally Feasible': UGA Study