Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has issued an executive order on Friday appointing interim representatives for the new City of Mulberry in Gwinnett County.
Meanwhile, Gwinnett County has joined a resident of the city in a lawsuit looking to strike down the State Senate bill that created it.
The City of Mulberry was put on the general primary ballot in May by way of State Senate Bill 333 being signed into law on February 13 of this year and has not been without its challenges It received nearly 57% “yes” votes from area residents in the May 21 primary election, but that vote came days after a judge ruled against resident Stephen Hughes in his lawsuit looking to have the cityhood vote removed from that ballot.
Hughes has challenged the constitutionality of the city's charter that was approved by the state legislature and Kemp. Part of the charter that disallows the city from imposing new property ad valorem taxes, according to Hughes’ representative Allen Lightcap, is “strictly prohibited according to binding precedent of the Supreme Court of Georgia in Peacock v. Georgia Municipal Association.”
Hughes has since filed two new lawsuits, both against Gwinnett County's board of elections and the state of Georgia, seeking to cancel the upcoming city elections for the new municipality in November and strike down Senate Bill 333.
The executive order from Kemp on Friday appoints Representatives Chuck Efstration and Derrick McCollum and Senators Clint Dixon, Jerry Hanes, and Chuck Warbington as interim representatives for the city with the elections of a permanent governing authority coming in November.
