The Georgia state legislature has now passed three bills regarding the recently formed city of Mulberry.
State Senate bills 137, 138 and 139 all impact the city. Senate Bill 137 authorizes the city's municipal court to begin operations, while Senate Bill 139 annexes several adjoining properties into the city.
Senate Bill 138 was the most contentious of the three, as it was introduced by Senator Clint Dixon (R-Buford) and is aimed at requiring Gwinnett County to continue providing several services in the city's limits that Mulberry officials have claimed the county has not been doing since the city took legal effect on January 1.
The bills were the subject of several committee hearings, with county officials and Gwinnett Democrat lawmakers arguing that the issue should be resolved by an intergovernmental agreement. Mulberry officials and Republican lawmakers argued that Gwinnett officials had not responded to Mulberry's efforts to establish such an agreement. Gwinnett County attorneys disputed that claim.
The bills all passed through the State House of Representatives, with the last vote coming this past Thursday. The votes largely fell along party lines.
The bills will now await a decision from Governor Brian Kemp.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/3/1289565/georgia-legislature-passes-trio-of-bills-aimed-at-mulberry-gwinnett-dispute