Columbia County is looking to the future with the creation of two new authorities.
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved the creation of a Public Facilities Authority and Hospital Authority during their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21. County Manager Scott Johnson told commissioners the county will be able to use the Public Facilities Authority as a tool for building in the future.
According to resolution 23-05 in regards to the Public Facilities Authority, members will “authorize the issuance of revenue bonds of the Authority payable from the revenues, tolls, fees, charges, and earnings of the Authority, contract payments to the Authority, and from other money pledged therefor and to authorize the collection and pledging of the revenues, tolls, fees, charges, earnings, and contract payments of the Authority for the payment of such revenue bonds; to authorize the execution of resolutions and trust indentures to secure the payment of the revenue bonds of the Authority; to fix and provide the venue and jurisdiction of actions, provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes as so required.”
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Following the approval by the commissioners, Johnson said the resolution will be sent to the Georgia General Assembly for the creation of the Public Facilities Authority at a state level.
According to the proposed bill for the Public Facilities Authority, there will be five members of the board. The bill states the board cannot have more than three members of the commission or county employees on it. Commissioners on the board will serve a term concurrent with their Board of Commissioners term. Board members who are not on the commission will serve three-year terms.
The Hospital Authority is being created in conjunction with the Public Facilities Authority, and Johnson said the county is declaring a need for it. The resolution is the first step in the process of the creation.
“We will now come back with additional information that will be public, it will come back before the Board of Commissioners that will set out the specific guidelines that goes along with the Hospital Authority, how the appointments are made, how many people, what their credentials are, all of that will be brought at a later date,” Johnson said.
The creation of the Hospital Authority does not have to go before the General Assembly and can be done with the approval of the commissioners, Johnson said.
