Gov. Nathan Deal signed Senate Bill 124 Friday, allowing Decatur to create a Public Facilities Authority. The City Commission hopes to create the Authority soon said Mayor Patti Garrett. Most likely the five-person board, plus two non-voting members, won’t be named until a March 29 meeting.
When formed, the PFA would be able seek bond funding to purchase the 77-acre United Methodist Children’s Home. Unlike a general obligation bond, bonds secured by a PFA don’t require a vote and therefore funding could be achieved faster.
Garrett announced during her Jan. 24 State of the City address that Decatur was “in conversation with” the Home about buying its property. But there’s been virtually no movement since, and the land isn’t even on the market yet. But Garrett said Monday that she doesn’t believe her declaration premature.
“We were getting a lot of questions from the community about the Home,” she said. “So we thought it appropriate, with the Home’s permission, to make an announcement. But we knew all along this would take time, and we needed to announce we were in ‘conversation’ before we formed the [Public Facilities Authority].”
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