Committee advances multiple local‑government bills on procurement, police duties, alcohol retailing and construction thresholds

The Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee disposed of several bills addressing municipal authority and local operations in a single session, largely by voice votes.

House Bill 1258 — sponsor Sen. Deese — would permit cities to decide whether to allow sky lanterns locally; the sponsor described the lanterns as biodegradable and called the bill a restoration of "local control." No public commenters were recorded and the committee voted to pass the bill.

House Bill 1005 — Representative Aaron Pilkington said the measure would remove sunset language from the Small Town Economic Development Act and keep the threshold raising the architect requirement from $100,000 to $250,000, which Pilkington said aligns with inflation. He reported unanimous House support (99–0) and told senators that existing code enforcement and the fire marshal remain in place to protect structural safety. The committee voted to pass HB 1005.

House Bill 1344 — Representative Britt McKenzie described the bill as a moderation measure allowing smaller off‑premises spirit containers (e.g., 50 ml) than state law currently requires; there were no speakers registered against the bill and it passed committee.

House Bill 1318 — Sen. Bryant presented legislation letting cities factor life‑cycle costs (maintenance and long‑term operating costs) into procurements rather than selecting strictly on lowest initial bid. Dr. Joyce Ajayi testified in support, saying the change improves transparency, reduces corruption risk and yields better total value for taxpayers. The committee approved the measure.

House Bill 1175 — Sen. Bryant said this bill restores language removed by Act 714 of 2021 to clarify municipal police duties and powers; John Wilkerson, municipal league counsel, told the committee chiefs now support the clarified language. The committee voted to pass the bill.

House Bill 1335 — Representative RJ Hawk said the bill raises the population threshold allowing a city to adopt an ordinance to appoint (rather than elect) a city attorney from 10,000 to 50,000 residents; senators discussed citizen input and council authority but the committee voted to approve the bill.

Each passed bill was recorded by the committee as "Your bill passes" or the equivalent voice vote; specific roll‑call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.