Henry County moves to issue up to $9 million in general obligation bonds for county facilities

Henry County commissioners voted Jan. 20 to authorize up to $9 million in general obligation public improvement bonds to help finance construction, renovation and equipping of county administration facilities and related costs. The measure, approved on a recorded vote of 14–1, gives county officials authority to proceed with sale preparations, engage a municipal advisor and retain bond counsel.

Commissioner David Hayes moved the authorization (Resolution 10-1-26) and Commissioner Jay Travis seconded. The resolution establishes parameters for the offering, including the ability to issue the bonds in one or more series, to sell by competitive or public sale, and to structure final maturities up to the legal maximum (the resolution cites a final maturity not to exceed 25 years following issuance). The commission also adopted an initial resolution (Resolution 9-1-26) directing the clerk to publish the required statutory notice; that publication starts a 20-day window in which a sufficient petition could require a referendum on the bonds.

The resolution names Raymond James & Associates as municipal advisor and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC as bond counsel and authorizes the County Mayor to finalize sale documents and the official statement. The record includes an engagement memorandum for the municipal advisory role and a draft bond counsel engagement letter; the resolution permits the County Mayor to accept market-dependent terms so long as the total principal does not exceed $9 million.

What this means for the county: the authorization allows officials to proceed with underwriting and sale preparations, but it does not itself create construction contracts or expenditures beyond the standard pre-sale activities. The final amount sold, interest rates and maturity schedule will depend on market conditions and the sale method chosen.

Next steps and oversight: the County Mayor and finance staff were directed to work with the municipal advisor and bond counsel to produce an official statement, set a notice of sale and present final sale results to the commission. The commission record shows the clerk was instructed to publish the required legal notice following adoption of the initial resolution; that publication triggers the statutory petition window. Any petition meeting the statutory threshold would require additional legal steps.

The bond authorization is a county-level public-finance decision that will affect long-term debt service and appear in the county’s Debt Management filings. The commission requested that staff return with details of the sale and the impact on annual budgets once final pricing and maturities are known.