CORNELIA — The Cornelia City Commission unanimously approved a series of financing actions Tuesday night that clear the way for construction of a long-planned downtown amphitheater, including authorizing a $4.155 million bond agreement and advancing a city charter amendment tied directly to the project.
Commissioners approved a resolution allowing the city to enter into an agreement of sale with the Urban Redevelopment Agency of the City of Cornelia, which will issue bonds to finance the amphitheater project. Under the agreement, the redevelopment agency will issue $4.155 million in bonds, appoint the city as its agent to acquire and construct the project, and then sell the completed amphitheater back to the city through installment payments equal to the bond amount.
City bond attorney Ken Pollock said the resolution also authorizes the mayor to execute all related documents needed to complete the transaction.
Commissioner Don Bagwell said the agreement allows the city to move forward with a project of that scale. “It’s a way for the city to borrow larger amounts of money and pay it back over time,” Bagwell said. “It’s what we need if we want to build an amphitheater.”
To support the bond financing, commissioners also unanimously approved a resolution directing the city to begin the process of amending its charter to remove language that caps the city’s millage rate at 20 mills.
City Manager Donald Anderson said the existing charter language limited financing options, even though it already includes exceptions for general obligation debt. Mayor John Borrow said lenders reviewing the amphitheater project raised concerns about the millage cap, which made the city less competitive when seeking financing.
“If we don’t have a cap on it, then that opens up other funding sources,” Borrow said, noting the city’s current millage rate is 9.5 mills and that there is no intention of approaching the former cap. Borrow said the change would also position the city for future large-scale needs, including a planned wastewater treatment plant expected to be a significantly larger project.
City Attorney Steve Campbell said the charter amendment would bring Cornelia in line with other cities in the region, including Demorest and Gainesville. He also clarified that the vote directs city staff to work with local legislators to begin the legislative process required to amend the charter, with the goal of removing only the millage cap language while leaving the remaining provisions intact.
After the meeting, Anderson told Now Georgia the city expects to put the amphitheater project out for bid next month.
“We’re looking to put that out for bid next month and break ground right after the annual Music Festival on May 16,” Anderson said. “Ideally, we’d like the contractor to start around May 18, then get it done in about a 10-month buildout. We really want it done in time for the May 2027 Music Festival.”
