HB724: HB724 Pembroke, City of; mayor and city council members; provide four-year terms

This bill amends the 1985 charter law that governs the City of Pembroke in Georgia. It rewrites Section 4 of that charter to set four-year terms for the mayor and the five city council members, rather than the shorter terms currently in place. Under the bill, the next general election for mayor and all five council seats would happen on the first Tuesday in November 2027, with winners taking office the second Monday in January 2028. After that, elections for these seats would be held every four years on the first Tuesday in November, with winners again taking office the following January. The bill also states that the officials currently serving stay in office until their successors are elected and qualified, so there is no gap in leadership. It repeals any conflicting laws.

• Rewrites Section 4 of Pembroke's 1985 city charter law to set four-year terms for the mayor and all five city council members.
• Schedules the next general election for mayor and council for the first Tuesday in November 2027.
• Sets the start of the new four-year terms as the second Monday in January 2028.
• Establishes that future elections for these offices will recur every four years on the first Tuesday in November.
• Keeps current officeholders in their positions until their successors are elected and qualified, avoiding a vacancy.
• Repeals any other laws that conflict with this change.

This bill affects the City of Pembroke's mayor and five city council members, the city's voters who elect them, and city government operations that depend on stable election scheduling and officeholder terms.

Pembroke's mayor and council would serve longer terms between elections, meaning residents would vote for these offices less often. The change also sets a fixed four-year election cycle going forward, affecting how often the city holds municipal elections.

• Section 1 revises Section 4 of the 1985 Act incorporating the City of Pembroke to change term lengths to four years for mayor and city council.
• Sets the next general election date as the first Tuesday in November 2027, with officials taking office the second Monday in January 2028.
• Establishes that future municipal general elections will occur every four years on the first Tuesday in November, with officeholders installed the following January.
• Provides that currently serving officials remain in office until their successors are elected and qualified.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act.

1. 2025-05-01Effective Date 2025-05-01
2. 2025-05-01Act 62
3. 2025-05-01House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-25Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-13House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 13, 2025

   169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #273

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 25, 2025

   52 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 0 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #277

• local government
• city elections
• Pembroke Georgia
• municipal charter