HB749: HB749 Carroll County; Board of Commissioners; chairperson and members; change annual salary

This bill amends the 1989 local law that governs the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, updating how much the chairperson and other commissioners are paid. The chairperson's annual salary would be set equal to the base salary and cost-of-living adjustment of the Carroll County sheriff, plus $25,000, along with a longevity increase and continued use of a county-provided car. Other commissioners would receive an annual salary of $20,250, with future cost-of-living increases tied to whichever is greater: the increase given to full-time Carroll County employees or the amount set under state law (O.C.G.A. § 36-5-28). The bill also raises the county contract approval threshold that commissioners can authorize without a vote, from an unspecified prior amount to $35,000, and ties future increases in that threshold to the national Consumer Price Index. The changes take effect January 1, 2026.

• Sets the Carroll County Board chairperson's annual salary equal to the sheriff's base salary and cost-of-living adjustment, plus $25,000, plus a longevity increase and a county car.
• Sets other commissioners' annual salary at $20,250, with future raises tied to the greater of county employee cost-of-living increases or the amount under O.C.G.A. § 36-5-28.
• Sets the chairperson's annual expense allowance at $7,700 and other members' expense allowance at $3,100, adjusted annually under state law.
• Raises the dollar threshold for contracts commissioners can authorize without special approval to $35,000, adjusted yearly based on the national Consumer Price Index.
• Sets the effective date of the changes as January 1, 2026.

The chairperson and members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, whose pay and expense allowances would change, and Carroll County government more broadly, since the bill also affects how county contracts above $35,000 must be authorized.

The bill changes how much Carroll County commissioners are paid and how those salaries keep pace with cost-of-living increases, linking the chairperson's pay directly to the sheriff's salary. It also raises the spending threshold requiring commission approval for county contracts, affecting how county funds are managed.

• Section 1 rewrites Section 7 of the 1989 Carroll County Act, setting the chairperson's salary to match the sheriff's base salary and cost-of-living adjustment (O.C.G.A. § 15-16-20) plus $25,000, plus longevity pay under O.C.G.A. § 36-5-29.
• Section 1 sets other commissioners' salary at $20,250 with cost-of-living increases tied to county employee raises or O.C.G.A. § 36-5-28, whichever is greater.
• Section 1 sets expense allowances of $7,700 for the chairperson and $3,100 for other members, adjusted annually under O.C.G.A. § 36-5-28.
• Section 2 revises Section 8(a)(22) to raise the contract authorization threshold to $35,000, with annual increases tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) starting July 1, 2025.
• Section 3 sets the effective date of the Act as January 1, 2026.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2026-01-01
2. 2025-05-13Act 167
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-25Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-21House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)Primary sponsor
• Lynn Smith (R, HD-070)
• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)
• Jutt Howard (R, HD-071)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 21, 2025

   158 yea, 0 nay (9 not voting, 13 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #293

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   49 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #339

• Carroll County government
• local government salaries
• county commissioners pay
• county contract authority