HB 1241: Decatur, City of; city commission and public school system; revise provisions

The City of Decatur operates under a charter first adopted in 2001. This bill amends that charter (Ga. L. 2001, p. 4351) by replacing all of Article III, the section governing the city commission, with an updated version. The revised article keeps the basic structure of a mayor and four commissioners elected from two election districts, each with a Post A and Post B seat, but sets a new schedule for the mayor's race: the mayor would be elected citywide starting in November 2027, taking office in January 2028 for a four year term, separate from the commissioners' staggered election years. The rewritten article also covers qualifications for office, residency rules, compensation, meeting and quorum procedures, the mayor's ceremonial and voting powers, the mayor pro tempore's role, how boards and commissions are created and filled, grounds and procedures for removing a commission member, how vacancies are filled, and the city's ethics committee. The changes take effect once the bill becomes law and conflicting laws are repealed.

• Restates the City of Decatur's city commission as four commissioners plus a mayor, elected by plurality vote from two election districts.
• Sets a new mayoral election timeline, with the mayor elected citywide starting in November 2027 and serving a four year term beginning January 2028.
• Spells out qualifications for commission and mayoral candidates, including a one year residency requirement and a bar on people convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.
• Details meeting rules, including a three member quorum, roll call voting on ordinances, and 48 hour notice for special meetings.
• Lays out removal procedures for a commission member, requiring either a four member commission vote after a hearing or a DeKalb County Superior Court order.
• Keeps the city's ethics committee and directs the commission to set its powers and duties by ordinance.

Decatur residents and voters, the mayor and four city commissioners, candidates for those offices, city boards and commissions appointed by the commission, city employees supervised by the city manager, and the city's ethics committee.

The bill changes when and how Decatur's mayor is elected, separating that race from the commissioners' election cycle starting in 2027. It also fixes procedures for meetings, quorums, removals, and vacancies that determine how city government actually functions day to day.

• Section 3.10 sets the city commission at four commissioners and a mayor, elected by plurality vote in their election district.
• Section 3.13 divides the city into two election districts with a Post A and Post B seat each and schedules the mayor's election for November 2027, with a four year term starting January 2028.
• Section 3.19 sets a three member quorum for the five member commission and requires roll call votes on ordinance adoption.
• Section 3.23 allows removal of a commission member by a four member commission vote after a hearing, or by a DeKalb County Superior Court order.
• Section 3.24 requires a special election to fill a vacant mayor or commissioner seat, unless the vacancy occurs within twelve months of the term's end, in which case the commission appoints a successor.
• Section 3.25 keeps the city's ethics committee and directs the commission to define its powers and duties by ordinance.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 648
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-24Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-17House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)

• Omari Crawford (D, HD-089)Primary sponsor
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

   163 yea, 1 nay (7 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #513

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #571

• Decatur city charter
• local government
• city elections
• municipal ethics