HB 1559: Palmetto, City of; qualifications, terms, powers, and duties of mayor, councilmembers, and city manager; revise provisions

The City of Palmetto operates under a charter the Georgia General Assembly first approved in 1966. This bill updates several parts of that charter. It restates who can run for mayor or council (Georgia voter qualifications, one year of residency, and no outstanding debts to the city), keeps four-year terms for both offices, and keeps staggered council elections with three seats up at a time. The bill also spells out the mayor's duties in detail, including presiding over meetings, overseeing city finances, and a veto process over council-passed ordinances that the council can override with five votes. It rewrites the city manager section to clarify how the manager is hired, fired, paid, and what day-to-day administrative duties the manager has, including preparing budgets and supervising departments. Finally, it confirms the mayor and council's authority to create city departments and set employee rules by ordinance. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Restates eligibility rules for mayor and council: Georgia voter qualifications, one year of city residency, and no unpaid debts owed to the city.
• Keeps four-year terms for the mayor and council, with council seats elected on a staggered three-and-three schedule.
• Details the mayor's specific duties, including presiding over meetings, overseeing city funds, and a veto power over ordinances that council can override with five votes.
• Rewrites the city manager's role, covering appointment by council majority vote, removal, contract-based pay, and a long list of administrative duties like budget preparation and department supervision.
• Confirms that the mayor and council can create city departments and set employee rules, pay, and duties by ordinance.

The bill affects the City of Palmetto's mayor, city council members, and city manager, as well as city employees and department heads whose hiring, pay, and duties are shaped by the charter. Residents of Palmetto are affected as the people governed under these updated city leadership rules.

The bill sets clearer, updated rules for how Palmetto's local government runs, including how disputes between the mayor and council over ordinances get resolved through a veto and override process, and how the city manager is hired, paid, and can be removed, which affects the day-to-day administration of city services.

• Section 1 revises Section 5.1, setting mayor qualifications (residency, no city debts) and a four-year term, with removal for a moral turpitude conviction.
• Section 2 revises Section 6.1, applying the same qualifications to councilmembers and keeping staggered four-year terms with three seats elected at a time.
• Section 3 revises Section 14.1, detailing 14 mayoral duties including presiding over meetings, overseeing funds, and a veto power overridable by five councilmembers.
• Section 4 revises Section 20.2, covering city manager appointment by council majority, removal, contract-based compensation, and 14 specific administrative duties.
• Section 5 revises Section 21.1, confirming the mayor and council's authority to create departments and set employee rules and pay by ordinance.
• Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 594
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-04-02Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)Primary sponsor
• Robert Dawson (D, HD-065)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

   164 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #754

2. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #927

• local government charter
• City of Palmetto
• city manager duties
• mayor and council powers