HB 1577: Woodbine, City of; mayor; revise powers

Woodbine's city charter, first adopted in 1996, currently limits some of the mayor's powers on the city council and around hiring. This bill changes that. It lets the mayor vote on every matter that comes before the city council, not just some. It gives the mayor the power to appoint a city administrator, subject to council approval, and allows the mayor to suspend that administrator without pay for up to 14 days (no more than three times a year) if the administrator does not follow written corrective directions. The bill also rewrites the city's contracting rules. Contracts still generally need council approval, but the mayor alone can authorize accounting, auditing, or legal services contracts up to $25,000 per year, and only if the city has failed to meet state audit or budget reporting requirements for more than 12 months. All conflicting laws would be repealed.

• Amends Woodbine's 1996 city charter to let the mayor vote on all matters before the city council, not just discuss them.
• Gives the mayor power to appoint a city administrator, subject to city council approval, as the city's chief administrative officer.
• Allows the mayor to suspend the city administrator without pay for up to 14 days if written corrective directions are not followed, capped at three suspensions per year.
• Lets the mayor alone authorize accounting, auditing, or legal service contracts up to $25,000 per year, but only if the city has missed state audit or budget reporting deadlines for over 12 months.
• Requires all city contracts to be in writing and, except for the mayor's limited exception, approved by the city council and entered in the council's journal of proceedings.

Woodbine's mayor, city council members, and the city administrator are directly affected, along with city staff and contractors who provide accounting, auditing, or legal services. Residents of Woodbine are indirectly affected through changes to how their local government is run.

The changes shift some day-to-day authority in Woodbine city government toward the mayor, including a vote on every council matter and more control over hiring and disciplining the city administrator. The contracting change gives the mayor limited independent spending power only when the city falls behind on required financial reporting.

• Section 1 revises Section 3.22 of the charter so the mayor may vote on all matters before the city council, removing the prior limitation to discussion only.
• Section 2 revises Section 4.14 so the mayor appoints the city administrator (with council approval) and can suspend the administrator without pay for up to 14 days for failing to follow written corrective directions, limited to three suspensions per calendar year.
• Section 3 rewrites Section 6.30 on procurement, requiring contracts to be in writing and generally approved by the city council, except the mayor may authorize accounting, auditing, or legal contracts up to $25,000 per year when the city has failed to meet state audit or budget reporting requirements for more than 12 months.
• Section 4 repeals all conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)
3. 2026-03-25House Third Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
5. 2026-03-20House Second Readers (House)
6. 2026-03-19House First Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-18House Hopper (House)

• Steven Sainz (R, HD-180)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

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

   Local Calendar: House Vote #754

• local government charters
• Woodbine Georgia
• city administrator
• municipal contracting
• mayoral powers