HB 1578: Arcade, Town of; municipality; clarify name

The Town of Arcade currently operates under a 1995 charter that refers to it as a 'town' and uses the word 'journal' for meeting records. This bill changes every reference to 'the Town of Arcade' to 'the City of Arcade' and every reference to 'journal' to 'minutes' throughout the charter. Beyond the name change, the bill moves the city council's yearly organizational meeting to the second Monday of January after a municipal election, tweaks the rules for how ordinances must be written, and updates the procedure for emergency ordinances during public emergencies. It also adds a new power letting the mayor veto ordinances, resolutions, or council actions, subject to the city council overriding that veto with four affirmative votes. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not state a separate effective date beyond standard enactment.

• Renames the municipality from 'the Town of Arcade' to 'the City of Arcade' everywhere it appears in the 1995 charter.
• Replaces the term 'journal' with 'minutes' throughout the charter to describe official meeting records.
• Moves the city council's organizational meeting to the second Monday of January following a municipal election and sets the oath of office wording.
• Clarifies that proposed ordinances must be introduced in writing in their final form and cannot cover a subject not expressed in the title.
• Revises the emergency ordinance process, including how emergencies must be declared and a 30 day automatic repeal of emergency ordinances.
• Creates a mayoral veto power over ordinances, resolutions, and council actions, letting the council override it with four affirmative votes.

The mayor and city council members of the City (formerly Town) of Arcade, the city clerk who manages meeting records and ordinance transmittal, and residents of Arcade who are affected by how local ordinances and emergency measures are adopted and vetoed.

The name change formally updates Arcade's legal status in its own charter documents. The added mayoral veto and revised emergency ordinance rules shift the balance of power in local government, giving the mayor a formal check on council actions while requiring a supermajority vote to override it.

• Section 1 replaces all references to 'the Town of Arcade' with 'the City of Arcade' throughout the 1995 charter.
• Section 2 replaces the word 'journal' with 'minutes' wherever it appears in the charter.
• Section 3 revises Section 2.18 to set the organizational meeting for the second Monday of January and specify the oath of office.
• Section 4 revises Section 2.22(a) on how proposed ordinances must be written and titled.
• Section 5 revises Section 2.24, detailing what emergency ordinances can and cannot do and setting a 30 day automatic repeal.
• Section 6 revises Section 2.29 to add mayoral veto power, including a seven day review period and a four vote council override.
• Section 7 repeals all laws in conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 604
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)Primary sponsor
• Emory Dunahoo (R, HD-031)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

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

   Local Calendar : House Vote #754

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   45 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #873

• local government charters
• municipal governance
• city council rules
• mayoral veto power
• Arcade Georgia