HB 619: Donalsonville, City of; election schedule for mayor and councilmembers; revise

The City of Donalsonville currently elects its mayor and council members to four year terms under its 1997 charter. This bill amends that charter so mayor and council elections fall on different cycles, which the bill calls staggering. It rewrites Section 2.11 to keep four year terms as the general rule, but points to a new exception in Section 5.12. That new Section 5.12 keeps city elections on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, held biennially starting in 2025. As a one time transition step, the mayor elected in November 2025 would serve only a two year term instead of four, with the next mayor elected in November 2027 serving a full four year term. After that, mayoral elections return to the normal four year schedule. The bill also states that no one already elected before the law takes effect can have their term shortened or lengthened except through separate state law procedures.

• Revises Section 2.11 of the Donalsonville city charter to keep four year terms for mayor and council but carve out an exception for the mayor's schedule.
• Rewrites Section 5.12 to set city elections on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, held every two years starting in 2025.
• Creates a one time two year term for the mayor elected in November 2025, instead of the usual four year term.
• Sets the mayor elected in November 2027 to serve a full four year term, after which mayoral elections return to the standard four year cycle.
• Protects people already elected before the law takes effect from having their current term shortened or lengthened, except through state law procedures.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these charter changes.

Residents of the City of Donalsonville who vote in municipal elections, current and future candidates for mayor and city council, and the sitting mayor and council members whose terms and election timing are directly affected by this schedule change.

The change means Donalsonville voters will pick a mayor on a different two year cycle than council members going forward, rather than electing both at the same time. The mayor elected in 2025 will serve a shorter term than normal to make that staggered schedule work.

• Section 1 revises Section 2.11 of the 1997 charter, keeping four year terms for mayor and council but referencing an exception laid out in Section 5.12.
• Section 2 revises Section 5.12 to set general municipal elections on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, held every two years starting in 2025.
• Section 2(b) sets a special two year term for the mayor elected in November 2025, with the next mayor elected in November 2027 serving a full four year term.
• Section 2(c) protects officeholders already elected before the law's effective date from having their terms shortened or lengthened outside of state law procedures.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 206
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-18Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-18Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   172 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 2 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #148

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 18, 2025

   51 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 3 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #235

• local elections
• city charter
• Donalsonville
• municipal government
• election schedule