HB 724: Pembroke, City of; mayor and city council members; provide four-year terms

The City of Pembroke's charter, originally set in 1985, currently governs how often the mayor and city council members face election. This bill rewrites Section 4 of that charter to move the city to four-year terms for the mayor and all five city council members. Under the bill, the next general election for these offices would be held on the first Tuesday in November 2027, with winners taking office the second Monday in January 2028 for four-year terms. After that, elections would repeat every four years on the same schedule. The currently serving mayor and council members would keep their seats until their successors are elected and qualified. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Rewrites Section 4 of Pembroke's city charter to set four-year terms for the mayor and five city council members instead of the current shorter terms.
• Schedules the next general election for these offices on the first Tuesday in November 2027, with winners taking office in January 2028.
• Establishes a recurring four-year election cycle held every four years on the first Tuesday in November after 2027.
• Keeps current officeholders in their seats until their elected successors are qualified, avoiding a gap in city leadership.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these new term rules.

The mayor and five city council members of the City of Pembroke, Georgia, along with Pembroke voters, who will now elect these officials every four years instead of on the previous schedule.

Pembroke residents would vote for mayor and city council less often, and officeholders would serve longer stretches between elections. This changes how frequently local leadership faces voter accountability and when the next city election actually happens.

• Section 1 replaces Section 4 of the 1985 Pembroke charter Act (Ga. L. 1985, p. 4846) to establish four-year terms for the mayor and five council members.
• The next general election is set for the first Tuesday in November 2027, with terms beginning the second Monday in January 2028.
• Future elections recur every four years on the first Tuesday in November, with new terms starting the following second Monday in January.
• Current mayor and council members stay in office until their successors are elected and qualified, ensuring continuity.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-01Act 62
3. 2025-05-01House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-25Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-13House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 13, 2025

   169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #273

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 25, 2025

   52 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 0 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #277

• local government
• city elections
• Pembroke Georgia
• municipal charters
• term lengths