--- title: HB 982. Barnesville, City of; city council; change description of election districts collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb982 cite_as: HB 982, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb982 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb982.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb982/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72242 date: 2026-05-11 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb981.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb983.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb982.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 982 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-05-11 last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 sponsors: - Beth Camp - Robert Dickey text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB982/2025 upstream_id: 2083374 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - local government - city council districts - redistricting - Barnesville - Lamar County --- # HB 982. Barnesville, City of; city council; change description of election districts ## Text House Bill 982 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Camp of the 135th and Dickey of the 134th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act providing a new charter for the City of Barnesville, approved March 11, 1987 (Ga. L. 1987, p. 3865), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 12, 2005 (Ga. L. 2005, p. 3510), so as to change the description of the election districts for the city council; to provide for definitions and inclusions; to provide for continuation in office of current members; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. An Act providing a new charter for the City of Barnesville, approved March 11, 1987 (Ga. L. 1987, p. 3865), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 12, 2005 (Ga. L. 2005, p. 3510), is amended by revising Section 2.10 as follows: "SECTION 2.10. (a) The legislative authority of the government of this city, except as otherwise specifically provided in this charter, shall be vested in a city council to be composed of a mayor and five councilmembers. The mayor and councilmembers shall be elected in the manner provided by this charter. (b) For the purpose of electing members of the city council, the City of Barnesville is divided into five districts. Such districts shall be and correspond to those five numbered districts described in and set forth in Appendix B attached hereto and further identified as 'User: Barnesville Plan Name: barnesville-p1-2025 Plan Type: Local'. (c) For the purposes of such plan: (1) The term 'VTD' shall mean and describe the same geographical boundaries as provided in the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2020 for the State of Georgia. The separate numeric designations in a district description which are underneath a VTD heading shall mean and describe individual Blocks within a VTD as provided in the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2020 for the State of Georgia; and (2) Except as otherwise provided in the description of any district, whenever the description of any district refers to a named city, it shall mean the geographical boundaries of that city as shown on the census maps for the United States decennial census of 2020 for the State of Georgia. (d) Any part of the City of Barnesville which is not included in any district described in subsection (b) of this section shall be included within that district contiguous to such part which contains the least population according to the United States decennial census of 2020 for the State of Georgia. (e) Any part of the City of Barnesville which is described in subsection (b) of this section as being included in a particular district shall nevertheless not be included within such district if such part is not contiguous to such district. Such noncontiguous part shall instead be included within that district contiguous to such part which contains the least population according to the United States decennial census of 2020 for the State of Georgia. (f) Those members of the city council who are serving as such on the effective date of this Act and any person selected to fill a vacancy in any such office shall continue to serve as such members until the regular expiration of their respective terms of office and upon the election and qualification of their respective successors. (g) Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as they exist immediately prior to the effective date of this Act, shall continue to be designated as Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively, but as newly described under this Act, and on and after the effective date of this Act, such members of the council serving from those former districts shall be deemed to be serving from and representing their respective districts as newly described under this Act." SECTION 2. Said Act is further amended by striking Appendix B and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "APPENDIX B User: Barnesville Plan Name: barnesville-p1-2025 Plan Type: Local District 001 County Lamar GA VTD BARNESVILLE FBC Block 970300 2036 2037 2038 2039 3017 3018 4015 4016 4017 4028 4030 4034 4035 4036 4040 VTD L C S C Block 970202 1002 1003 1004 1018 1029 1030 2010 2014 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2034 Block 970300 2035 2040 2041 2042 2043 3020 3021 4025 4037 4038 4039 4041 4042 4043 District 002 County Lamar GA VTD BARNESVILLE FBC Block 970300 1004 1010 1011 1016 1017 1018 1024 1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1037 3000 3001 3002 3003 3004 3005 3006 3007 3008 3009 3010 3011 3014 3015 3016 3019 VTD MILNER Block 970300 1012 1019 District 003 County Lamar GA VTD BARNESVILLE FBC Block 970201 1048 Block 970202 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2011 2012 2013 2024 2025 3005 3007 3008 3009 3010 3011 3012 3013 3018 3019 3020 3021 3022 3024 Block 970300 1001 1007 1008 1009 3012 3013 VTD L C S C Block 970202 2008 2009 VTD SENIOR CITIZEN BLDG Block 970202 3015 District 004 County Lamar GA VTD BARNESVILLE FBC Block 970201 1028 1029 VTD L C S C Block 970201 2009 2055 Block 970202 1020 1025 1038 2007 2033 VTD SENIOR CITIZEN BLDG Block 970201 1045 1046 1047 1056 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 2006 2007 2008 2056 District 005 County Lamar GA VTD L C S C Block 970202 1000 1001 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1014 1015 1035 2018" SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. House Bill 982 redraws the five city council election districts for the City of Barnesville in Lamar County, using new census-block boundaries, without adding or removing council seats. ### Plain-language summary This bill amends Barnesville's city charter, originally adopted in 1987 and last changed in 2005, to update how the city's five council election districts are drawn. Rather than changing the number of council members, which stays at a mayor plus five councilmembers, the bill replaces the old district map (Appendix B) with a new one based on 2020 U.S. Census blocks and voting precincts. The new districts keep the same numbers, Districts 1 through 5, but their boundaries are redrawn to reflect updated population and census data. Council members currently serving will keep serving out their terms under the new boundaries, and any area left out of a district or made noncontiguous will be assigned to the adjacent district with the smallest population. The bill repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Rewrites Section 2.10 of Barnesville's city charter to redescribe the five council election districts using 2020 Census block and voting precinct data. - Replaces the charter's Appendix B, the official district map, with a new district plan called 'barnesville-p1-2025'. - Keeps the city council structure the same: a mayor and five councilmembers elected from five districts. - Lets current councilmembers finish their terms under the old district lines even though the boundaries are being redrawn. - Sets a rule that any city area not assigned to a district, or made noncontiguous, goes to the adjacent district with the smallest population. ### Who it affects Residents and voters of the City of Barnesville in Lamar County, especially those whose homes shift between council districts under the new map. It also affects current city council members and candidates for future council elections, since district lines determine who they represent and run against. ### Why it matters Redrawing district lines can shift which voters elect which council member, potentially changing a resident's representative even though their address does not change. The bill preserves current officeholders' terms, so the practical effects would mainly show up in future council elections. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises Section 2.10 of the charter to describe five council districts based on the new 'barnesville-p1-2025' redistricting plan tied to 2020 Census data. - Section 1(d) and (e) direct that any area left out of a district, or made noncontiguous, joins the adjacent district with the least population. - Section 1(f) and (g) let current councilmembers finish their terms and treats them as representing their old districts under the new numbering and boundaries. - Section 2 strikes the old Appendix B map and inserts a new one listing specific census blocks and voting precincts for each of the five districts. - Section 3 repeals any laws that conflict with this Act. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-11) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11) - Sponsors: Beth Camp, Robert Dickey - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72242 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb982.md?full=1