Georgia CommonsSenate · Vetoed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 238: Rockdale County; board of commissioners; increase the board of commissioners to five members
Last action May 14, 2025 · Veto V7
A vetoed Senate bill would have expanded the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners from four members to five, created a county manager position, and required voter approval before the changes took effect.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Rockdale County's current government was set up by a 1977 state law establishing a board of commissioners with a chairperson. This bill would have restructured that board to have five commissioners elected at large, chosen by voters countywide rather than from separate districts, with the board picking a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among its own members each January. The bill also would have created a county manager position appointed by the board to run day-to-day county operations, supervise departments, prepare meeting agendas, and make purchases up to $5,000 without board approval. It set commissioner pay at 16.5 percent of a superior court judge's base salary and required a $10,000 surety bond from each commissioner. None of this could take effect unless Rockdale County voters approved it in a November 2025 referendum; if rejected, the bill would have automatically repealed itself. The Governor vetoed the bill on May 14, 2025.
What the bill does
- Would have increased Rockdale County's board of commissioners from its current structure to five at-large elected members starting January 1, 2027.
- Would have replaced the standalone chairperson position with a chairperson and vice-chairperson chosen by the board members themselves each January.
- Would have created a county manager position to handle daily administration, supervise departments, and make purchases up to $5,000 without board approval.
- Would have set commissioner salaries at 16.5 percent of a superior court judge's base salary and required a $10,000 bond from each commissioner.
- Would have required Rockdale County voters to approve the changes in a November 2025 referendum before any part of the law took effect.
- Was vetoed by the Governor on May 14, 2025, so none of these changes became law.
Who it affects
Rockdale County residents and voters, current and future county commissioners, the county's incoming county manager and department heads, the election superintendent who would have run the referendum, and county employees whose hiring and pay would fall under the new county manager's authority.
Why it matters
Had it taken effect, county government in Rockdale County would have shifted from its current setup to a five-member at-large board with a rotating chairperson and a professional county manager overseeing daily operations, changing how residents are represented and how county business gets run. Because the Governor vetoed it, none of this happened.
Key provisions
- Section 1 sets the board at five at-large commissioners starting January 1, 2027, with staggered initial terms for different posts elected in 2026 and 2028.
- Section 3 requires successors to be elected at general elections for four-year terms, with partisan qualification and a qualifying fee.
- Section 4 creates the office of county manager, appointed by the board, requiring executive/administrative qualifications and optional degree and experience thresholds.
- Section 4 also lists county manager duties including enforcing laws, supervising department heads, preparing meeting agendas, and making purchases up to $5,000 without board approval.
- Section 7 sets the compensation formula for commissioners at 16.5 percent of a superior court judge's base salary as of June 30, 2025.
- Section 7 (of the referendum section) required a November 2025 vote; if rejected or not held, most of the bill's sections would automatically repeal 365 days after the election date.
- Section 8 states the bill (aside from the referendum section) would take effect upon the Governor's approval or becoming law without it; the Governor vetoed it.
From the bill
“As of January 1, 2027, the commission established herein shall consist of five members to be known as commissioners.”
“The county manager shall be the administrative head of the county government and shall be responsible to the commission for the proper and efficient administration of all the affairs of the county”
Status timeline
- Veto V7
- Senate Date Vetoed by Governor (Senate)
- Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
Show full history (12 actions)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
- Rhonda Taylor (D, HD-92)
Votes
- Senate voteFebruary 28, 2025
51 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 2 excused)
- House voteMarch 13, 2025
169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 excused)
Topics
- local government
- Rockdale County
- county commissioners
- county manager
- referendum