SB 340: City of Tybee Island; selection of a mayor pro tem; provide

Tybee Island's city charter, first adopted in 1995 and last amended in 2019, already includes a mayor pro tem position, but this bill rewrites Section 2.33 to set clearer rules for how that person is chosen and what they do. Under the revised section, the city council must pick a mayor pro tem from among its own members at its first regular meeting after a city election and the seating of new council members. The mayor pro tem steps in with full mayoral rights and duties whenever the mayor is absent or physically or mentally unable to serve, as declared by a majority council vote. If the mayor pro tem is also unavailable, another council member chosen by majority vote fills in instead. The mayor pro tem also signs contracts and ordinances when the mayor has a disqualifying financial conflict of interest. If the mayor pro tem's seat becomes vacant, the council must choose a replacement at its next regular meeting. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Requires the Tybee Island city council to select a mayor pro tem from among its own members at its first regular meeting after a city election.
• Gives the mayor pro tem full mayoral powers and duties whenever the mayor is absent or physically or mentally unable to serve.
• Establishes a backup process where, if the mayor pro tem is also unavailable, the council picks another member by majority vote to act as mayor.
• Requires a majority council vote to formally declare the mayor's absence or disability before the mayor pro tem takes over.
• Directs the mayor pro tem to sign contracts and ordinances when the mayor has a disqualifying financial interest under the charter's conflict of interest rule (Section 2.14).
• Requires the council to fill a vacancy in the mayor pro tem position at its next regular meeting after the vacancy occurs.

This bill affects the City of Tybee Island's mayor, city council members, and city government operations, since it changes how leadership authority is handed off when the mayor cannot serve and how contracts get signed during a mayoral conflict of interest.

The revised rules give Tybee Island a clearer chain of command if the mayor is absent, sick, or has a financial conflict, reducing uncertainty about who can legally sign documents or run council meetings, and setting a firm timeline for filling a vacant mayor pro tem seat.

• Section 1 replaces Section 2.33 of the Tybee Island city charter (Ga. L. 1995, p. 4462, as amended in 2019) with new language governing the mayor pro tem.
• The council selects the mayor pro tem at its first regular meeting after a city election once new members are seated.
• A majority council vote is required to declare the mayor absent or disabled before the mayor pro tem or another council member takes over mayoral duties.
• The mayor pro tem or a designated council member signs contracts and ordinances when the mayor is disqualified by a financial interest under Section 2.14 of the charter.
• A vacancy in the mayor pro tem office must be filled at the council's next regular meeting.
• Section 2 repeals any existing laws that conflict with this Act.

1. 2025-05-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-01Act 54
3. 2025-05-01Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-04-02House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2025-04-02House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-03-31House Second Readers (House)

• Ben Watson (R, SD-1)Primary sponsor
• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2025

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

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #291

2. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2025

   168 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #377

• local government
• city charters
• Tybee Island
• municipal leadership