--- title: SB 340. City of Tybee Island; selection of a mayor pro tem; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb340 cite_as: SB 340, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb340 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb340.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb340/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71391 date: 2025-05-01 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/sb339.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb341.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 889 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb340.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 340 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-01 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-01 sponsors: - Ben Watson - Jesse Petrea text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB340/2025 upstream_id: 2010568 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Tybee Island - local government charters - city council - mayor pro tem - municipal law --- # SB 340. City of Tybee Island; selection of a mayor pro tem; provide ## Text 25 LC 62 0163 Senate Bill 340 By: Senator Watson of the 1st AS PASSED A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT T o a m e n d a n A c t t o p r o v i d e f o r a n e w c h a r t e r f o r t h e C i t y o f T ybee Island, approved1 April 20, 1995 (Ga. L. 1995, p. 4462), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 2,2 2019 (Ga. L. 2019, p. 3569), so as to provide for the selection of a mayor pro tem; to provide3 for the duties of the mayor pro tem; to provide for filling a vacancy in the office of the mayor4 pro tem; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 SECTION 1.7 An Act to provide for a new charter for the City of Tybee Island, approved April 20, 19958 (Ga. L. 1995, p. 4462), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 2, 2019 (Ga. L.9 2019, p. 3569), is amended by revising Section 2.33 as follows:10 "SECTION 2.33.11 Selection and powers and duties of the mayor pro tem.12 At the first regular meeting of the city council following a re gular election and the13 assumption of office by the newly elected city council members, the city council shall14 S. B. 340 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0163 select one of its own members as mayor pro tem. During the absence or physical or mental15 disability of the mayor for any cause, the mayor pro tem, or in the mayor pro tem's absence16 or disability for any reason, any one of the council members chosen by a majority vote of17 the city council, shall be clothed with all the rights and privileges of the mayor and shall18 perform the duties of the office of the mayor so long as such a bsence or disability shall19 continue. Any such absence or disability shall be declared by a majority vote of all 20 council members. The mayor pro tem or selected council member shall sign all contracts21 and ordinances in which the mayor has a disqualifying financial interest as provided in22 Section 2.14 of this charter. In the event of a vacancy in the office of mayor pro tem, the23 city council shall select one of its own members as mayor pro tem at the next regularly held24 city council meeting following the vacancy."25 SECTION 2.26 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.27 S. B. 340 - 2 - ## 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. A Senate bill would rewrite the City of Tybee Island's charter to set clear rules for how the city council picks a mayor pro tem and fills that role if it becomes vacant. ### Plain-language summary The City of Tybee Island's charter already includes a mayor pro tem, a council member who fills in for the mayor when needed. This bill amends the city's 1995 charter (as previously amended in 2019) by rewriting Section 2.33, which governs how that person is chosen and what they can do. Under the revised section, the city council must select one of its own members as mayor pro tem at its first regular meeting after a city election and after new council members take office. That person steps in with full mayoral powers if the mayor is absent or unable to serve, and can sign contracts or ordinances the mayor cannot sign due to a financial conflict of interest. The bill also spells out what happens if the mayor pro tem seat becomes vacant: the council must pick a replacement at its next regular meeting after the vacancy occurs. ### What it does - Requires the Tybee Island city council to select a mayor pro tem from among its own members at the first regular meeting after a city election. - Gives the mayor pro tem full mayoral rights and duties whenever the mayor is absent or physically or mentally unable to serve. - Specifies that if the mayor pro tem is also unavailable, any council member chosen by majority vote can temporarily take on the mayor's duties. - Requires the mayor pro tem or substitute council member to sign contracts and ordinances when the mayor has a disqualifying financial interest under Section 2.14 of the charter. - Sets a process for filling a vacant mayor pro tem seat: the council must choose a replacement at its next regular meeting after the vacancy. - Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these new charter provisions. ### Who it affects Tybee Island's mayor and city council members, who must follow the new selection and vacancy-filling process, and Tybee Island residents, whose city government leadership rules during a mayoral absence or vacancy would be governed by this updated charter language. ### Why it matters The bill clarifies exactly who runs Tybee Island's government day to day if the mayor cannot serve, and how quickly the council must fill a vacant mayor pro tem seat, reducing uncertainty about local leadership during absences, illness, or conflicts of interest. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises Section 2.33 of the Tybee Island charter to require the council to select a mayor pro tem at its first regular meeting after a new council takes office. - The revised section grants the mayor pro tem full mayoral rights and duties during the mayor's absence or physical or mental disability, for as long as that absence continues. - Any declaration of the mayor's absence or disability requires a majority vote of all council members. - If both the mayor and mayor pro tem are unavailable, a council member chosen by majority vote can act in the mayor's place. - The mayor pro tem or substitute must sign contracts and ordinances when the mayor has a disqualifying financial interest under Section 2.14. - A vacancy in the mayor pro tem office must be filled by council vote at the next regularly held council meeting after the vacancy arises. - Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-01) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-01 (2025-05-01) - Sponsors: Ben Watson, Jesse Petrea - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71391 > The history, votes, and amendments (889 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb340.md?full=1