Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 347: Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority; method of appointing the membership; change
Last action July 1, 2025 · Effective Date
Senate Bill 347 changes how members are chosen for the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority, replacing joint mayoral appointments with a new five-seat structure shared between Glynn County and the City of Brunswick.
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
The Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority is a local body created by a 1963 state law, later amended in 1987, that helps oversee development in Glynn County. This bill rewrites the sections of that law covering how the authority's board members are chosen, how long they serve, and how they can be removed. Under the bill, the board would have five members. Four (Seats 1 through 4) would be jointly appointed by Glynn County and the City of Brunswick through a nomination and approval process, serving staggered four-year terms with a two-term limit. The fifth seat would automatically go to whoever is chairperson or vice-chairperson of the Glynn County Board of Commissioners, serving one-year terms. The bill also sets residency and taxpayer requirements for members, creates a formal process for removing a member for cause, and lays out how vacancies are filled. It takes effect July 1, 2025.
What the bill does
- Restructures the authority's board to five seats, with four filled through joint appointment by Glynn County and the City of Brunswick and one reserved for the Glynn County Board of Commissioners' chairperson or vice-chairperson.
- Sets staggered four-year terms for Seats 1 through 4, with existing members' terms expiring on set dates from 2026 through 2029, and limits members to two successive four-year terms.
- Creates a formal for-cause removal process requiring written notice, a hearing, and a unanimous vote of the other four board members, with permanent ineligibility for anyone removed.
- Requires all board members to be Glynn County taxpayers and residents, and bars members (other than Seat 5) from also being officers or employees of Glynn County or Brunswick.
- Establishes a process for filling vacancies in the same manner as the original appointment, with the replacement serving out the unexpired term.
- Requires each appointed member to take an oath before a notary or other authorized officer to faithfully perform their duties.
Who it affects
Current and future members of the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority board, the Glynn County Board of Commissioners, the Glynn County government, and the City of Brunswick, all of which play a role in appointing or serving on the authority's board.
Why it matters
The bill changes who controls appointments to a local development authority that shapes economic development decisions in Glynn County, shifting from the prior appointment method to a joint county-city process plus a guaranteed county commission seat, and adds term limits and a formal removal procedure for board members.
Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites the authority's founding law to set a five-member board, with Seats 1 through 4 jointly appointed by Glynn County and Brunswick and Seat 5 reserved for the county commission chair or vice-chair.
- Sets a transition process requiring the authority to designate which current members hold Seats 1 through 4 within ten days after July 1, 2025, with their terms expiring on staggered dates from 2026 to 2029.
- Limits Seats 1 through 4 to two successive four-year terms, followed by a mandatory two-year wait before reappointment eligibility, with partial terms not counting toward the limit.
- Establishes Seat 5's term as annual, running from January 1, with a maximum of four successive one-year terms, and an initial term from August 1 to December 31, 2025.
- Creates a for-cause removal process requiring written notice, a hearing, and a unanimous vote of the remaining four members, with permanently barred reappointment for removed members.
- Requires all board members to be Glynn County taxpayers and residents and restricts most members from also holding county or city government jobs.
- Sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, and repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Removal shall require a unanimous vote of the remaining four board members upon a documented finding of cause following such hearing.”
“Members serving in Seats 1 through 4 may serve no more than two successive four-year terms, after which the member must wait at least two years before becoming eligible for reappointment.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 52
- Senate Date Signed 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)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Mike Hodges (R, SD-3)
- Shawn Still (R, SD-48)
- Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 27, 2025
52 yea, 0 nay (0 not voting, 4 excused)
- House voteApril 2, 2025
168 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 excused)
Topics
- local government appointments
- Glynn County
- Brunswick development authority
- economic development boards