---
title: SB 494. Board of Commissioners of Irwin County; the compensation of the board of commissioners; revise provisions
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb494
cite_as: SB 494, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb494
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb494.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb494/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73113
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 890
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb494.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 494
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Carden Summers
  - Angie O'Steen
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB494/2025
upstream_id: 2113641
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - local government
  - Irwin County
  - county commissioners
  - county administration
---

# SB 494. Board of Commissioners of Irwin County; the compensation of the board of commissioners; revise provisions

## Text

Senate Bill 494
By: Senator Summers of the 13th
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act creating the Board of Commissioners of Irwin County, approved
February 16, 1933 (Ga. L. 1933, p. 571), as amended, so as to revise provisions relating to
the compensation of the board of commissioners; to revise provisions relating to appointment
of the clerk of the board of commissioners; to provide for the duties of the chairperson of the
board of commissioners; to provide for a vice chairperson of the board of commissioners; to
provide for the appointment of a county administrator; to provide for the powers and duties
of the county administrator; to provide for the filling of vacancies in the office of county
administrator; to revise provisions relating to the superintendent of roads and bridges; to
repeal provisions relating to providing an automobile to the chairperson when serving as
superintendent of roads and bridges; 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 creating the Board of Commissioners of Irwin County, approved February 16, 1933
(Ga. L. 1933, p. 571), as amended, is amended by revising Section 6 as follows:
"SECTION 6.
(a) Each commissioner shall receive a salary of not less than $100.00 per month and not
more than $300.00 per month. Any action to fix the salary of said commissioners at more
than $100.00 per month and not more than $300.00 per month shall be by ordinance of the
board of commissioners.
(b) In addition to the salaries provided in subsection (a) of this section, each member of
the board shall receive a local travel expense allowance of $2,400.00 per year. The
chairperson of said board may be furnished with a vehicle purchased by the county with
county funds and with the necessary expenses in the operation of same, including gasoline,
oil, repairs, etc.; but the chairperson shall not operate said vehicle except when he or she
is engaged solely upon business relating to county matters. When the chairperson and
other commissioners are away from the county but engaged in business relating to this
office and in the interest of the county, they shall be reimbursed for their actual, reasonable
expenses while away provided the board first approves same.
(c) All salaries and expense allowances provided for in this section shall be paid in equal
monthly installments from county funds."
SECTION 2.
Said Act is further amended by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 6A as
follows:
"(1) The board of commissioners shall elect a clerk of the board of commissioners who
shall serve as its clerk and shall have such duties as are specified by the board and shall
hold office under the control and direction of the board and serve at its pleasure and may
be dismissed by the board at any time and a successor employed. The clerk shall keep,
or cause to be kept, proper and accurate books of minutes wherein shall appear all acts,
orders, and proceedings of the board."
SECTION 3.
Said Act is further amended by revising Section 8 as follows:
"SECTION 8.
(a) The chairperson of the board of commissioners shall be the executive officer and
member of said board and shall be responsible for the conduct and administration of said
office, subject only to the approval and direction of the board. The chairperson shall have
the following powers and duties:
(1) To preside at all meetings of the board and be recognized as the official head and
spokesperson of the county for service of process and ceremonial purposes, and chief
advocate of policy;
(2) To timely sign, for and on behalf of the county, all contracts, ordinances, instruments,
and other documents required to be in writing, unless otherwise directed or authorized by
this law or the board;
(3) To administer oaths and take affidavits;
(4) To vote on all matters before the board and be counted toward a quorum as any other
member of the board; and
(5) To fulfill such other duties as authorized by the board of commissioners.
(b) At the first regular meeting of each calendar year, the members of the board shall elect
a vice chairperson from their membership to serve for the calendar year in which he or she
is elected. The vice chairperson shall continue to vote on all matters before the board and
be counted toward a quorum as any other member of the board. In the event of the absence
or disability of the chairperson for any reason, the vice chairperson shall perform the duties
of the chairperson. Any absence or disability of the chairperson shall be declared by a
majority vote of the remaining members of the board."
SECTION 4.
Said Act is further amended by adding a new section to read as follows:
"SECTION 8A.
(a) The board shall employ a county administrator. The county administrator shall be the
chief administrative officer of the county and head of the administrative branch of county
government. The county administrator shall be appointed for an indefinite term and serve
at the pleasure of the board. The compensation of the county administrator shall be as set
by the board. The county administrator shall be appointed solely on the basis of his or her
administrative qualifications.
(b) The county administrator shall:
(1) Supervise the administration of the affairs of the county and see that all ordinances,
resolutions, and regulations of the board are faithfully executed and enforced;
(2) Attend all meetings of the board, except for closed meetings held for the purpose of
deliberating on the appointment, discipline, or removal of the county administrator, but
have no vote;
(3) Prepare and submit the annual operating budget and capital budget to the board;
(4) Submit to the board of commissioners and make available to the public a complete
report on the finances and administrative activities of the county as of the end of each
fiscal year;
(5) Keep the board of commissioners fully advised as to the financial condition and
needs of the county and make such recommendations to the board that the county
administrator deems expedient or necessary;
(6) Make such reports to the board as may be necessary or as the board may require
concerning the operations of county departments, offices, and agencies;
(7) Be accountable for any and all funds, property, or effects which may come into his
or her hands;
(8) Keep fully accurate and complete accounts in books or a book for the purpose,
wherein shall appear in detail all orders, warrants, and other proceedings drawn by the
board on the county treasury or depository, for what purpose and on what fund, and all
such orders, warrants, and other proceedings, shall be so drawn as to specify the purpose
and on what fund drawn. Such records shall be so kept as to show at all times the
financial condition of the county and shall be open to inspection by any citizen or
taxpayer of the county;
(9) Keep a book of inventory of all county property, including road machinery, live
stock, chain-gang outfits, road-working tools and equipment, and every other kind and
class of property belonging to said county, together with a fair valuation of the same,
where located, in whose custody, and in what condition, which inventory shall, during
the month of January in each year, be carefully revised; and
(10) Keep all such other books and records as may be necessary, or as the board may
order, and shall perform generally or singularly the acts and duties necessary to be
performed by him or her as county administrator, and all such other duties as said board
may require, and all and any other things that he or she can and should do to fully
exercise the duties of the office, and as will be helpful to a clear understanding of the
county's financial standing and condition, as well as for an economical administration of
the county's affairs.
(b) The board shall be authorized to designate a qualified county administrative officer to
exercise the powers and duties of the county administrator in the event of the temporary
absence, disability, or suspension of the county administrator. Vacancies in the office of
county administrator shall be filled by the board of commissioners as early as practicable,
and until such vacancy is permanently filled, the board of commissioners shall have full
power to appoint an interim county administrator."
SECTION 5.
Said Act is further amended by revising Section 11 as follows:
"SECTION 11.
The board of commissioners may at their discretion, and when they deem necessary, elect
a superintendent of roads and bridges, to be selected on the account of his or her ability,
efficiency, and knowledge and skill in practical road building or bridge building,
preference being given to a civil engineer when he or she measures up fully to the other
requirements. Said superintendent may be elected for an indefinite period, and his or her
services may be discontinued by said board at any time they see fit so to do. The
superintendent of roads and bridges shall have charge of laying out, building, locating,
preparing, repairing, improving, and maintaining the public roads and bridges of the county
under orders of the board. The salary of the superintendent of roads and bridges shall be
determined by the board."
SECTION 6.
Said Act is further amended by repealing and reserving Section 20.
SECTION 7.
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.

A Senate bill would update how Irwin County pays and organizes its board of commissioners, adding a vice chairperson role and a new county administrator position with defined duties.

### Plain-language summary

Irwin County's governing law dates to 1933. This bill rewrites several sections to modernize how the county board of commissioners operates. It sets commissioner salaries between $100 and $300 per month (changeable by board ordinance), keeps a $2,400 yearly travel allowance per member, and continues to allow the chairperson a county vehicle for official business.
The bill also spells out the chairperson's duties, creates an annually elected vice chairperson to fill in when the chairperson is absent, and creates a new county administrator position appointed by the board to run day-to-day county government, prepare budgets, manage records, and report on finances. It updates how the clerk of the board is chosen and revises rules for the superintendent of roads and bridges. A repealed section about the chairperson's vehicle while serving as road superintendent is removed. The changes take effect once signed into law.

### What it does

- Sets commissioner pay at $100 to $300 per month, adjustable by board ordinance, plus a $2,400 yearly travel allowance per member.
- Defines the chairperson's powers, including presiding over meetings, signing contracts, and administering oaths, subject to board approval.
- Creates a new vice chairperson position elected annually by the board to act as chairperson when needed.
- Establishes a county administrator position appointed by the board to oversee daily operations, budgets, financial reports, and county property records.
- Revises how the clerk of the board of commissioners is elected and allows the board to dismiss the clerk at will.
- Repeals a provision about providing an automobile to the chairperson when serving as superintendent of roads and bridges.

### Who it affects

Irwin County's board of commissioners, its chairperson and future vice chairperson, the county clerk, a newly created county administrator, the superintendent of roads and bridges, and county taxpayers who fund these salaries and offices.

### Why it matters

The bill changes who runs Irwin County's daily government business by creating a professional administrator role and formalizing leadership succession through a vice chairperson, while clarifying commissioner pay and expense rules that affect how public funds are spent.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 sets commissioner salaries at $100 to $300 per month and keeps a $2,400 annual travel allowance plus reimbursement for county business expenses.
- Section 2 revises how the board elects and can dismiss the clerk of the board of commissioners.
- Section 3 defines the chairperson's specific powers and duties, including presiding, signing documents, and voting.
- Section 3 also creates an annually elected vice chairperson who acts as chairperson during any absence or disability.
- Section 4 creates a new county administrator position with duties including budget preparation, financial reporting, property inventory, and record keeping.
- Section 4 allows the board to appoint an interim administrator or designate someone to fill in during temporary absences.
- Section 5 revises rules for the optional superintendent of roads and bridges position, with salary set by the board.
- Section 6 repeals the prior provision about furnishing the chairperson a vehicle while serving as road superintendent.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Carden Summers, Angie O'Steen
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73113

> The history, votes, and amendments (890 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb494.md?full=1