HB966: HB966 Garden City, City of; mayor to fill any vacancy in the office of mayor pro tempore; provide

Garden City operates under a city charter that lays out how its mayor, mayor pro tempore, and council president are chosen. Under current rules, the mayor appoints a councilperson as mayor pro tempore after each election, but the charter did not clearly say who fills that position if it becomes vacant mid-term. House Bill 966 amends Section 2.03(b) of the city's charter (Ga. L. 1973, p. 3581, as amended) to specify that the mayor shall fill any vacancy in the mayor pro tempore's office. The rest of the existing rules stay the same: the mayor pro tempore acts as mayor during the mayor's absence, becomes mayor if the mayor's office is vacated, and the council separately elects a president of council to serve as a backup when both the mayor and mayor pro tempore are unavailable. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Amends subsection (b) of Section 2.03 of Garden City's charter to state that the mayor shall fill any vacancy in the office of mayor pro tempore.
• Leaves in place the existing rule that the mayor pro tempore acts as mayor during the mayor's absence or disability and becomes mayor if a vacancy occurs in that office.
• Leaves in place the separate process for electing a president of council to temporarily assume mayoral duties if both the mayor and mayor pro tempore are unavailable.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with this new charter provision.

This bill affects Garden City's municipal government, specifically the mayor, city council members, the mayor pro tempore position, and the council president role, by clarifying how a leadership vacancy in the mayor pro tempore's office gets filled.

Without a clear rule, a vacancy in the mayor pro tempore's office could create confusion about who has authority to fill it. This bill gives Garden City's mayor explicit power to appoint a replacement, keeping the city's line of succession clear and functioning.

• Section 1 revises subsection (b) of Section 2.03 of the 1973 Garden City charter, as previously amended in 2024, to add that the mayor shall fill any vacancy in the mayor pro tempore's office.
• The revised text keeps unchanged provisions that the mayor pro tempore serves a four-year term, acts as mayor during absences, and becomes mayor if the mayor's office is vacated.
• The revised text also keeps the existing council president role, elected for a two-year term, as a backup if both the mayor and mayor pro tempore are unavailable.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with this Act.

1. 2026-04-02Effective Date 2026-04-02
2. 2026-04-02Act 376
3. 2026-04-02House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-02House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-24Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-17Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-12House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Anne Westbrook (D, HD-163)Primary sponsor
• Edna Jackson (D, HD-165)
• Carl Gilliard (D, HD-162)
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 12, 2026

   156 yea, 0 nay (11 not voting, 8 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #506

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #571

• local government
• city charters
• Garden City Georgia
• municipal succession