HB1241: HB1241 Decatur, City of; city commission and public school system; revise provisions

This bill amends the 2001 charter for the City of Decatur (Ga. L. 2001, p. 4351) by replacing all of Article III, the section that sets up the city commission and mayor's office. The city government stays structured the same way, with four city commissioners elected from two election districts (Post A and Post B in each) plus a mayor elected citywide, all serving four-year terms with elections in odd-numbered years and no party primaries. The rewritten article updates several operating details: it sets the mayor's next election for November 2027, taking office in January 2028; it allows special meeting notices to city commissioners by text message; it requires the city's meeting journal and minutes to be posted on the city website in a format accessible to people with disabilities; and it spells out procedures for removing officials, filling vacancies, and running an ethics committee. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Restructures Article III of Decatur's charter to keep a four-member city commission plus a mayor, elected from two districts and citywide, respectively.
• Sets the mayor's next election for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2027, with the term starting January 2028.
• Allows the city to notify commissioners of special meetings by personal text message, in addition to phone or in-person notice.
• Requires the city to publish its meeting journal, approved minutes, and meeting notices on its website in a format accessible to people with disabilities.
• Lays out detailed procedures for removing a mayor or commissioner for misconduct, including a commission vote or a Superior Court of DeKalb County hearing.
• Sets rules for filling vacancies in the mayor, mayor pro tempore, or commissioner offices, including special elections or commission appointments depending on timing.

Decatur's mayor, city commissioners, and mayor pro tempore; city residents who vote in municipal elections; city boards, commissions, and authorities whose members are appointed under this article; and the Superior Court of DeKalb County, which would hear certain removal cases.

The bill sets the specific date for Decatur's next mayoral election and updates how the city runs commission business day to day, including meeting notice methods, public access to city records online, and the process for removing or replacing elected officials who leave office early.

• Section 3.10 keeps the city commission at four commissioners plus a mayor, elected by plurality vote in their election districts.
• Section 3.13 sets election districts based on the 2020 census and schedules the mayor's next election for November 2027, taking office January 2028, with successors quadrennially after that.
• Section 3.13 also bars party primaries for city offices and requires runoff elections in case of ties, per general law.
• Section 3.18 permits special meeting notice to commissioners by text message and requires the city's meeting journal and minutes to be posted online in an accessible format.
• Section 3.19 sets quorum rules, including a reduced quorum if vacancies leave fewer than a normal quorum in office.
• Section 3.23 allows removal of a commission member by a four-member commission vote after a hearing, or by order of the Superior Court of DeKalb County.
• Section 3.24 sets procedures for filling vacancies in the mayor, mayor pro tempore, or commissioner offices depending on when in the term the vacancy occurs.
• Section 3.25 requires the city commission to maintain an ethics committee to enforce a ban on using public office for private gain.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 648
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-24Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-17House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)

• Omari Crawford (D, HD-089)Primary sponsor
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

   163 yea, 1 nay (7 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #513

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026

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

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #571

• Decatur city charter
• local government
• city commission elections
• municipal ethics
• DeKalb County