HB1508: HB1508 Pembroke, City of; election and terms for mayor and city council members; revise provisions

This bill changes an earlier law governing how and when Pembroke elects its mayor and city council. It revises Section 4 of the city's charter to set the next general election for mayor and all five council seats for November 2027, with winners taking office in January 2028. To stagger future elections, council members elected from Districts 1, 3, and 5 in 2027 would serve only two-year initial terms, while the mayor and council members from Districts 2 and 4 elected that year would serve four-year terms. After that transition, every mayor and council seat would move to a standard four-year term, with general elections held every odd-numbered year in November. Officials currently serving would finish out the terms they were already elected to.

• Sets the next general election for Pembroke's mayor and all five city council seats for November 2027, with winners taking office in January 2028.
• Gives council members from Districts 1, 3, and 5 elected in 2027 a shorter two-year initial term to stagger future elections.
• Gives the mayor and council members from Districts 2 and 4 elected in 2027 a four-year term.
• Establishes that after the 2027 transition, all future mayor and council terms will be four years, with elections every odd-numbered year in November.
• Protects current officeholders by letting them finish the terms they were already elected to serve.
• Repeals any other laws that conflict with these new election and term rules.

Pembroke's mayor, city council members, and city voters are directly affected, since the bill changes when they vote for local officials and how long those officials serve once elected.

Pembroke residents will vote for their mayor and council under a new staggered schedule starting in 2027, meaning some council seats turn over sooner than others until the city settles into uniform four-year terms in odd-numbered years going forward.

• Section 1 rewrites Section 4 of Pembroke's charter to schedule the next general election for November 2027, covering the mayor and all five council seats.
• Council members from Districts 1, 3, and 5 elected in 2027 get a two-year term to stagger the election cycle among districts.
• The mayor and Districts 2 and 4 council members elected in 2027 get a four-year term.
• All mayor and council members elected after 2027 will serve four-year terms, with general elections held every odd-numbered year in November.
• Current officeholders serving when the law takes effect will complete the terms to which they were originally elected.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 575
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-19Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-19Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-16Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-12House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)Primary sponsor
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 12, 2026

   158 yea, 0 nay (10 not voting, 8 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #697

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 19, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #745

• local elections
• city council terms
• Pembroke Georgia
• municipal government