HB1536: HB1536 Eatonton, City of; provide a new charter

The City of Eatonton has operated under a charter first approved in 1908. This bill throws that out and reincorporates the city under a brand-new charter that spells out its boundaries, powers, and government structure from scratch. It sets up a city council of a mayor plus seven councilmembers, divides the city into four wards for elections, and lays out terms, qualifications, vacancies, and conflict-of-interest rules for elected officials. The bill also creates or confirms a city administrator position, a municipal court with a chief judge, and detailed rules for taxation, franchises, borrowing, budgeting, and property sales. It keeps prior ordinances and pending legal matters in effect during a 180-day transition period. The new charter takes effect July 1, 2026, and formally repeals the 1908 Act and all its amendments.

• Reincorporates the City of Eatonton under a new charter, replacing the 1908 Act that previously governed it (Section 8.1).
• Establishes a seven-member city council plus a mayor, divides the city into four wards, and sets four-year terms for elected officials (Sections 2.1-2.2).
• Creates a city administrator position responsible for day-to-day operations, hiring, budgeting oversight, and enforcement of laws (Sections 2.20-2.21).
• Sets up the Municipal Court of Eatonton with a chief judge, solicitor, and clerk, and defines its authority to fine up to $1,000 or jail for up to 180 days (Article IV).
• Grants the city broad taxing, borrowing, and franchise powers, including property taxes, business taxes, and bonds, capped at 35 years for franchises (Article VI).
• Requires a 180-day transition period to adjust personnel and appointed offices under the new charter (Section 7.3).

Eatonton residents and voters, the mayor and city council members, city employees and appointed officers, the municipal court's judges and staff, local businesses subject to city taxes and licensing, and utility or franchise companies operating within city limits.

This rewrites the basic rulebook for how Eatonton is governed, replacing a charter over a century old with updated rules for elections, taxation, courts, and administration. Residents would see changes in how council seats are apportioned by ward, how city officials are held accountable, and how city finances and services are managed.

• Section 1.2 sets the city's boundaries as a 2.5-mile radius circle centered on the Putnam County courthouse square.
• Section 2.2 creates four wards for council elections and lists the specific census blocks composing each ward.
• Section 2.5 details conflict-of-interest rules for officials, including disclosure requirements and a three-year ban on rehiring after removal for violations.
• Section 2.15 allows emergency ordinances but bars them from levying taxes, granting franchises, or authorizing long-term borrowing.
• Section 4.6 sets municipal court penalties at up to $1,000 in fines or 180 days in jail, with contempt capped at $200 or ten days.
• Section 6.5 caps franchise agreements (for utilities like cable or electric companies) at 35 years and requires the city receive fair compensation.
• Section 7.3 gives the city 180 days after the charter takes effect to pass a transition ordinance covering personnel changes.
• Section 7.7 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, and Section 8.1 repeals the original 1908 Eatonton charter Act.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 583
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-27Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-25Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-23House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)Primary sponsor
• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 23, 2026

   158 yea, 0 nay (12 not voting, 6 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #739

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   47 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 1 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #825

• city charters
• local government
• municipal court
• Eatonton Georgia
• city elections