HB1545: HB1545 Putnam County; board of commissioners; current board members to continue their terms of office; provide

This bill amends the 1879 Act that created the Putnam County board of commissioners, as it has been changed over the years. It confirms that commissioners currently serving keep serving out the terms they were elected to, with regular successive terms afterward, rather than having their terms cut short or altered by this legislation. The bill also spells out what happens if a commissioner stops living in the district they represent: that automatically creates a vacancy. To fill a vacancy for a reason other than a term simply ending, the rest of the board picks a replacement who must live in that district and belong to the same political party as the person who left. If the board cannot agree, the chief judge of the Superior Court of Putnam County appoints someone under the same residency and party rules. Short unexpired terms (under 12 months) are filled this way through the remaining time; longer unexpired terms require a special election under Georgia's election law (O.C.G.A. Title 21, Chapter 2).

• Confirms that current Putnam County commissioners continue serving the terms they were already elected to, with normal successive terms afterward.
• Creates an automatic vacancy on the board if a commissioner stops residing in the district they were elected from.
• Requires the board, or the chief judge of the Superior Court of Putnam County if the board cannot decide, to fill vacancies with a replacement from the same district and political party as the departing member.
• Sets a rule that vacancies with less than 12 months remaining are filled by appointment, while longer vacancies must be filled through a special election under Georgia's election law.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these new rules.

Current and future members of the Putnam County board of commissioners, county residents who vote in commissioner elections, the chief judge of the Superior Court of Putnam County, and local political parties involved in nominating replacement commissioners.

The bill locks in that sitting commissioners keep their seats through their current terms, adds a residency requirement tied directly to losing a seat, and creates a clear, party-based process for filling sudden vacancies, which affects how quickly and by whom an empty commissioner seat gets filled.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a) of Section 3 of the original 1879 Act so sitting board members finish their current elected terms with successive terms to follow.
• Section 1 revises subsection (b) of Section 3 to state that a commissioner who stops living in his or her district creates a vacancy.
• Vacancies with less than 12 months remaining are filled by board appointment, or by the chief judge of the Superior Court of Putnam County if the board cannot agree, using district residency and political party matching.
• Vacancies with 12 months or more remaining are filled through a special election under Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the O.C.G.A., the Georgia Election Code.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with this Act.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 587
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-25Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-23Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-20House Passed/Adopted (House)

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

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 20, 2026

   153 yea, 0 nay (14 not voting, 9 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #734

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 25, 2026

   50 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #799

• Putnam County government
• county commissioners
• local elections
• vacancy appointments