HB1559: HB1559 Palmetto, City of; qualifications, terms, powers, and duties of mayor, councilmembers, and city manager; revise provisions

The City of Palmetto operates under a charter originally approved by the Georgia General Assembly in 1966. This bill amends several sections of that charter. It updates the qualifications and four-year term for mayor, sets the same qualifications and staggered four-year terms for councilmembers, and spells out the mayor's duties, including presiding over meetings, overseeing city finances, and signing or vetoing ordinances (with the council able to override a veto with five votes). The bill also rewrites the section on the city manager, confirming that the mayor and council can create and remove that position, that the city manager does not need to live in Palmetto or Georgia, and detailing duties such as preparing budgets, supervising departments, and reporting to the mayor and council. It updates language on how city departments and employee rules are set by ordinance. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and takes effect as part of the city's charter once enacted.

• Revises the mayor's qualifications, keeping the four-year term and residency and elector requirements, and clarifies removal for a conviction involving moral turpitude.
• Sets councilmember qualifications to match the mayor's and confirms staggered four-year terms, with three seats elected at each election cycle.
• Details 14 specific mayoral duties, including presiding over meetings, signing or vetoing ordinances, and allowing the council to override a veto with at least five votes.
• Rewrites the city manager section to clarify appointment, removal, compensation, residency exemption, and a detailed list of administrative duties like budget preparation and department supervision.
• Updates the departments and employees section, confirming the mayor and council can create city departments and set staffing rules by ordinance.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these charter changes.

The City of Palmetto's mayor, city councilmembers, city manager, city department heads, and city employees are all directly affected, since the bill resets their qualifications, terms, powers, and reporting relationships under the city charter.

These changes clarify how Palmetto's city government operates day to day, including how the mayor can veto or approve ordinances, how council can override a veto, and how much independence the city manager has in running departments and hiring staff.

• Section 1 revises Section 5.1 of the charter, setting mayoral qualifications, a four-year term, and removal for a conviction involving moral turpitude.
• Section 2 revises Section 6.1, giving councilmembers the same qualifications as the mayor and confirming staggered four-year terms.
• Section 3 revises Section 14.1, listing 14 mayoral duties including a ten-day veto review period and a five-vote council override threshold.
• Section 4 revises Section 20.2, detailing city manager appointment, removal, compensation, residency exemption, and administrative responsibilities.
• Section 5 revises Section 21.1, authorizing the mayor and council to establish departments and set employee rules by ordinance.
• Section 6 repeals any laws in conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 594
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-04-02Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)Primary sponsor
• Robert Dawson (D, HD-065)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

   164 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #754

2. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2026

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

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #927

• city charter
• local government
• Palmetto Georgia
• city manager
• municipal elections