HB1578: HB1578 Arcade, Town of; municipality; clarify name

The Town of Arcade currently operates under a charter approved in 1995. This bill changes every reference in that charter from 'the Town of Arcade' to 'the City of Arcade,' and replaces the word 'journal' with 'minutes' wherever it appears. It also updates several operational details: the city council's organizational meeting after elections is set for the second Monday of January, the process for introducing ordinances is clarified, and the rules for emergency ordinances (such as those addressing public emergencies) are revised, including a 30 day automatic repeal for emergency ordinances. The bill also rewrites the mayor's powers and duties section, adding a formal veto process. The mayor can veto ordinances, resolutions, or council actions within seven days, and the council can override that veto with an affirmative vote of four members. The mayor cannot veto emergency ordinances. The bill repeals conflicting laws.

• Replaces every reference to 'the Town of Arcade' in the 1995 charter with 'the City of Arcade,' formally renaming the municipality.
• Replaces the word 'journal' with 'minutes' throughout the charter to describe meeting records.
• Sets the city council's organizational meeting for the second Monday of January following a municipal election and specifies the oath of office.
• Revises the rules for introducing ordinances, requiring proposed ordinances to be written and in final form with a single subject expressed in the title.
• Rewrites the emergency ordinance process, including restrictions on what emergency ordinances can do and a rule that they expire automatically 30 days after adoption.
• Creates a formal mayoral veto power over council ordinances, resolutions, and actions, with a four member council vote needed to override it.

The mayor and city council of Arcade, Georgia, the city clerk, and residents of the municipality who interact with local government are affected, since the bill changes the city's legal name and how its council conducts meetings, passes ordinances, and handles vetoes.

Renaming the municipality from a town to a city could affect official documents and public identification, while the new veto process gives the mayor formal power to block council decisions unless four council members vote to override, changing the balance of power in local government.

• Section 1 replaces all references to 'the Town of Arcade' with 'the City of Arcade' throughout the charter.
• Section 2 replaces the word 'journal' with 'minutes' in the charter's text.
• Section 3 revises Section 2.18 to set the council's organizational meeting for the second Monday of January and specify the swearing in oath.
• Section 4 revises Section 2.22(a) on how proposed ordinances must be introduced and formatted.
• Section 5 revises Section 2.24 to update rules for emergency ordinances, including a 30 day automatic repeal and restrictions on taxing or franchise actions.
• Section 6 revises Section 2.29 to spell out the mayor's powers and add a veto process, including a seven day review period and a four vote council override.
• Section 7 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 604
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)Primary sponsor
• Emory Dunahoo (R, HD-031)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

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

   Local Calendar : House Vote #754

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   45 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #873

• local government charter
• municipal name change
• city council procedures
• mayoral veto
• Arcade Georgia