HB1586: HB1586 Bogart, Town of; provide new charter

Georgia towns operate under charters set by the General Assembly, and this bill replaces Bogart's existing 1998 charter with a completely new one. It reincorporates the town, restates its boundaries, and lists broad powers the town council can use, from zoning and building codes to garbage collection and public utilities. The bill sets up a mayor and four-member council elected to four-year terms, spells out how vacancies are filled, and creates rules for meetings, ordinances, and emergency actions. It establishes a municipal court with set fine and jail limits, lays out property tax and fee collection powers, and details budgeting, borrowing, and property sale procedures. The new charter would take effect once signed, and it repeals the 1998 charter and any conflicting laws.

• Reincorporates the Town of Bogart and repeals its 1998 charter (Ga. L. 1998, p. 4461) along with all amendments to it.
• Creates a five-member town council (a mayor and four councilmembers) elected to staggered four-year terms with a plurality-vote system.
• Grants the town a broad list of powers, including taxation, zoning, franchising, environmental regulation, and eminent domain for public projects.
• Establishes a Municipal Court of the Town of Bogart with authority to fine up to $1,000 or jail offenders up to 180 days, and allows the town to contract with Oconee County for court services instead.
• Sets detailed budgeting, tax collection, borrowing, and property sale procedures the town council must follow each fiscal year.
• Requires town elections to be nonpartisan and held under Georgia's Election Code (O.C.G.A. Title 21, Chapter 2).

Bogart residents and voters, the mayor and town council, town employees and appointed officials such as the town clerk and town attorney, businesses operating in Bogart that pay local taxes or fees, and people who appear before the town's municipal court or contract with the town.

The new charter changes how Bogart is governed day to day: who sits on the council, how long they serve, how taxes and fees are set, and how the town's court handles minor offenses. Residents and businesses would deal with an updated set of local rules replacing the 1998 charter.

• Section 1.11 requires the town to keep an official map or description of its boundaries on file with the town clerk.
• Section 1.13 lists more than 40 example powers, including taxation, building codes, animal control, and urban redevelopment.
• Section 2.10 through 2.13 set up a mayor and four councilmembers serving four-year terms, with vacancies filled by appointment or special election depending on how much time remains in the term.
• Section 2.24 allows emergency ordinances but bars them from levying taxes, granting franchises, or authorizing long-term borrowing.
• Article IV creates the Municipal Court of the Town of Bogart, capping fines at $1,000 and jail time at 180 days, with appeals going to the Superior Court of Oconee County.
• Article VI sets out property tax, occupation tax, franchise, and special assessment powers, plus budgeting deadlines (operating budget by June 30, capital budget by June 30).
• Section 6.14 caps franchise agreements at 30 years and requires the town to receive just and adequate compensation.
• Section 7.16 repeals the town's 1998 charter and all later amendments to it in their entirety.

1. 2026-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)
3. 2026-03-25House Third Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
5. 2026-03-23House Second Readers (House)
6. 2026-03-20House First Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-19House Hopper (House)

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

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

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

   Local Calendar : House Vote #754

• local government charter
• municipal court
• town elections
• property taxes
• Oconee County