# Georgia HB 1536: Eatonton, City of; provide a new charter

Georgia HB 1536, Eatonton, City of; provide a new charter, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Trey Rhodes (Republican), Dale Washburn (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1536-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia HB 1536
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Eatonton, City of; provide a new charter
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-03-10
- Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date
- Sponsors: Trey Rhodes (Republican), Dale Washburn (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Intragovernmental Coordination, State and Local Governmental Operations, Local Bill
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (205 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 30

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Adjoining owners get parcel purchase opportunities: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can sell, transfer, or lease city property as the law allows. For small parcels separated by street or public-place work, sales to adjoining owners must support their property's best use. Each adjoining owner must receive notice and a chance to buy under city ordina…
- Eatonton emergency powers have financial limits: benefit, low. Emergency ordinances address threats to life, health, property, or public peace. Eatonton cannot use them to levy taxes, regulate utility rates, or grant, renew, or extend franchises. They can authorize only loans repayable within 30 days. An emergency ordinance takes effect upon adoption or its st…
- Eatonton fills vacant and temporary offices: benefit, low. The council fills mayoral or council vacancies by appointment when fewer than 12 months remain in the term. With 12 months or more remaining, voters choose a replacement through a special election. The council appoints temporary replacements during legally authorized suspensions; permanent suspensi…
- Eatonton voters choose seven council seats: benefit, low. Eatonton's governing body has a mayor and seven councilmembers. Four council seats represent individual wards; two represent Wards 1 and 4 combined and Wards 2 and 3 combined. One council seat and the mayor are elected citywide, and candidates must win a majority of votes. Four ward boundaries use…
- Residents can seek city officer removal: benefit, low. Eatonton residents can bring complaints in Putnam County Superior Court seeking removal of covered city officers for legally recognized causes. The rule covers the mayor, councilmembers, and other appointed officers, but excludes municipal court judges. Council removal proceedings against elected o…
- Eatonton budgets must stay within resources: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the council must adopt an operating budget by the first day of each fiscal year. Until a late budget is adopted, the prior year's operating appropriations continue month to month on a prorated basis. The budget must cover legally required spending and debt payments. Approved…
- Eatonton can charge for city services: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can set fees, charges, assessments, and tolls for services it provides or makes available. This authority covers services inside or outside city limits. Unpaid amounts can be collected through the charter's overdue-revenue procedures. The charter names no particular…
- Nearby owners can pay for improvements: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can charge owners whose property borders covered public improvements. Charges can cover construction, rebuilding, widening, or improvement costs for streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, sewers, and utility lines. Unpaid assessments can face the city's delinquent-reve…
- Eatonton can charge for local services: cost, low. Eatonton can set taxes, regulatory fees, utility rates, and public-improvement assessments as Georgia law allows. It can charge residents and businesses that benefit from garbage and sanitary services. The city can enforce payment and withdraw utility service for failure or refusal to pay. The char…
- Unpaid Eatonton bills can trigger enforcement: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can set reasonable collection rules for overdue taxes, fees, and other city revenue. Tools include late penalties, interest, property liens, lawsuits for personal debts, and permit revocation for nonpayment. The city can also issue, assign, or transfer tax execution…
- Eatonton businesses face taxes and permit fees: cost, low. Eatonton can adopt business and occupation taxes by ordinance and group businesses or professions as the law allows. It can also require permits and regulatory fees for business or professional activities. Those fees must reflect the city's total cost of regulating the activity. These rules must fo…
- Eatonton board members face service limits: cost, low. The council can create boards, commissions, and authorities by ordinance and set their makeup, duration, duties, and powers. The mayor and council appoint members under ordinance rules and can remove them at any time. Members generally cannot also hold elected office in Eatonton or Putnam County. T…
- Eatonton candidates face age and residency rules: cost, low. The mayor and councilmembers serve four-year terms. Candidates must be at least 21 and registered and qualified to vote in Eatonton. They must live in the city for 12 months before qualifying and remain residents while serving. District candidates also need six continuous months in their district b…
- Eatonton court can impose fines and jail: cost, low. Eatonton's court hears charter, ordinance, and other legally assigned violations, subject to applicable law. It can impose fines up to $1,000, jail up to 180 days, or both. Contempt penalties cannot exceed $200 or 10 days in jail, and the court can set operating fees. Defendants found guilty of sta…
- Street-using companies can face receipts taxes: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can tax gross receipts from specified uses of city streets and alleys. Covered organizations include railroads, utilities, transportation companies, and similar groups. This authority applies only when no franchise agreement covers the specified use and only as allo…
- Eatonton can regulate and take property: mixed, medium. Eatonton can regulate businesses and property and provide safety, sanitation, utilities, planning, and public improvements. The council can adopt local rules and penalties, subject to the charter, applicable law, and both constitutions. The city can also take property through condemnation for liste…
- City workers get pay-plan rules, at-will jobs: mixed, low. The administrator must prepare a job classification and pay plan for council approval, which can cover employees across city bodies. Once adopted, salary ranges can rise or fall only through changes to that plan. Elected and appointed officials are excluded from the employee pay-plan rules. City em…
- Eatonton property taxes and payment options: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton must levy taxes needed for its budget, counting other expected revenue, balances, and reserves. The city can tax property within city limits that is subject to state and county taxes. The council sets property tax rates, due dates, and payment periods, and can allow…
- Eatonton controls departments and staff supervision: mixed, low. The council can create, abolish, combine, change, or leave vacant nonelected offices, jobs, departments, and agencies. Unless the charter or law says otherwise, it appoints officers and department heads solely on professional and administrative qualifications. It sets their pay by resolution and ca…
- Eatonton mayor can suspend and pardon: mixed, low. The mayor oversees city executive officers and employees. The mayor can suspend city personnel for misconduct or neglect while the council investigates. The mayor can also pardon city ordinance violations or suspend, revoke, or cancel municipal court sentences. Pardons and sentence changes require…
- Eatonton officials face conflicts and job limits: mixed, low. Covered officials and employees face limits on conflicting work, gifts, confidential information, private representation against the city, and financially interested contracts. Financial interests require disclosure; interested mayors and councilmembers must record the disclosure and avoid the deci…
- Eatonton replaces its former city charter: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the new charter replaces Eatonton's 1908 incorporation law and all amendments to that law. Those former acts are repealed in full. The replacement establishes the city's governing legal framework without specifying a household payment or benefit.
- Eatonton sets elections and vacancy rules: mixed, low. Eatonton holds elections in odd-numbered years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The mayor and councilmembers serve four-year terms, with council seats staggered; current councilmembers finish their terms. Party primaries are prohibited, and ballots have no party labels. Special el…
- Eatonton sets legal roles and safeguards: mixed, low. The council must appoint and pay a city attorney to represent the city and advise its officials and employees. It must also appoint a clerk who is not a councilmember to keep city records and the seal. The law establishes a municipal court with a chief judge and additional judges allowed by ordinan…
- Eatonton administrator manages staff and spending: mixed, low. The council appoints and pays an administrator for an indefinite term, based on qualifications rather than political beliefs. The administrator manages operations, budgets, accounts, purchasing, contracts, and staff not appointed or elected by the council. Staff pay decisions and unbudgeted purchas…
- Eatonton can borrow for local projects: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can issue bonds for projects, programs, or ventures allowed by the charter or state law. Bond issues must follow applicable municipal bond laws. Revenue bonds are repaid from money produced by the activity they finance. The city can also take short-term loans, repay…
- Eatonton finances get audits and investigations: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton must obtain annual independent audits from a council-selected certified public accountant. Audits must follow accepted auditing principles; a qualifying state or federal audit can satisfy the requirement. Reports must be available to the public for printing cost. Af…
- Eatonton keeps boundaries and existing debts: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton continues as a city under a new charter. Existing boundaries remain: about 12,566.36 acres within a 2.5-mile-radius circle centered on the courthouse square. Boundaries can change later through legal procedures. The city assumes all former city debts and legal oblig…
- Eatonton vendors face written contract rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can enter multiyear lease, purchase, and lease-purchase contracts for goods, property, services, and supplies. These contracts must end without further city obligation at each calendar year-end, including renewal years, and follow applicable law. A contract binds th…
- Street-use businesses get permission with limits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Eatonton can grant franchises for specified utility, transportation, and similar street and alley uses. Each franchise can last no more than 35 years. Franchise holders must provide fair and adequate compensation to the city. The agreement must be registered with the city cl…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Trey Rhodes (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Dale Washburn (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-27 | Senate | LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR | pass | 47 | 0 | 8 |
| 2026-03-23 | House | Local Calendar | pass | 158 | 0 | 16 |

## Actions (13)

- 2026-07-01: Effective Date
- 2026-05-11: House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- 2026-05-11: Act 583
- 2026-04-10: House Sent to Governor (House)
- 2026-03-27: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2026-03-27: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- 2026-03-25: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- 2026-03-23: House Third Readers (House)
- 2026-03-23: House Passed/Adopted (House)
- 2026-03-16: House Second Readers (House)
- 2026-03-12: House First Readers (House)
- 2026-03-10: House Hopper (House)

## Bill text

- HB 1536/AP* (v4): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/247850)

## Related bills

- SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed)
- SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed)
- SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed)
- SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed)
- HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed)
- HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed)

## Sources
- [HB 1536/AP* (v4) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/247850)

## Related
- [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026)
- [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026)
- [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026)
- [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026)
- [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026)
- [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026)
- [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills)
- [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1536-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).