Section 36-44-21. Public employees and officials prohibited from holding interest disclosures; voidability of prohibited transactions; misconduct in office

   (a) No elected or appointed official or employee of a political subdivision or a board, commission, or redevelopment agency thereof shall voluntarily acquire any interest, direct or indirect, in any property included or planned to be included in a redevelopment area, or in any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction in connection with the redevelopment of that redevelopment area. Where such acquisition is not voluntary, the interest acquired shall be immediately disclosed in writing to the local legislative body and such disclosure shall be entered upon the minutes of the local legislative body. Any such elected or appointed official or employee who, within two years immediately prior to the date the plan is submitted to a local legislative body under subsection (b) of Code Section 36-44-7, acquires ownership or control of any interest, direct or indirect, in any property which is included in the redevelopment area designated in that plan and who retains that ownership or control at the time that such plan is so submitted shall, at least 30 days prior to the date scheduled for the local legislative body to adopt the plan, disclose the interest in writing to the local legislative body and such disclosure shall be entered upon the minutes of the local legislative body, and that person shall not participate in any action by the political subdivision, board, commission, or redevelopment agency thereof which affects that property. Any disclosure required to be made by this subsection shall concurrently be made to the redevelopment agency.

(b) Any contract or transaction in violation of subsection (a) of this Code section or disclosure of which is not made as provided in that subsection (a) shall be voidable by the local legislative body. This subsection shall not apply to any indenture, agreement, contract, or transaction which constitutes security, direct or indirect, for payment of bonds or other obligations incurred pursuant to a redevelopment plan, and the judgment and order confirming and validating any such bonds or other obligations shall constitute a final and conclusive adjudication as to any such security.

(c) Failure by an official or employee to comply with subsection (a) of this Code section shall constitute misconduct in office.

Code 1981, § 36-44-21, enacted by Ga. L. 2009, p. 158, § 2/HB 63.