Section 50-8-85. Terms of office; removal from office; filling of vacancies

   (a) The public members of a commission shall have terms of office concurrent with their respective terms of public office. Members at large of a commission shall serve for a term of four years, except that one-half (or if an odd number of members at large are elected to a commission, a majority of such members at large) shall serve an initial term (either upon activation of a commission or after a redistricting of a commission) of two years as designated by the public members at the time of election; provided, however, that the terms of all members at large shall terminate at the end of any calendar year during which redistricting of the area has occurred.

(b) The full terms of the members at large shall commence on January 1 of the year following the year in which they are elected except that the first members at large of a newly created commission shall have added to their term the period of time commencing with their election until the first January thereafter.

(c) Any member at large who moves his residence outside a district shall be removed from office by the commission. A commission may remove from office any member at large who has failed to attend the last three or more consecutive regular meetings of the commission. A member at large may be elected to two or more successive terms on a commission. If a member of the commission dies, resigns, is removed from office, or for any other reason ceases to be a member of the commission, his unexpired term shall be filled by the same persons and in the same manner as such member was originally elected to the commission pursuant to Code Section 50-8-84.
   (d)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, upon the expiration of the term of office of a mayor of a municipality who has been designated by a majority vote of the mayors of all municipalities lying within a county in an area, the chairman of the board of commissioners of such county shall call a meeting of the mayors of all municipalities lying within such county, and such mayors shall designate a mayor from their number as a successor member of the commission, provided that nothing herein shall prevent an incumbent mayor who has been elected to another term of public office from being redesignated as a member of the commission; provided, further, that if the mayors of the municipalities eligible to vote on such matter fail to designate one of their number as a successor member within 45 days after a vacancy exists, one of their number shall be selected by a majority vote of the county commission of the applicable county.

   (2) Upon the expiration of the term of office of the mayor of a municipality located within the northern half of the most populous county within an area, the chairman of the board of commissioners shall call a meeting of the mayors of all the municipalities located within the northern half of such county and such mayors shall designate a mayor from their number as a successor member of the commission. Upon the expiration of the term of office of the mayor of a municipality located within the southern half of the most populous county within an area, the chairman of the board of commissioners of such county shall call a meeting of the mayors of all municipalities located within the southern half of such county and such mayors shall designate a mayor from their number as a successor member of the commission. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent an incumbent mayor who has been elected to another term of office as mayor from being redesignated as a member of the commission. In the event the mayors of the municipalities eligible to vote on such matter fail to designate one of their number as a successor member within 45 days after a vacancy exists, one of their number shall be selected by a majority vote of the county commission of the most populous county in the area.

Code 1981, § 50-8-85, enacted by Ga. L. 1982, p. 2107, § 51; Ga. L. 1984, p. 653, § 2; Ga. L. 1997, p. 442, § 4.