City passes resolution on term limits and council members, to go on ballot in November
The Calhoun City Council met Monday night, discussing a resolution calling for a special election this November where questions will be placed on the municipal ballot asking voters to decide on term limits for elected officials and on increasing the size of the City Council from four members to six members.
The vote is non-binding, as it would have to go before the Georgia General Assembly for approval due to it changing the charter of the city. The vote will be used to gauge public interest in term limits and increasing the number of council members.
During the work session earlier in the day Monday, council members discussed placing two separate term limits on the office of council member and mayor: the council member term limit will be a threeconsecutive term limit, while the office of mayor is proposed to be a two-consecutive term limit. Because of a difference of term limits for each office, the city attorney advised the council Monday night to have two separate questions for term limits on November’s ballot, with a third question for increasing the number of council members.
“I understand the Council’s desire (for the special election),” said City Attorney George Govignon. “My understanding is, right now, we have a resolution to ask two questions. One calling for, whether or not, yes or no, on whether to amend the charter for local law and the General Assembly for term limits. The other is for an increase from the current number of sitting members on the Council from four; during the work session the discussion was to amend those. I believe, after examining the issue after the meeting, it required me to add three questions, because the specificity requested is that one question be yes or no whether or not to begin the process for council members to have a limit of three consecutive terms; the mayor to have a limit of two consecutive terms and then the question of increasing the council...from four to six (council members), at large.”
Mayor Jimmy Palmer then asked for clarification from Govignon on whether there had to be two separate questionsone for a two-term limit for the mayor and one for a three-term limit for the council.
“Yes sir, that would actually have to be two separate questions,” said Govignon.
“To me, it would be difficult to limit (a mayor) to two terms,” said Palmer. “When I ran the first time, there were four of us in the race and I was the only one that had any experience on the Council. I think there’s a learning process, and you spend a good bit of time the first term learning. That’s just my opinion.”
Govignon told the council that if they put separate term limits for the city council and mayor into one question, they really won’t know if the voters are voting for the two-consecutive term limit for the mayor or the three-consecutive term limit for the council members.
“Does that really matter?” asked councilmember David Hammond. “If it’s a no vote, we don’t want to move forward; if it’s a yes vote, we can.”
“It’s because you don’t know why they