Georgia-2011-HB927-Introduced

To amend an Act creating a new charter for the City of Thomson, approved March 15, 1973 (Ga. L. 1973, p. 2132), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 2, 2002 (Ga. L. 2002, p. 3724), so as to change the description of the election districts for the members of the city council; to provide for definitions and inclusions; to provide for the continuation in office of the current members; to provide for submission of this Act for preclearance pursuant to Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

An Act creating a new charter for the City of Thomson, approved March 15, 1973 (Ga. L. 1973, p. 2132), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 2, 2002 (Ga. L. 2002, p. 3724), is amended by revising Section 2.03 as follows:

(a) For the purpose of electing the members of the city council, the City of Thomson is divided into three districts which shall be and correspond to those three numbered districts described in and attached to and made a part of this Act and further identified as 'Plan: cityofthomcouncil-2012 Plan Type: Local Administrator: City of Thomson User: SE'.

(b)(1) For the purposes of such plan:

(A) The term 'VTD' shall mean and describe the same geographical boundaries as provided in the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia. The separate numeric designations in a district description which are underneath a VTD heading shall mean and describe individual Blocks within a VTD as provided in the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia; and

(B) Except as otherwise provided in the description of any district, whenever the description of any district refers to a named city, it shall mean the geographical boundaries of that city as shown on the census maps for the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(2) Any part of the City of Thomson which is not included in any district described in subsection (a) of this section shall be included within that district contiguous to such part which contains the least population according to the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(3) Any part of the City of Thomson which is described in subsection (a) of this section as being included in a particular district shall nevertheless not be included within such district if such part is not contiguous to such district. Such noncontiguous part shall instead be included within that district contiguous to such part which contains the least population according to the United States decennial census of 2010 for the State of Georgia.

(c) The governing body of the City of Thomson shall continue to consist of a mayor and five councilmembers. Two councilmembers shall be elected from District 1, two councilmembers shall be elected from District 2, and one councilmember shall be elected from District 3. Within Districts 1 and 2, there shall be designated Posts A and B in each district. The mayor shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the entire city. Each councilmember shall be required to live in the district from which such councilmember is elected and shall be elected solely by the qualified voters residing in such district. Candidates for the council shall designate the district and in the case of Districts 1 and 2, the post for which they are offering for election. The council shall be elected by plurality vote such that the candidate for each post in Districts 1 and 2 who receives the highest number of votes shall be elected to the council. In addition, the candidate for mayor who receives the highest number of votes shall be elected mayor and the candidate in District 3 who receives the highest number of votes shall be elected to the council from such district."

(a) Those members of the city council of the City of Thomson who are serving as such on the effective date of this Act and any person selected to fill a vacancy in any such office shall continue to serve as such members until the regular expiration of their respective terms of office and upon the election and qualification of their respective successors.
(b) Districts 1, 2, and 3 as they exist immediately prior to the effective date of this Act shall continue to be designated as Districts 1, 2, and 3, respectively, but as newly described under this section, and, on and after the effective date of this Act, such members of the board serving from those former districts shall be deemed to be serving from and representing their respective districts as newly described under this Act.

The governing authority of the City of Thomson shall through its legal counsel cause this Act to be submitted for preclearance under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, not later than 45 days after the date on which this Act is approved by the Governor or otherwise becomes law without such approval.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

Plan: cityofthomcouncil-2012
Plan Type: Local
Administrator: City of Thomson
User: SE

District 001
McDuffie County
VTD: 189134 - VANDERHORST
950400:
1016 1017 1018 1019 1041 1045 1046 1047 1048 1049 1050 1051
1052 1053 1054 1058 1069
VTD: 189135 - SALEM ROAD
950300:
1077 1078 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2032 2033 2034 2035
2036 2040
950400:
1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011
1012 1013 1014 1015 1040 1042 1043 1044 1055 1056 1057 1059
1061 1062 1063 1064 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020 2022 2023 2024 2028 2029 2030 4017 4018 4019 4020 4024
4025 4026 4027 4028 4035 4036 4037 4038 4039 4041 4047 4048
4049 4050 4053 4055 5015

District 002
McDuffie County
VTD: 189131 - QUEEN OF ANGELS
950200:
1018 1023 1025 1027 1028 1029 1030 1032 1036 1037
950300:
1068 3016
VTD: 189134 - VANDERHORST
950200:
1038 1039 1043 1045 1047 1049 1050 1052 1055 1056 4004 4005
950300:
1013 1045 1048 1050 1051 1053 1079 1081 1082
VTD: 189136 - THOMSON DEPOT
950200:
2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2040 3009 3013 3014 3015
3016 3017 3019 3020 3021 3022 3024 3025 3026 3027 3028 3029
3030 3031 3032 3033 3034 3035 3036 3037 3038 3039 3040 3041
3042 3043 3045 3046 3047 3055 3056 3081 3083 4000 4001 4002
4003 4006 4007 4008 4009 4010 4011 4012 4013 4014 4015 4016
4017 4019 4022 4023
VTD: 189137 - MARSHALL CHURCH
950200:
2031 2042

District 003
McDuffie County
VTD: 189136 - THOMSON DEPOT
950200:
3050 3051 3068 3069 3070 3071 3074 3077 4018 4020 4021 4024
4025 4026 4027 4028 4029 4030 4031 4032 4033
950400:
4005 4006 4010 4012 4014 4015 4021 4022 4023 4029 4033 4034
4040 5000 5001 5002 5003 5004 5005 5006 5007 5008 5009 5010
5011 5012 5013 5014 5016 5017 5018 5019