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About The Dade County times. (Trenton, Ga.) 1908-1965 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1945)
graph when there is a loan then unpaid which was made in a prior year under the provisions of this paragraph. Each such loan shall be first authorized by resolution fixing the terms of such loan, adopt¬ ed by a majority vote of the gov¬ erning body of such county, city or political subdivision, at a meeting legally held, and such resolution shall appear upon the minutes of such meeting. No such county, municipality or subdivision shall incur in any one calendar year, an aggregate of such temporary loans and other contracts or obligations for current expenses, in excess of the total anticipated revenue of such county, municipality or sub¬ division for such calendar year, or issue in one calendar year notes, warrants or other evidences of such indebtedness in a total amount in excess of such anticipated revenue for such year. Paragraph V. Revenue anticipa¬ tion obligations. Revenue anticipa tion obligations may be issued by any county, municipal corporation or political subdivision of this State, to provide funds for the pur¬ chase or construction, in whole or in part, of any revenue-producing facility which such county, muni¬ cipal corporation or political subdi¬ vision is authorized by the Act of the General Assembly approved March 31, 1937, known as “The Revenue Certificate Laws of 1937,” as amended by the Act approved March 14, 1939, to construct and operate, or to provide funds to ex¬ tend, repair or improve any such existing facility, and to buy, con¬ struct, extend, operate and main¬ tain gas or electric generating and distribut ! n systems, together with all necessary appurtenanees there¬ of. Such revenue anticipation obli¬ gations shall be payable, as to prin¬ cipal and interest, only from reve¬ nue produced by revenue-producing facilities of the issuing political subdivision, and shall not be deem ed debts of, or to create debts against, the issuing political sub¬ divisions within the meaning of this paragraph or any other of this Constitution. This authority shall apply only to revenue anticipation obligations issued to provide funds for the purchase, construction, ex¬ tension, repair or improvement of such facilities and undertakings as are specifically authorized and enumerated by said Act of 1937, as amended by said Act of 1939; and to buy, construct, extend, operate and maintain gas or electric gen¬ erating and distribution systems, together with all necessary appur¬ tenances thereof; provided further any revenue certificates issued to buy, construct, extend, operate and maintain gas or electric generating and distribution systems shall, be¬ fore being undertaken, be author¬ ized by a majority of those voting at an election held for the purpose in the county, municipal corpora¬ tion or political subdivision af fected, and provided further that a majority of of the registered voters such county, municipal corpora¬ tion or political subdivision af¬ fected shall vote in said election, the election for such to he held in the same manner as is used in issu¬ ing bonds of such county, municipal corporation or political subdivision and the said election shall he called and provided for by officers in charge of the fiscal affairs of said county, municipal corporation or political subdivision affected; and no such issuing political subdivision of the State shall exercise the pow¬ er of taxation for the purpose of paying the principal or interest of any such revenue anticipation obli¬ gations or any part thereof. Provided that after a favorable election has been held as set forth above, if municipalities, counties or other political subdivisions shall purchase, construct, or operate such electric or gas utility plants from the proceeds of said revenue certificates, and extend their serv¬ ices beyond the limits of the county in which the municipality or politi¬ cal subdivision is located, then its services rendered and property lo¬ cated outside said county shall be subject to taxation and regulation as are privately owned and oper¬ ated ultilities. The Paragraph VI. Refunding bonds. General Assembly is hereby authorized to create a commission and to vest such commission with the power to secure all necessary information and to approve or dis¬ approve the issuance of bonds for the purpose of refunding any bond¬ ed indebtedness of any county, mu¬ nicipality or political subdivision of this State issued prior to the adop¬ tion of this Constitution, including the authority to approve or disap¬ prove the amount and terms of such refunding bonds, together with such other powers as to the Gen¬ eral but Assembly may seem proper, not in conflict with the pro¬ visions of the Constitution. Such refunding bonds shall be authorized only where such county, municipal¬ ity or political subdivision has not the funds available to meet the payment of outstanding bonded in¬ debtedness through failure to levy and collect the required taxes, or through failure to maintain the re¬ lived sinking fund for such bonds. The General Assembly may ap¬ prove the issuance of the said re¬ funding bonds under the conditions - a ted. Such refunding bonds shall not, together with all other out¬ standing bonded indebtedness, ex- ceed the limits fixed by this Con- ttution for the maximum amount of bonded indebtedness which may issued by such county, munici¬ pality or political subdivision and ‘■all be otherwise governed by all >'f the terms and provisions of this Constitution. No bonds shall be ; md -ued any under bonds this issued paragraph after to the re- j , adoption of this Constitution. ™ '. ■*«*« *— : to reduce bonded indebtedness. The j General Assembly is further au- I this State or revenues derived from any other sources. Section VIL Limitation on County and Munici¬ pal Debt*. Paragraph I. Debts if counties and cities. The debt hereafter in¬ curred by any county, municipal corporation or political division of this State except as in this Consti¬ tution provided for, shall never exceed seven per centum of the assessed value of all the taxable property therein, and no such coun¬ ty, municipality or division shall incur any new debt except for a temporary loan or loans, to supply casual deficiencies of revenue, not to exceed one-fiftb of one per centum of the assessed value of the taxable property therein, without the assent of a majority of the qualified voters of the county, mu¬ nicipality or other political subdivi¬ sion voting in an election for that purpose to be held as prescribed by law; and provided further that all laws, charter provisions and ordi¬ nances heretofore passed or enact¬ ed providing special registration of the voters of counties, municipal corporations and other political di¬ visions of this State to pass upon the issuance of bonds by such coun¬ ties, municipal copor&tiona and other political divisions are hereby declared to be null and void; and the General Assembly shall here¬ after have no power to pass or enact any law providing for such special registration, but the valid¬ ity of any and all bond issues by such counties, municipal corpora¬ tions or other political divisions made prior to January 1,1945, shall not be affected hereby; provided, that any county or municipality of this State may accept and use funds granted by the Federal Gov¬ ernment, or any agency thereof, to aid in financing the cost of archi¬ tectural, engineering, economic in¬ vestigations, studies, surveys, de¬ signs, plans, working drawings, specifications, procedures, and oth¬ er action preliminary to the con¬ struction of public works, and where the funds so used for the- purposes specified are to be repaid within a period of ten years. Paragraph II. Levy of taxes to pay bonds. Any county, municipal corporation or political division of this State which shall incur any bonded indebtedness under the pro¬ visions of this Constitution, shall at or before the time of so doing, provide for the assessment and collection of an annual tax Suffi¬ cient in amount to pay the principal and interest of said debt, within thirty years from the date of the incurring of said indebtedness. Paragraph 111. Additional debt authorized when. In addition to the debt authorized in Paragraph 1 of this section, to be created by any county, municipal corporation or political subdivision of this State, a debt may be incurred by any county, municipal corporation or political subdivision of this State, in excess of seven per centum of the assessed value of all the tax¬ able property therein, upon the following conditions: Such addi¬ tional debt, whether incurred at one or more times, shall not exceed in the aggregate, three per centum of the assessed value of all the tax¬ able property in such county, muni¬ cipality or political subdivision; such additional debt shall be pay¬ able in equal installments within the five years next succeeding the issuance of the evidences of such debt; there shall be levied by the governing authorities of such coun¬ ty, municipality or political subdi¬ vision prior to the issuance of such additional debt, a tax upon all of the taxable property within such county, subdivision municipality or political collectable annually, sufficient to pay in full the prin¬ cipal and interest of such additional debt when as due; such tax shall be in addition to and separate from all other taxes levied by such taxing authorities, and the collections from such tax shall be kept separate and shall be held, used and applied sole¬ ly for the payment of the principal and interest of such additional in¬ debtedness; authority to create such additional indebtedness shall first have been authorized by the General Assembly; the creation of such additional indebtedness shall have been first authorized by a vote of the registered voters of such county, municipality or political subdivision at an election held for such purpose, pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution and of the then existing laws for the creation of a debt by counties, municipal corpo¬ rations, and political subdivisions of this State, all of which provi¬ sions, including those for calling advertising, holding and determin¬ ing the result of, such election and the votes necessary to authorize the creation of an indebtedness, are hereby made applicable to an elec- thorizing _ ^eld such for the purpose of au- additional indebted¬ ness. authorized: Iaragraph I\ Temporary loans conditions. In addition to the obligations hereinbefore al¬ lowed, each county, municipality and political subdivision of the State authorized to levy taxes, is given the authority to make tem¬ porary loans between January 1st and December Gist in each year to pay expenses for such year, upon the following conditions: The ag- ! gregate amount of all such loans of such county, municipality or poli- j ticaj subdivision outstanding at any one time, shall not exceed seventy- : five percentum of the total gross income of such county, municipal¬ ity or political subdivision, from taxes collected by such county, mu- I nicipality or political subdivision in the last preceding year. Each such loan shall be payable on or before December 31st of the calendar year in which such loan is made. No loan may be made in any year un¬ der the provisions of this para¬ thorized to give to the said Com¬ mission the power and authority to approve or disapprove the issuance of bonds to refund any outstanding bonded indebtedness of any county, municipality or political subdivi¬ sion now or hereafter issued, for the purpose of reducing the amount payable, principal or interest, on such bonded indebtedness, and upon the condition that, the issuance of such refunding bonds will reduce the amounts payable upon such out- 'taiidii y bonds, principal or inter¬ est. Such refunding bonds shall replace such outstanding bonded in¬ debtedness. The said Commission shall have the authority to approve or disapprove the terms of any such proposed refunding bonds. The General Assembly may author¬ ize the issuance of such refunding bonds issued for the said purpose, when approved by the said Com¬ mission and authorized by the gov¬ erning authority of such county, municipality or subdivision, with¬ out an election by the qualified vot¬ ers as otherwise required, but in all other respects such refunding bonds shall comply with the pro¬ visions of this Constitution. Section VIII. Paragraph I. Sinking funds for bonds. All amounts collected from any source for the purpose of pay¬ ing the principal and interest of any bonded indebtedness of any county, municipality or subdivision and to provide for the retirement of such bonded indebtedness, above tf!e amount needed to pay the prin¬ cipal and interest on such bonded indebtedness due in the year of such collection, shall be placed in a sinking fund trt be held and used to pay off the principal and inter¬ est of such bonded indebtedness thereafter maturing. ( Tht funds in such sinking fund shall be kept separate and apart from all other moneys of such county, municipality or subdivision, an ) shall be used for no purpose other than that above stated. The moneys in such sinking fund may be invested and reinvested by the governing authorities of such coun¬ ty, municipality or subdivision or by such other authority as has been created to hold and manage such sinking fund, in the bonds of such county, municipality or subdivi¬ sion, and in bonds or obligations of the State of ^eorgia, of the coun¬ ties, and cities thereof and of the government of the United States, of subsidiary corporations of the Federal Government fully guaran¬ teed by such government, and no other. Any person or persons vio¬ lating the above provisions, shall be guilty of malpractice in office and shall also be guilty of misde¬ meanor, and shall be punished, when convicted, as prescribed by law for the punishment of misde¬ meanors, until the General Assem¬ bly shall make other provisions for the violation of the terms of this paragraph. Section IX. Appropriation Control. Paragraph J. Preparation and submission of General Appropri¬ ation Bill. The Governor shall sub¬ mit to the General Assembly with¬ in fifteen days after its organiza¬ tion, a budget message accom¬ panied by a draft of a General Appropriation Bill, which shall pro¬ vide for the appropriation of the funds necessary to operate all the various departments and agencies, and to meet the current expenses of the State for the ensuing fiscal year. Paragraph II. Continuation of General Appropriation Act. Each General Appropriation Act, with such amendments as are adopted from time to time, shall continue in force and effect for each fiscal ymar thereafter until repealed or another General Appropriation Act is adopted; provided, however, that each section of the General Appro¬ priation Act in force and effect on the date of the adoption of this Constitution, of general applica¬ tion and pertaining to the admin¬ istration, limitation and restriction on the payment of appropriations and each section providing for ap¬ propriation of Federal Grants and other continuing appropriations and adjustments on appropriations shall remain in force and effect until specifically and separately repealed by the General Assembly. Paragraph III. Other or supple¬ mentary appropriations. In addi¬ tion to the appropriations made by the General Appropriation Act and amendments thereto, the General Assembly may make additional ap- porpriations by Acts, which shall be known as supplementary appro¬ priation Acts, provided no such sup¬ plementary appropriation shall be available unless there is an un¬ appropriated surplus in the State Treasury or the revenue necessary to pay such appropriation shall have been provided by a tax laid for such purpose and collected into the General Fund of the State Treasury. Neither House shall pass a Supplementary Appropriation Bill until the General Appropria¬ tion Act shall have been finally adopted by hoth Houses and ap¬ proved by the Governor. Paragraph IV. Appropriations to be for specific sums. The appropri¬ ation for each department, officer, bureau, board, commission, agency or institution for which an appro¬ priation is made, shall be for a specific sum of money, a;jd no ap¬ propriation shall allocate to any object, the proceeds of any particu¬ lar tax or fund or a part or per- centr " thereof. Paragraph V. Appropriations void, when. Any appropriation SS^^ si S?. e ^be° f Jf ~ L ection . . menls* continued ffBS A*Zt' m ents to the Constitution of the State of Georgia of 1877 in effect at the date of the ratification by the voters of the State, of this Constitution, shall continue of full force and effect after the ratifica¬ tion of this Constitution, where such amendments are of merely local, and not, general application, including the amendments pertain¬ ing to the Coastal Highway Dis¬ trict of this State. There is also continued under this provision in force and effect, amendments to the Constitution bf 1877 applicable to counties and cities having a pop¬ ulation in excess of a number stat¬ ed in such amendments, and amend¬ ments applicable to counties having a city wholly or partly therein with a population in excess of, or not less than a number stated in such amendment, and amendments applicable to cities lying in two counties, where such amendments are in force and effect at the time of the ratification of this Consti¬ tution. Provided the amendment of Paragraph I of Section II of Arti¬ cle XI of the Constitution of 1877 proposed by Georgia Laws 1943 page 53 and ratified August 3, 1943, authorizing election by the people of the County Board of Edu¬ cation of Spalding County; pre¬ scribing rules of eligibility of mem¬ bers of the Board; providing for election by the Board of the County Superintendent of Schools shall not be continued of force. ARTICLE VIII. Education. Section I. Paragraph I. System of common schools; free tuition, separation of races. The provision of an ade¬ quate education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia, the expense of which shall be provided for by tax¬ ation. Separate schools shall be provided for the white and colored races. Section II. Paragraph I. State Board of Edu¬ cation; method of appointment. There shall be a State Board of Education, composed of one mem¬ ber from each Congressional Dis¬ trict in the State, who shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Governor shall not be a member of the State Board of Education. The first State Board of Education under this Constitu¬ tion shall consist of those in office at the time this Constitution is adopted, with the terms provided by law. Thereafter, all succeeding appointments shall be for seven year terms from the expiration of the previous term. Vacancies upon said Board caused by expiration of term of office shall be similarly filled by appointment and confirma¬ tion. In case of a vacancy on said Board by death, resignation, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member’s term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall hold office until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, or if the General Assem¬ bly be then in session to the end of that session. During such ses¬ sion of the General Assembly the Governor shall appoint the succes¬ sor member of the Board for the unexpired term and shall submit his name to the Senate for con¬ firmation. All member:- of the Board shall hold office until their successors are appointed and quali¬ fied. The members of the State Board of Education shall be citi¬ zens of this State who shall have resided in Georgia continuously for at least five years preceding their appointment. No person employed in a professional capacity by a pri¬ vate or public education instflution, or by the State Department of Edu¬ cation, shall be eligible for appoint¬ ment or to serve on said Board. No person who is or has been connect¬ ed with or employed by a school book publishing concern shall be eligible to membership on the Board, and if any person shall be so connected or employed after be¬ coming a member of the Board, his place shall immediately become va¬ cant. The said State Board of Edu¬ cation shall have such powers and duties as provided by law and exist¬ ing at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, together with such further powers and duties as may be hereafter provided by law. Section III. Paragraph I. State School Super¬ intendent; election, term, etc. There shall be a State School Superin¬ tendent, who shall be the executive officer of the State Board of Edu¬ cation, elected at the same time and ii. the same manner and for the same term as that of the Governor. Ttie State School Superintendent shall have such qualifications and shall be paid such compensation as may be fixed by law. No member of said Board shall be eligible for election as State School Superin¬ tendent during the time for which he shall have been appointed. Section IV. Paragraph I. University System of Georgia; Board of Regents. 1 nere shall be a Board of Regents of the University System of Geor¬ gia, and the government, control, and management of the University System of Georgia and all of its institutions in said system shall be vested in said Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Said Board of Regents of the Uni¬ versity System of Georgia shall consist of one member from each Congressional District in the State, and five additional members from the State-at-large, appointed by -he Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Governor shall not be a member of the said Board. The. firat Board of Regents under this Constitution shall consist of those in office at the time this Constitu¬ tion is adopted, with the terms pro¬ vided by law. Thereafter all suc¬ ceeding appointments shall be for ■even year terms from the expira- (Legal be on all property in said County as recommended by the governing body of said system. ARTICLE IX. Homesteads and Exemptions. Section I. Paragraph I. Amount of home¬ stead and exemptions. There is hereby exempt from levy and sale, by virtue of any process whatever under the laws of this State, the property of every head of a family, or guardian, or trustee of a family of minor children, or every aged or infirm person, or person having the care and support of dependent fe¬ males of any age, who is not the head of a family, realty or per¬ in sonalty, or both, to the value the aggregate of sixteen hundred dollars; and the General Assembly shall have authority to provide the manner of exempting said prop¬ erty, the sale, alienation and en¬ cumbrance thereof, and to provide for the waiver of said exemption by the debtor. Paragraph II. Homestead and exemption laws continued. The laws now of force with respect to home¬ stead and exemptions shall remain in full force until changed by law. ARTICLE X. Militia. Section I. Paragraph I. Organization of Mi¬ litia. A well regulated militia being essential to the peace and security of the State, the General Assembly shall have authority to provide by law how the militia of this State shall be organized, officered, train¬ ed, armed and equipped; and of whom it shall consist. Paragraph II. Volunteers. The General Assembly shall have power to authorize the formation of vol¬ unteer companies, and to provide for their organization into battal¬ ions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and corps, with such restrictions as may be prescribed by law, and shall have authority to arm and equip the same. Paragraph III. Pay of militia and volunteers. The officers and men of the militia and volunteer forces shall not be entitled to receive any pay, rations, or emoluments, when not in active service by authority of the State. ARTICLE XI. Counties and Municipal Corporations. Section L Paragraph I. Counties a corpor¬ ate body; boundaries. Each county shall be a body corporate with such powers and limitations as may be prescribed by law. All suits by or against a county shall be in the name thereof; and the metes and bounds of (he several counties shall remain as now prescribed by law, unless changed as hereinafter pro¬ vided. Paragraph II. Number limited. There shall not be more than one hundred and fifty-nine counties in this State. Paragraph III. New counties per¬ mitted when. No new county shall be created except by the consolida¬ tion or merger of existing counties. Paragraph IV. Consolidation of counties; method. The General As¬ sembly shall have power, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the qualified voters of each of the coun¬ ties to be affected who participate in elections held for that purpose, to provide for the consolidation of two or more ’ounties into one, or the merger of one or more counties into another, or the division of a county, and the merger of portions thereoi into other counties. Paragraph V. Dissolution of counties: method. Any county may be dissolved and merged with a contiguous county or counties by two-thirds of the qualified voters of each of the counties affected who participate in elections held for that purpose. Paragraph VI. County govern¬ ments uniform: exceptions. What ever tribunal, or officers, may be created by the General Assembly for the transaction of county mat¬ ters, shall be uniform throughout the State, and of the same name, jurisdiction, and remedies, except that the General Assembly may provide for Commissioners of Roads and Revenues in any county, may abolish the office of County Treasurer in any county, may fix the compensation of County Treas¬ urers, and may consolidate the offices of Tax Receiver and Tax Collector in the office of Tax Com¬ missioner, and may fix his compen¬ sation, without respect to uniform¬ ity. Paragraph VII. Consolidation of governments; submission to voters. The General Assembly may pro¬ vide by general law optional sys¬ tems of consolidated county and municipal government, providing for the organization and the pow¬ ers and duties of its officers. Such optional systems shall become ef¬ fective when submitted to the qual¬ ified voters of such county and approved by a majority of those voting. Paragraph VIII. County lines. County lines shall not be changed, unless under the operation of a general law for that purpose. Paragraph IX. County sites changed; method. No county site shall be changed or removed, ex¬ cept by a two-thirds vote of the qualified voters of the county, vot¬ ing at an election held for that purpose and by a majority vote of the General Assembly. Section II. Paragraph I. * County officers; election: term: removal; eligibility. The county officers shall be elected by the qualified voters of their re¬ spective counties or districts, and shall hold their office for four tion of the previous term. Vacan¬ cies upon said Board caused by expiration of term of office shall be similarly filled by appointment and confirmation. In case of a va¬ cancy on said Board by death, resignation of a member, or from any other cause other than the ex- riiration of such member’s term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his successor, who shall h< Id office until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, oi if the General Assembly be then in session to the end of that ses¬ sion. During such session of the General Assembly the Governor shall appoint the successor member of the Board for the unexpired term and shall submit his name to the Stnate for confirmation. All mem- >ers of the Board of Regents shall hold office until their successors ara appointed. The said Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia shall have the powers and duties as provided by law ex¬ isting at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, together with such further powers and duties as may be hereafter provided by law. Section V. Paragraph I. County System; Board of Edu< tion; election, term, etc. Authority is granted to Coun¬ ties to establish and maintain pub¬ lic schools within their limits. Each County, exclusive of any independ¬ ent school system now in existence in a County, shall compose one school district and shall be confined to the control and management of a County Board of Education. The Grand Jury of each County shall select from the citizens of their respective Counties five freehold¬ ers, who shall constitute the Coun¬ ty Board of Education. Said mem¬ bers shall be elected for the term of five years except that the first election of Board members under this Constitution shall be for such terms that will provide for the ex¬ piration of the term of one member of the County Board of Education each year. In case of a vacancy on said Board by death, resignation of a member, or from any other cause other than the expiration of such member’s term of office, the Board shall by secret ballot elect his suc¬ cessor, who shall hold office until the next Grand Jury convenes at which time said Grand Jury shall appoint the successor member of the Board for the unexpired term. The members of the County Board of Education of such County shall be selected from that portion of the County not embraced within the territory of an independent school district. The General Assembly shall have authority to make provision for lo¬ cal trustees of each school in a county system and confer author¬ ity upon them to make recommen- <s= to budgets and employ- menl of teachers and other author¬ ized employees. Section VI. Paragraph I. County School Su- Dericfendent; election, term, etc. There shall he a County School Su- . ”’hn chall he the exec¬ utive officer of the County Board of Education. He shall be elected by the people and his term of office shall be for four years and run con urrently with other county of¬ ficers The oiialifieatiens and the salary of the County School Super¬ intendent shall be fixed by law. Section VII. Paragraph L Independent sys¬ tems continued: new systems pro¬ hibited. Authority is hereby grant¬ ed to municipal corporations to maintain existing independent school systems, and support the same as authorized by special or general law, and such existing sys¬ tems may add thereto colleges. No independent school system shall hereafter be established. Section VIII. Paragraph L Meetings of Boards of Education. All official meetings of County Boards of Education shall be open to the public. Section IX. Paragraph I. Contracts for care of pupils. County Board of Edu¬ cation and independent school sys¬ tems may contract with each other for the education, transportation, and care of pupils. Section X. Paragraph I. Certain systems protected. Public school systems established prior to the adoption of the Constitution of 1877 shall not be affected by this Constitution. Section XI. Paragraph I. Grants, bequests and donations permitted. The State Board of Education and the Reg¬ ents of the University System of Georgia may accept bequests, dona¬ tions and grants of land, or other property, for the use of their re¬ spective systems of education. Paragraph II. Grants, bequests and donations to county Boards of Education and independent school systems. County Boards of Educa¬ tion and independent school sys¬ tems may accept bequests, dona¬ tions and grants of land, or other property, for the use of their re¬ spective systems of education. Section XII. Paragraph I. TaxaCon by coun¬ ties for education. The fiscal au¬ thority of the several Counties shall levy a tax for the support and maintenance of education not less than five mills nor greater than fifteen mills (as recommended by the County Board of Education) upon the dollar of all taxable prop¬ erty in the County located outside independent school systems. The school system of Chat¬ ham County and the City of Savan¬ nah, being co-extensive with said the levy of said tax shall Adv.) interest in the i mpr . public administration Syl shall! ister ister a State Merit * which which state Personnel and Iected Iected efficiency on a basis of merit ^ * The members of according the State p I j nel Board shall be appoint Governor with the advi Senate. The c . first member,, , appointed for terms of thr and terms seven to he years, designated respective^ Al 1 subsequent by t W ernor. appoi except shall he unexpired for a period of seven! terms. y 0 j J official or employee shall member Board. of the State pJ n Paragraph II. Retirements -m. Appropriation. The Ga Assembly is authorized to estall an actuarially sound retires system for employees under a, system. Adequate approprj ati shall be provided for the opera! of a merit system and the Si Personnel Board. ARTICLE XV, Home Rule. Section I. Paragraph I. Uniform s T5tl of county and municipal ?0 „ ment. The General Assembly j provide for uniform system county and municipal govern* and provide for optional pl a * both, and shall provide forsvsti of initiative, referendum and* in some of the plans for both a ty and municipal government! 1 General Assembly shall p ro J method by which a county or J cipality may select one of optional uniform systems ora or reject any or all proposed terns or plans. SECTION TWO. Method of Submission. That when this amendments have been agreed to by two-th of the members elected to ead the two Houses of the General sembly, the same shall be eni on their journals with the “a and “nays” taken thereon andi be published and submitted to people for ratification or rejs as one single amendment to Constitution at the next Go Election in August, 1945, aa vided by law. Those voting ii vor of the ratification of the a* ment herein proposed shall f written or printed on their Id the words “for the arnendment vising the Constitution.” D voting against the ratificatia the amendment herein pro) shall have ’written or printd their ballots the words “as the amendment revising the T stitution.” If a majority oft voting vote for the amendmei vising the Constitution whea results are certified to the & nor, he shall proclaim the aa ment revising the Constitutii 1877 as the revised Constitutii Georgia. ROY V. HARRIS, Speaker of the House of Representatives. P. T. McCUTCHEN, JR., Clerk of the House of Representatives. FRANK C. GROSS, President of the Senate. MRS. HENRY W. NEVIN, Secretary of the Senate. APPROVED: ELLIS AM Govew This 9th day of Man - 'I erefore, I. 0 ivernor of CieW? r proclaniati"0 proposal J* the 1PIH " leorgia is * or rejection, state qualified to ■f thr Om-rsi'* meral Election ay, August 7.T 3S THEREOM J I ■«•. ; f May, A. ■ *1 eat Seal of ELLIS ARNAjl Go«l By the Governor: JOHN B. WILSON, Secretary of Gtate. years. They shall be removed upon conviction for malpractice in of- five; and no person shall be eligi¬ ble for any of the offices referred to in this paragraph unless he shall have been a resident of the county for two years and is a qual¬ ified voter. Paragraph II. Compensation of county officers. County officers may be on a fee basis, salary basis, or fee basis supplemented by sal¬ ary, in such manner as may be directed by law. ARTICLE XII. The Laws of General Operation in Force in This State. Section L Paragraph I. Supreme law. The laws of general operation in this State are, first; As the Supreme law: The Constitution of the United States, the laws of the United States in pursuance thereof and all treaties made under the authority of the United States. Paragraph II. Second in author¬ ity. Second. As next in authority thereto: This Constitution. Paragraph III. Third in author¬ ity. Third. In subordination to the foregoing: All laws now of force in this State, not inconsistent with this Constitution shall remain of force until the same are modified or repealed by the General Assem¬ bly. Paragraph IV. Local and private acts. Local and private acts passed for the benefit of counties, cities, towns, corporations and private persons, not inconsistent with the Supreme law, nor with this Consti¬ tution and which have not expired nor been repealed, shall have the force of Statute law, subject to judicial decision as to their validity when passed, and to any limitations imposed by their own terms. Paragraph V. Proceedings of courts confirmed. All judgments, decrees, orders, and other proceed¬ ings, of the several courts of this State, heretofore made within the limits of their several jurisdictions, are hereby ratified and affirmed, subject only to reversal by motion for a new trial, appeal, bill of re¬ view or other proceedings, in con¬ formity with the law of force when they were made. Paragraph VI. Existing officers. The officers of the Government now existing shall continue in the exercise of their several functions until their successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified. But nothing herein is to apply to any officer, whose office may be abolished by this Constitution. ARTICLE XIII. Amendments to the Constitution. Section I. Paragraph I. Proposed by Gen¬ eral Assembly; submission to peo¬ ple. Any amendment or amend¬ ments to this Constitution may be proposed in the Senate or House of Representatives and if the same shall be agreed to by two-tbdrds of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amend¬ ment or amendments shall be en¬ tered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon. The General Assembly shall cause such amendment or amendments to be published in one or more newspa¬ pers in each Congressional District, for two months previous to the time of holding the next general election at which election members of the General Assembly are chos¬ en; and if such proposed amend¬ ment directly affects only one or more political subdivisions of the State, then it shall also be adver¬ tised in the area to be directly affected thereby; and shall also provide for a submission of such proposed amendment or amend¬ ments to the people at said next general election, and if the people shall ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for mem¬ bers of the General Assembly vot¬ ing thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become a part of this Constitution; provided that if the proposed amendment is not one that directly affects the whole State, but only one or more subdi¬ visions thereof, said amendment shall not become a part of this Con¬ stitution unless it receive both a majority of the electors qualified to vote voting thereon in the State as a whole, and also a majority of the electors qualified to vote voting thoroon in the particular subdivi¬ sion or subdivisions affected. When more than one amendment is sub¬ mitted at the same time they shall he so submitted as to enable the electors to vote on each amendment separately. Paragraph II. Convention, how called. No convention of the people shall be called by the General As¬ sembly to revise, amend or change this Constitution, unless by the concurrence of two-thirds of all members of each house of the Gen¬ eral Assembly. The representation in said convention shall be based on population as near as practicable. This constitution shall not be re¬ vised, amended, or changed by the Convention until the proposed re¬ vision, amendment, or change has been submitted and ratified by the people in the manner provided for submission and ratification of amendments proposed by the Gen¬ eral Assembly. Paragraph III. Veto not permit¬ ted. The Governor shall not have the right to veto any proposal by the General Assembly to amend the Constitution. ARTICLE XIV. Merit System. Section I. Paragraph I. State Personnel Board. A non-salaried State Per¬ sonnel Board comprised of three citizens of this State, of known
