§ 3. Eligibility.

(a)

No person shall be a member of the board if that person is ineligible for such office pursuant to Code Section 45-2-1 of the O.C.G.A. or any other general law applicable to that office.

(b)

Persons eligible for election to the positions of chairperson or commissioners shall be a citizen of the State of Georgia and qualified to vote as of the qualifying date.

(c)

Persons eligible for commissioner shall:

(1)

Have attained the age of 18 years as of the date of election or appointment;

(2)

Have maintained a bona fide full-time residency within the district for which the candidate is offering for 12 months prior to the qualifying date or appointment;

(3)

Have received the requisite number of votes cast for that office by the electors of the district; and

(4)

Continue to reside in the district from which elected or appointed during the term of office; if a commissioner ceases to reside in such district, the position shall be declared vacant.

(d)

The chairperson shall:

(1)

Have attained the age of 2l years as of the date of election or appointment;

(2)

Have maintained a bona fide full-time residency within the county for 12 months prior to the qualifying date or appointment;

(3)

Have received the requisite number of votes cast for that office by the electors of the county;

(4)

Continue to reside in White County during term of office; if the chairperson ceases to reside in White County, the position shall be declared vacant.

(e)

The following are grounds for declaring persons ineligible to seek the office of chairperson or commissioner and the existence of facts relating to such grounds shall be sufficient reason for vacating any office held:

(1)

Refusal or failure to account for and pay over public money to the proper officer;

(2)

Conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude under the laws of this state or any other state when such offense is a felony in this state, unless all rights of citizenship have been restored by a pardon from the State Board of Pardons and Paroles;

(3)

Be found to be of unsound mind;

(4)

Be found to be unfit to discharge the duties of the office due to advanced age or bodily infirmity; or

(5)

Is disqualified for any constitutional or statutory grounds.

(f)

In order to be elected as a member of the board from a commissioner district, a person must receive the number of votes cast as required by general law for that office in that district only. Only electors who are residents of that commissioner district may vote for a member of the board for that district. At the time of qualifying for election as a member of the board from a commissioner district, each candidate for such office shall specify the commissioner district for which that person is a candidate. A person elected or appointed as a member of the board from a commissioner district must continue to reside in that district during that person's term of office or that office shall become vacant.

(Act. No. 671, § 3, passed 5-13-08)