Board of Commissioners
Tattnall County is divided into five districts and the five members of the board of commissioners are elected by district for four-year terms. The chairman is elected at large every four years.
The Board appoints the County Manager and County Attorney. The County Manager hires directors for the departments under the Board's jurisdiction. As part of general county operations, the BOC must finance county programs and pay the salaries of constitutional officers.
The board of commissioners meets regularly on the first Monday of each month at 9 a.m.. Commission work-sessions are scheduled one week prior to the regular meetings. Special meetings are called when necessary. The public is invited to attend these meetings.
Georgia county commissioners affect the lives of residents more directly -- and more often -- than the governor, state senators and representatives, judges, mayors, the sheriff or their employers.
The general duties of the Commissioners are:
- To enact resolutions and ordinances for the general health, safety and welfare of the residents of Tattnall County.
- To levy taxation when necessary to finance the operation of the county government.
- To approve an annual budget of revenues and expenditures.
- To maintain County infrastructure and buildings.
- To plan for future public service needs.
- To provide necessary services to safeguard the well-being and safety of the residents.
County commissioners have authority over the construction and maintenance of local roads, election facilities and equipment, parks and recreational facilities. The Board of Commissioners directs the provision of fire services, emergency preparedness, emergency medical services and rescue units, should you ever need them.
Counties were created by a rural society that looked to government to keep the records straight and the justice swift.The state constitution originally created four elected county officers: the sheriff, the tax commissioner, the clerk of the superior court, and the judge of the probate court, but in 1868 the state began creating the position of county commissioner to administer the general operations of the county.
Originally every county had one commissioner, but over the years those positions have been replaced by boards of commissioners. Eight counties in Georgia still have sole commissioners and Georgia is the only state in the country with that form of local government. Tattnall County is not one of them.