Section 2.22Ordinance form; procedures
Plain English: what this chapter covers
The Charter is Ashburn's founding document, kind of like the city's constitution. It was passed by the Georgia General Assembly in 2001. It sets up a council of a mayor and five councilmembers, a hired city manager who runs day-to-day operations, the municipal court, how elections and vacancies work, and the city's taxing, budgeting and borrowing powers. Anything the Charter doesn't cover is handled by city ordinance or state law.
(a) Every proposed should be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption. No ordinance shall contain a subject which is not expressed in its title. The enacting clause shall be "It is hereby ordained by the governing authority of the City of Ashburn," and every ordinance shall so begin.
(b) An may be introduced by any councilmember and be read at a regular or special meeting of the city council. Ordinances shall be considered and adopted or rejected by the city council in accordance with the rules which it shall establish. Except for emergency ordinances as provided for in Section 2.24 of this Charter, all ordinances shall have two separate readings; provided, however, the council may dispense with the second reading with the unanimous consent of the members present. Upon introduction of any ordinance, the clerk shall as soon as possible distribute a copy to the mayor and to each councilmember and shall file a reasonable number of copies in the office of the clerk and at such other public places as the city council may designate.
This is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. The official code is on Municode and at City Hall. Our copy is from April 30, 2026.
Online: https://jamesburgessleads.com/city-code/PTICH_ARTIIGOST_S2.22ORFOPR
Official version: https://library.municode.com/GA/Ashburn/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTICH_ARTIIGOST_S2.22ORFOPR
Paid for by James Burgess