Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Tennessee General Assembly, fetched 2026-09-25. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. This is the introduced version. The official bill page.
HOUSE BILL 2657
By Littleton
SENATE BILL 2722
By Roberts
AN ACT to amend Chapter 121 of the Private Acts of 2004; as
amended and rewritten by Chapter 84 of the Private Acts
of 2014; Chapter 58 of the Private Acts of 2018; and
Chapter 17 of the Private Acts of 2023; and any other
acts amendatory thereto, relative to the town of Ashland
City.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Section 8 of Chapter 121 of the Private Acts of 2004, as amended and
rewritten by Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 2014, and Chapter 17 of the Private Acts of 2023,
and any other acts amendatory thereto, is amended by the deleting the section and substituting:
Section 8. ELECTION OF MAYOR AND COUNCILMEN.
(a) Beginning January 1, 2026, there shall be elected a Mayor and six (6)
Councilmen, including two (2) Councilmen from each of the three (3) wards of the Town.
The position of Mayor shall be voted on by all electors from the Town at large. The
position of Councilman shall be voted on by electors in their ward. Any elector who has
been a resident of the Town for at least two (2) years may be qualified as a candidate by
submitting a nominating petition to the county election commission in accordance with
state law.
(b) The provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated shall govern the filing of a
nominating petition, the withdrawal of a candidate, and the placement of the candidate's
name on the ballot.
(c) Elections shall be nonpartisan. Beginning January 1, 2026, the election of
the candidate for Mayor receiving the highest number of votes for the office shall be
elected, and there shall be two (2) candidates for Councilman from each of the three (3)
wards of the Town to be elected receiving the highest number of votes. In the event of
any tie vote for two (2) or more candidates for the office of Mayor, then the duly elected
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Councilmen, by a majority vote, shall elect one (1) of the candidates for Mayor, who shall
serve until the next election. If more than two (2) candidates for the office of Councilman
receive the same number of votes in a ward, then the duly elected Town Council
members shall, by a majority vote, elect one (1) of the candidates from the ward for
Councilman. The office of Councilman shall be staggered with Councilmen serving a
term of four (4) years. The office of the Mayor shall also be elected for four (4) years.
Currently, the Mayor and three (3) of the Council positions are not up for election until
August 2028. Three (3) vacancies on the board will be available August 2026. There
shall be one (1) Councilman elected from each ward every other year to maintain the
staggering of Councilmen. All elections shall be the first Thursday in August in even
years.
(d) The terms of the Mayor and Councilmen shall begin at the first regularly
scheduled meeting of the Council in September following their election, and they shall
serve for a term of four (4) years and until their successors are elected and qualified. All
elections shall be conducted in conformity with the requirements of this Charter and the
election laws of the State.
SECTION 2. Section 13 of Chapter 121 of the Private Acts of 2004, as amended and
rewritten by Chapter 84 of the Private Acts of 2014, and Chapter 58 of the Private Acts of 2018,
and any other acts amendatory thereto, is amended by deleting the first sentence and
substituting:
A vacancy shall exist if the Mayor or a Councilman resigns, dies, or moves
his/her residence from their ward; is convicted of malfeasance or misfeasance in office,
a felony, a violation of this Charter, the election laws of the state, or a crime involving
moral turpitude; or fails to attend any meetings of the Council for a period of ninety (90)
consecutive days with no extenuating circumstances.
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SECTION 3. Nothing in this act shall be construed to remove any incumbent from office
or abridge the term or alter the salary of any incumbent prior to the end of the term for which
such elected official was selected.
SECTION 4. This act shall have no effect unless it is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of the legislative body of the town of Ashland City. Its approval or nonapproval shall be
proclaimed by the presiding officer of the legislative body and certified to the secretary of state.
SECTION 5. For the purpose of approving or rejecting the provisions of this act, it shall
be effective upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, it shall
become effective as provided in Section 4.
-3- 014270Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.