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SB2709 • 2026

Jonesborough

AN ACT to amend Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903; as amended by Chapter 35 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 9 of the Private Acts of 1999; Chapter 52 of the Private Acts of 2003; Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 2012; and any other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the town of Jonesborough.

Elections
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Crowe, Alexander
Last action
2026-04-13
Official status
Placed on Senate Local Calendar for 4/15/2026
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effectiveness is contingent upon approval by a two-thirds vote of the town's legislative body.

Changes to Jonesborough Town Government

This bill updates rules for electing an alderman as acting mayor during vacancies and changes the town recorder's insurance requirements, also sets new election dates for the mayor and aldermen.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the board of mayor and alderman to choose an alderman as acting mayor if there is a vacancy in the office of Mayor.
  • Changes rules so that the Town Recorder can get liability insurance instead of being bonded, based on what the town decides.
  • Updates election dates for the mayor and board of aldermen starting from November 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The board of mayor and alderman in Jonesborough
  • Voters who elect the mayor and aldermen

Terms To Know

Recorder
A person appointed by the town to manage financial records and other important documents.
Bonded
When someone is required to have a bond, which is like insurance that protects against losses if they do something wrong in their job.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill needs approval from two-thirds of the town's legislative body before it can take effect.
  • It does not specify what happens if the new rules are not approved by the town.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Local Calendar for 4/15/2026

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  3. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  4. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  5. 2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 90, Nays 0, PNV 2

  6. 2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/6/2026

  7. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/2/2026

  8. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  9. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  10. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to State & Local Government Committee

  11. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Private Acts Committee for 3/23/2026

  12. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, held on desk. Local Bill

  13. 2026-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Private Acts Committee - State & Local Government Committee

  14. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2026-03-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  16. 2026-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  17. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2647
By Alexander

SENATE BILL 2709
By Crowe
SB2709
011999
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903; as amended
by Chapter 35 of the Private Acts of 1993; Chapter 9 of
the Private Acts of 1999; Chapter 52 of the Private Acts
of 2003; Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 2012; and any
other acts amendatory thereto, relative to the town of
Jonesborough.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903, as amended by Chapter 52 of the Private
Acts of 2003, Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 2012, and any other acts amendatory thereto, is
amended by deleting Section 3(a) and substituting:
Sec. 3(a). The Board shall elect an Alderman to the office of Vice Mayor who
shall serve as Mayor when the Mayor is absent or unable to discharge the duties of the
Mayor's office, and in the case of a vacancy in the office of Mayor, until the earlier of the
Board of Mayor and Aldermen electing a Mayor from among the currently serving
Aldermen or the certification of the results of the next regular municipal election.
SECTION 2. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903, as amended by Chapter 35 of the Private
Acts of 1993, Chapter 52 of the Private Acts of 2003, Chapter 33 of the Private Acts of 2012,
and any other acts amendatory thereto, is amended by deleting the first paragraph of Section 7
and substituting:
That the Board of Mayor and Aldermen shall appoint a recorder who shall be the
Director of the department of finance; and the recorder shall be under the supervision
and subject to the at-will removal of the town administrator. The recorder shall receive a
salary to be fixed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and shall either be bonded in
such amount as may be provided by ordinance or be covered by insurance on terms and
in such amount provided by ordinance. The recorder shall by signature and the town

- 2 - 011999

seal, attest all instruments signed in the name of the town. The recorders shall have the
power to administer oaths.
SECTION 3. Chapter 135 of the Acts of 1903, as amended by Chapter 9 of the Private
Acts of 1999, and any other acts amendatory thereto, is amended by deleting Section 14 and
substituting:
Section 14. Be it further enacted, that the term of the present Mayor will expire in
2026 and an election will be held in November 2026 for a two-year term for Mayor which
will expire after the results are certified in a municipal election which will be held with the
County general election in August of 2028. The present Mayor shall serve until the
Mayor's successor is elected and qualified. At the August 2028 election and every two
(2) years thereafter, there shall be elected by the qualified voters a Mayor who shall
serve a term of two (2) years, beginning the Monday following the certification of the
results of the election and until a successor is elected and certified in elections held at
the same time as the Washington County general election in August of such years.
That the term of two (2) present Aldermen will expire in 2026 and an election will
be held in November 2026 for a four-year term which will expire after the results are
certified in a municipal election which will be held at the same time as the Washington
County general election in August 2030 for a four-year term. At the August 2030
election and every four (4) years thereafter, there shall be elected by the qualified voters
two (2) Aldermen who shall serve a term of four (4) years, beginning the Monday
following the certification of the results of the election and until a successor is elected
and certified in elections held at the same time as the Washington County general
election in August of such years.
Two (2) other present Aldermen currently serve terms that will expire in 2028,
and an election will be held in November 2028 for a four-year term which will expire after
the results are certified in a municipal election which will be held at the same time as the
Washington County general election in August 2032 for a four-year term. At the August

- 3 - 011999

2032 election and every four (4) years thereafter, there shall be elected by the qualified
voters two Aldermen who shall serve a term of four (4) years, beginning the Monday
following the certification of the results of the election and until a successor is elected
and certified in elections held at the same time as the Washington County general
election in August of such years.
No person shall be a candidate for the office of Mayor and the office of Alderman
in the same election, nor shall any person hold both offices at the same time. If a sitting
Alderman wishes to run for the office of Mayor in the off-year cycle of their current term,
they must first resign from the office of Alderman before filing a petition to run for Mayor.
The election commissioners of Washington County, or such officers as are
charged with holding county elections, shall appoint the officers, judges, and clerks to
hold said election under the general rules and regulations prescribed for the civil district
in which the town is situated in elections for members of the Legislature or the legislative
body of the county, and all persons qualified to vote under the provisions of this Act shall
be entitled to vote at said election.
The officers holding the elections shall certify the results to the County Election
Commissioners or other officers charged by law with such duties, who shall canvass the
returns on the next Monday or as soon thereafter as is practical following the election,
and declare and certify the results.
SECTION 4. If any provision of this act or the application thereof to any person or
circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the
act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to that end, the
provisions of this act are declared to be severable.
SECTION 5. 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 Jonesborough. Its approval or nonapproval shall be
proclaimed by the presiding officer of the legislative body and certified to the secretary of state.

- 4 - 011999

SECTION 6. 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 5.