County Mayor — Term — Title

1. Law
2. Tennessee Code
3. Counties
4. County Mayors
5. Substantive Provisions
6. County Mayor — Term — Title

1. Except in counties organized under the consolidated government provisions of the Constitution of Tennessee, article XI, § 9, the chief executive officer of each county shall be a county mayor elected in accordance with § 5-6-102 by the qualified voters of the county for a term of four (4) years or until a successor is elected and qualified.
2. The term of office for a county mayor shall begin on September 1 next succeeding the county mayor's election.
3. References to the chair of the county court and county judge appearing elsewhere in this code shall be deemed references to the county mayor.
4. 1. The chief executive officer of each county shall be redesignated and hereafter referred to as the county mayor, except as provided in subdivision (d)(2). References to the term “county executive” appearing elsewhere in this code are to be deemed references to the county mayor.
   2. Private acts enacted prior to March 28, 2007, designating the title of the chief executive officer of the county as “county executive” shall remain in full force and effect. No county may redesignate the county mayor as county executive by private act following March 28, 2007.
   3. Notwithstanding subdivisions (d)(1) and (2), in any county having a population of not less than twenty thousand one hundred (20,100) nor more than twenty thousand two hundred (20,200), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, the chief executive officer of the county shall be designated and hereafter referred to as the county executive.

Code 1858, § 4187 (deriv. Acts 1835-1836, ch. 6, § 4); impl. am. Acts 1887, ch. 236, § 2; Shan., § 6004; Code 1932, § 10202; impl. am. Acts 1935, ch. 10, § 1; C. Supp. 1950, § 10202; Acts 1978, ch. 934, § 16; 1979, ch. 53, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 5-601; Acts 1981, ch. 219, § 2; 2003, ch. 90, §§ 1, 2; 2004, ch. 568, § 1; 2007, ch. 3, § 1; 2011, ch. 107, § 1.

Compiler's Notes. Acts 2003, ch. 90, § 2, directed the code commission to change all references from “county executive” to “county mayor” and to include all such changes in supplements and replacement volumes for the Tennessee Code Annotated.

Cross-References. Option to redesignate county mayor as county executive by private act, §5-6-101.

Textbooks. Tennessee Jurisprudence, 8 Tenn. Juris., Counties, § 12.

Law Reviews.

The Judicial System in Tennessee and Potentialities for Reorganization — Judges in Tennessee (Elvin E. Overton), 32 Tenn. L. Rev. 514 (1965).

Attorney General Opinions. Authority of county executive (now county mayor) over county finance office, OAG 99-032, 1999 Tenn. AG LEXIS 19 (2/18/99).

County attorney serving as attorney for county highway department, OAG 99-044, 1999 Tenn. AG LEXIS 55 (3/1/99).

Officials elected as “county executives” in 2002 and redesignated as “county mayors” beginning July 1, 2003, are bound by their oath of office to perform their duties of office and refer to themselves henceforth as “county mayors,” except to the extent the use of any stationery or other office products with the title “county executive” that was printed prior to the effective date of the 2003 amendment, OAG 03-096, 2003 Tenn. AG LEXIS 114 (8/13/03).

There is no penalty for officials who refuse to refer to themselves as “county mayors” beginning July 1, 2003, OAG 03-096, 2003 Tenn. AG LEXIS 114 (8/13/03).

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