Government

The Peach County government, under the leadership of a five-person elected commission, provides high quality essential services for Peach residents and as many other services as tax revenues allow.

The board sets direction and formulates policies for the county government, develops and approves the budget, authorizes expenditures, and approves or disapproves specific actions, such as rezoning of private property.

Voters in each of four districts elect a commissioner with the fifth commissioner being elected county-wide in the at-large post. The Commission Chairman is elected by the Board Members yearly at the first meeting in January. Terms are for four years, but staggered so the at-large post and two commissioners are elected during one election cycle and two years later the other two commissioners are elected.

The board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Public Meeting Room of the Peach County Courthouse in Fort Valley. Work sessions are scheduled and advertised as needed. The board also conducts public hearings to consider zoning requests at 6:30 p.m. during regularly scheduled monthly meetings.

The county commissioners may be contacted at:

Peach County Board of Commissioners
213 Persons Street
Fort Valley, Georgia 31030
(478) 825-2535

The government of the City of Fort Valley is vested in a city council composed of a mayor and six council members. Each member serves a four year term. The mayor is the chief executive officer of the City Of Fort Valley. A mayor pro-tem is elected by the council each year.

The corporate power of the government of the City of Fort Valley is exercised by the city Council, which is the governing authority. The city council is responsible for enacting ordinances, resolutions and regulations governing the city.

The mayor and council appoint a city administrator, city clerk and assistant city clerk to operate the city on a day-to-day basis.

To be eligible to serve as mayor or council member, a candidate must be a resident of the city for a period of one year immediately prior to the date of the election of the mayor or council member and continue to reside within the city during period of service. To be a candidate for mayor or city council one must be registered and qualified to vote in the municipal election of the City of Fort Valley and must meet the qualification standards required for members of the Georgia House of Representatives as are now or may in the future be prescribed by the Georgia Constitution.

The mayor and council and city administrator may be contacted at:

Fort Valley City Hall
P.O. Box 956
204 West Church St.
Fort Valley, GA 31030
Office: 478-825-8261
FAX: 478-825-3654

The City of Byron is governed by a mayor-council form of local government. Five members serve on the City Council. Members of City Council are elected at-large and serve staggered four-year terms. The Mayor is selected via popular vote in an at-large election and serves a four-year term.

The City of Byron employs a full-time administrative staff under the supervision of the City Administrator. This office handles the day-to-day administration and financial management of the city. An annual budget is adopted each year. The City's fiscal year ends with the month of December.

The City of Byron directly provides the following services to its residents:

• Water treatment and distribution
• Wastewater collection and treatment
• Natural gas
• Fire protection
• Police department
• Animal control
• Construction and code enforcement
• Planning and zoning

The Mayor and Council and City Administrator may be contacted at:

Byron City Hall
401 Main Street
Byron, GA 31008
Telephone: 478-956-3600
FAX: 478-956-5299