Government and elections
Barney's charter created a municipal government consisting of a mayor and five councilmen. It set the first town election for the first Wednesday in December 1903 and required elections every year thereafter.
Voters and registration
For the first election, a voter had to live within the incorporated limits for ninety days and otherwise be qualified to vote for members of the Georgia General Assembly. Later elections used a registration system administered by the town clerk.
Municipal officers and court
The mayor and council could appoint a town clerk and marshal. The charter also established a mayor's court for violations of town ordinances. Within the town limits, the mayor served as an ex officio justice of the peace for offenses covered by the act.
The charter created the offices, but it did not name the first elected officials. The surviving record of Barney's early officeholders is discussed on First municipal years, 1903-1910.
Source
- Georgia General Assembly, Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, 1903, pages 440-446, Act No. 292, "Barney, Town of Incorporated," approved August 6, 1903, Digital Library of Georgia, dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlgl_88438600.