Opinion ID: 1287520
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Heading: Equal Protection and Related Issues

Text: Several enumerations of error relate to appellant's argument that the legislature is prohibited by several sections of the Georgia Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States from enacting a recall provision that affects only Douglas County Commissioners and not the commissioners of other counties. The trial court ruled that this Act does not violate Art. XI, Sec. I, Par VI of the Georgia Constitution (Code Ann. § 2-7806), requiring uniformity in county matters, or Art. I, Sec. IV, Par. I of the Constitution of the State of Georgia (Code Ann. § 2-401) which prohibits enactment of a special law where provision has been made by an existing general law. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits states from enacting laws which deny persons in the same class equal protection of the law. The legislature may define the classes as it chooses so long as the classification is not arbitrary and unreasonable. See McCullers v. Williamson, 221 Ga. 358, 365 (144 SE2d 911) (1965). There is nothing, however, in the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits a state from creating different kinds of political subdivisions and providing a different process for selecting and removing officials in those subdivisions. See Missouri v. Lewis, 101 U. S. 22 (1879). The states have wide discretion in deciding whether a law should operate statewide or only in certain counties. See Griffin v. School Board of Prince Edward County, 377 U. S. 218, 231 (1963). Thus the General Assembly of Georgia may treat different counties differently by specifying the type of county government each shall have as long as it does not act arbitrarily under the Fourteenth Amendment. We do not believe the present Act is arbitrary or capricious since all the Douglas County Commissioners are subject to the recall procedure of the Act and there is nothing in the Fourteenth Amendment which prohibits this legislative scheme. Appellant also asserts the present Act violates Art. XI, Sec. I, Par. VI (Code Ann. § 2-7806) of the Georgia Constitution which provides, [w]hatever tribunal, or officers, may be created by the General Assembly for the transaction of county matters, shall be uniform throughout the State ... except that the General Assembly may provide for Commissioners of Roads and Revenues in any county ... without respect to uniformity. In addition, appellant contends the Act violates Art. VI, Sec. XVII, Par. I (Code Ann. § 2-5201) which provides: The General Assembly shall have power to provide for the creation of county commissioners in such counties as may require them, and to define their duties, and Art. I, Sec. IV, Par. I (Code Ann. § 2-401) which provides: Laws of a general nature shall have uniform operation throughout the State, and no special law shall be enacted in any case for which provision has been made by an existing general law. This court has construed Code Ann. § 2-401 regarding special laws, together with Code Ann. § 2-5201 and Code Ann. § 2-7806, to impose very little restriction on the General Assembly in creating and defining the duties of county commissioners by special Act. The law in Georgia under the Constitutions of both 1877 and 1945 has been that the General Assembly has the power to pass separate and distinct laws creating county commissioners of roads and revenues for every county in Georgia; and the provisions of general laws enacted by the legislature do not apply to such officers, unless made so by the special laws creating them. Bowen v. Lewis, 201 Ga. 487, 489 (40 SE2d 80) (1946). See also Hutchins v. Candler, 209 Ga. 415 (73 SE2d 191) (1952); and Rhodes v. Jernigan, 155 Ga. 523 (117 SE 432) (1923). There is no requirement of uniformity with regard to the powers and duties of county commissioners. See Robert v. Steed, 207 Ga. 41 (3) (60 SE2d 134) (1950), and Wilson v. Jones, 218 Ga. 706, 710 (130 SE2d 227) (1963). The Constitution gives the General Assembly the power to create and define the duties of boards of commissioners without regard to uniformity as the rule which forbids the passage of special legislation where a general law has been passed upon the subject has no application whatsoever ... [A]ny county in the state may have a board of commissioners upon an entirely different plan from any and all other like boards in the state. Bradford v. Hammond, 179 Ga. 40, 47 (175 SE 18) (1934). Similarly, we find there has been no constitutional requirement of uniformity throughout the state in the method of removing county commissioners. For example, in 1909, the General Assembly enacted legislation creating and defining the duties of the Wilkinson County Board of Commissioners. One section of that Act provided that the commissioners were to post itemized statements of county funds disbursed on the courthouse door. Upon failure to do so, the superior court judge could, on petition of 25 freeholders, remove the commissioners from office. This court held that the Constitution did not require uniformity as to the Acts creating county commissioners and that the removal of county officers is part of the general scheme of providing for the creation of such boards and for the powers to be exercised by them... [I]t would naturally follow that uniformity would not be required in the matter of removals. Smith v. Duggan, 153 Ga. 463, 465 (112 SE 458) (1922). See, e.g., Crawley v. State, 150 Ga. 86 (102 SE 898) (1920). The same conclusion follows under the 1945 Constitution. See Bowen v. Lewis, supra, pp. 489, 490. Appellant also contends the present Act (Ga. L. 1975, p. 2512) conflicts with Code Ann. § 89-105 which requires that officeholders remain in office until their successors are qualified. The Act provides for the office of Douglas County Commissioner to be vacated as a result of a vote in favor of recall in the recall election and that vacancies thus created will be filed in the same manner as other vacancies. As discussed in the preceding section of this opinion, the legislature has almost unlimited power to provide for the creation and removal of county commissioners. They may provide special laws for county commissioners without regard to uniformity. See, e.g., Bradford v. Hammond, supra, and Bowen v. Lewis, supra. It necessarily follows that the legislature may specify a special procedure to fill vacancies in these positions as long as that procedure violates no other constitutional provision. See, e.g., Lance v. Stepp, 232 Ga. 675 (208 SE2d 559) (1974). We hold that this portion of the local Act therefore does not violate Code Ann. § 2-401. Nothing held in Kidd v. Nelson, 213 Ga. 417 (99 SE2d 123) (1957) requires a different conclusion.