Private Acts of 2002 Chapter 135

SECTION 1. Chapter 522 of the Private Acts of 1927, and all other acts amendatory thereto, are hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. Meigs County shall be divided into five (5) school districts of substantially equal population, which shall be coextensive with the five (5) county legislative body districts established by resolution of the county legislative body from time to time.

SECTION 3. The Meigs County Board of Education shall consist of five (5) members, with one (1) member of the board being elected by the qualified voters in each school district on a nonpartisan basis. Board members shall be elected to staggered four (4) year terms so that the terms of approximately one-half (½) of the members expire every two (2) years. Persons elected in the regular August general election shall take office on September 1 following the election and shall serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

SECTION 4. The current terms of incumbent members of the Meigs County Board of Education who represent present Districts 1 and 4 and who were elected to serve until September 2004 shall not be cut short as a result of changes in the school districts. At the August 2002 election, board members shall be elected to serve new Districts 2, 3 and 5.

SECTION 5. The Meigs County Board of Education shall have the powers, duties, privileges and qualifications given boards of education in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49.

SECTION 6. 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 7. This act shall have no effect unless it is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the county legislative body of Meigs County. Its approval or nonapproval shall be proclaimed by the presiding officer of the county legislative body of Meigs County and certified to the secretary of state.

SECTION 8. 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 7.

Passed: April 24, 2002.