Trion officials to update town's 112-year-old charter

This spring, officials in Trion, Ga., hope to begin rewriting a 112-year-old charter and city code that tells residents what livestock they can own and how often they can bathe.

"(The code) tells you what days you can bathe in the river," said Mayor Johnny Ingle. "I don't imagine a lot of residents even know what's in the charter."

Sworn in as the Chattooga County town's mayor after the November elections, Mr. Ingle has identified updating Trion's founding documents as a key initiative.

Both documents refer to police officers as "marshals." The city code specifies how many of each type of livestock residents are allowed to have inside the city limits.

"It's going to take a couple of years to get it straightened out it's so bad," the mayor explained. "It's antiquated, believe me."

Before getting to the charter and the code, officials must wade through the river of paperwork stemming from widespread damage caused by floods in September. Once that work is out of the way, city attorney Chris Corbin will work with state Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo, to get the new charter written.

Once the document is rewritten, it must be approved by the Georgia General Assembly, Mr. Corbin said.

"I don't know if it will get done this year," Mr. Corbin said. "At this point, it would probably be next year."

The code would have to be updated by a series of ordinances passed by the Town Council. Until those ordinances are voted on, the obsolete laws are still technically in place, Mr. Corbin explained.

"They're left hanging out there," he said.