Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1983-84 - the Digital Library ...

(c) The district attorneys shall receive such compensationand allowances as provided by law and shall be entitled toreceive such local supplements to their compensation and allowances as may be provided by law.(d) It shall be the duty of the district attorney to representthe state in all criminal cases in the superior court of suchdistrict attorney©s circuit and in all cases appealed from thesuperior court and the juvenile courts of that circuit to theSupreme Court and the Court of Appeals and to perform suchother duties as shall be required by law.(e) District attorneys shall enjoy immunity from private suitfor actions arising from the performance of their duties.Paragraph II. Discipline, removal, and involuntary retirement of district attorneys. Any district attorney may be disciplined, removed or involuntarily retired as provided by generallaw.SECTION IX.GENERAL PROVISIONSParagraph I. Administration of the judicial system; uniformcourt rules; advice and consent of councils. The judicial systemshall be administered as provided in this Paragraph. Not morethan 24 months after the effective date hereof, and from time totime thereafter by amendment, the Supreme Court shall, withthe advice and consent of the council of the affected class orclasses of trial courts, by order adopt and publish uniform courtrules and record-keeping rules which shall provide for thespeedy, efficient, and inexpensive resolution of disputes andprosecutions. Each council shall be comprised of all of thejudges of the courts of that class.Paragraph II. Disposition of cases. The Supreme Court andthe Court of Appeals shall dispose of every case at the term forwhich it is entered on the court©s docket for hearing or at thenext term.SECTION X.TRANSITIONParagraph I. Effect of ratification. On the effective date ofthis article:(1) Superior courts shall continue as superior courts.(2) State courts shall continue as state courts.(3) Probate courts shall continue as probate courts.(4) Juvenile courts shall continue as juvenile courts.(5) Municipal courts not otherwise named herein, of whatever name, shall continue as and be denominated municipalcourts, except that the City Court of Atlanta shall retain itsname. Such municipal courts, county recorder©s courts, theCivil Courts of Richmond and Bibb counties, and administrative agencies having quasi-judicial powers shall continue withthe same jurisdiction as such courts and agencies have on theeffective date of this article until otherwise provided by law.(6) Justice of the peace courts, small claims courts, andmagistrate courts operating on the effective date of this Constitution and the County Court of Echols County shall becomeand be classified as magistrate courts. The County Court ofBaldwin County and the County Court of Putnam Countyshall become and be classified as state courts, with the samejurisdiction and powers as other state courts.Paragraph \\.Continuation of judges. Each judge holdingoffice on the effective date of this article shall continue in officeuntil the expiration of the term of office, as a judge of the court14having the same or similar jurisdiction. Each court not namedherein shall cease to exist on such date or at the expiration ofthe term of the incumbent judge, whichever is later; and itsjurisdiction shall automatically pass to the new court of thesame or similar jurisdiction, in the absence of which court itshall pass to the superior court.ARTICLE VII.TAX A TION AND FINANCESECTION 1.POWER OF TAXATIONParagraph I. Taxation; limitations on grants of tax powers.The state may not suspend or irrevocably give, grant, limit, orrestrain the right of taxation and all laws, grants, contracts, andother acts to effect any of these purposes are null and void.Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, the right oftaxation shall always be under the complete control of the state.Paragraph II. Taxing power limited, (a) The annual levyof state ad valorem taxes on tangible property for all purposes,except for defending the state in an emergency, shall not exceedone-fourth mill on each dollar of the assessed value of theproperty.(b) So long as the method of taxation in effect on December31,1980, for the taxation of shares of stock of banking corporations and other monied capital coming into competition withsuch banking corporations continues in effect, such shares andother monied capital may be taxed at an annual rate notexceeding five mills on each dollar of the assessed value of theproperty.Paragraph III. Uniformity; classification of property;assessment of agricultural land; utilities, (a) All taxes shall belevied and collected under general laws and for public purposesonly. Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (c), alltaxation shall be uniform upon the same class of subjects withinthe territorial limits of the authority levying the tax.(b) (I) Except as otherwise provided in this subparagraph(b), classes of subjects for taxation of property shall consist oftangible property and one or more classes of intangible personal property including money.(2) Subject to the conditions and limitations specified bylaw, each of the following types of property may be classified asa separate class of property for ad valorem property tax purposes and different rates, methods, and assessment dates maybe provided for such properties:(A) Motor vehicles, including trailers.(B) Mobile homes other than those mobile homes whichqualify the owner of the home fora homestead exemption fromad valorem taxation.(c) Tangible real property, but no more than 2,000 acres ofany single property owner, which is devoted to bona fideagricultural purposes shall be assessed for ad valorem taxationpurposes at 75 percent of the value which other tangible realproperty is assessed. No property shall be entitled to receive thepreferential assessment provided for in this subparagraph if theproperty which would otherwise receive such assessment wouldresult in any person who has a beneficial interest in ©suchproperty, including any interest in the nature of stock ownership, receiving the benefit of such preferential assessment as tomore than 2,000 acres. No property shall be entitled to receivethe preferential assessment provided for in this subparagraphunless the conditions set out below are met:(I) The property must be owned by: