Documents Show Conyers Attempted to Replace Its Entire City Charter in 2025

CONYERS CHARTER INVESTIGATION | Part 1 of 4

In October 2025, the City of Conyers introduced an ordinance that would have replaced the city's entire municipal charter in a single sweeping vote.

Ordinance No. 1455, introduced and approved on first reading on October 1, 2025, was signed by then-Mayor G. Vincent Evans, Jr. Under Georgia law, a charter amendment must be adopted at two consecutive regular council meetings, with required public notice published once a week for three weeks in the 60 days before final adoption.

The ordinance — if fully adopted — would have deleted the existing Conyers city charter in its entirety and replaced it with a new document attached as Exhibit A.

The proposed new charter covered the full scope of city government: the composition and powers of the city council, the mayor's duties, how the city manager is appointed and removed, how the city attorney and city clerk are hired, the city's court system, finance and budget procedures, and more.

These documents were obtained by CJ Lester Investigates through an Open Records Request submitted to the City of Conyers.

Whether a second vote was held on October 15, 2025 as scheduled — and what the outcome was — remains under investigation. This is Part 1 of an ongoing series.