NICHOLLS, Ga. (WALB) - Tensions grow as the charter for the city of Nicholls hangs in the balance.

A newly proposed charter would remove archaic language-- limiting council members to only white men...

And take some controls from the mayor and re-allocate them to the council. It would also create a new city manager position.

The Georgia Municipal Association called on the city of Nicholls to update its charter in Dec. 2024. But still, in Jan. 2026, the mayor and council don’t seem to agree on what the city’s future structure should look like... or if it should change at all.

Glynn Tanner, Nicholls City Councilman said, “It was just an old charter that was out of date. Of course, it had things in it like no women could be on the council, we have had women on here for the last 20 years. And it had to all be white men on the thing.”

Those are only two of the modern issues presented in the city of Nicholls’ 120-year-old charter. The proposed charter also changes the city’s power structure from a strong mayor-council structure to a council-manager structure.

• Current charter the Mayor acts as chief executive, presiding over the Council, supervising officers, and executing broad day‑to‑day authority. The mayor also has voting power, including vetoing power, on local ordinances.  
• Proposed charter would establish a Council–Manager structure, where the City Council (5 at‑large members) acts as the legislative body with the mayor presiding during meetings; a and a City Manager is appointed by the Council to be the chief executive/administrator of the city.

The mayor would also act as the official spokesperson of the council and would vote only to break ties within the council.

Tanner said, “When Nicholls started back and got the charter, they let the mayor be a strong mayor. Because the local merchants usually served as the councilmen, Older men, they said you just run it and we will help you with everything. That was in 1903.”

Proposed charter, the City Manager could be appointed and removed by the Council. City department directors would be appointed based on qualifications and employees would be at‑will. The City Attorney would be treated as an independent contractor.

Nicholls Mayor Tamon Frost told WALB in a statement:

“The New Charter has never been discussed nor we as a Mayor and Council ever scheduled a meeting to have a First or second reading. Some of the changes made in this New Charter are taking the Mayor out of control of running this City. A Mayor which is voted in by the Citizens to serve. The Council wants full control of hiring and firing of all City Employees, as well as hiring a City Manager which would add an additional salary giving that City Manager control of running the City in all aspects, financial etc.

The City of Nicholls does not have a City Manager in place, in the history of our City we have never had a City Manager. We live in a small town population of approximately 850 where everyone is considered family. The council is not over any districts or wards.”

However, city councilmen Tanner and Phillip Grady believe that under the current charter operation – city funds have not gone to address citizens’ concerns, like water and sewer issues, sidewalk additions, and community parks and recreations.

Grady said, “I think we need a forensic audit and to know where the city is at because we had a quite of bit of money and now we don’t have that money...”

“I think the biggest thing is electing a council... which we’ve done. And everybody get together and decide on what we’re going and if you get voted down then you get voted down. If you get voted up then you go ahead with that project. But everybody work together would be right to get everything straight,” Tanner said.

In response as to whether the addition of a city manager would be a positive or negative thing for Nicholls, Frost says, “Realistically this City is too small of a city to have a City Manager Position. It would be costing the City a salary that is not needed. It is hard to justify a position of such high standards without ever been spoken to and met with regarding this matter.”

According to the councilmen, the proposed charter presented in the October 2025 council meeting will be approved by the Georgia General Assembly this month.

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