(a) The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council shall consist of 24 members and shall be composed as follows:

(1) The chairman of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, the chairman of the Georgia Organized Crime Prevention Council, the chairman of the Judicial Council of Georgia, the chairman of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of the State of Georgia, the commissioner of corrections, the chairman of the Board of Corrections, the vice-chairman of the Board of Public Safety, the chairman of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the State School Superintendent, the commissioner of community affairs, the president of the Council of Juvenile Court Judges, the director of the Georgia Indigent Defense Council, the chairman of the Children and Youth Coordinating Council, and the commissioner of juvenile justice or their designees shall be ex officio members of the council, as full voting members of the council by reason of their office; and

(2) Ten members shall be appointed by the Governor for terms of four years, their initial appointments, however, being four for four-year terms, two for three-year terms, and four for two-year terms. Appointments shall be made so that there are always on the council the following persons: one county sheriff, one chief of police, one mayor, one county commissioner, one superior court judge, four individuals who shall be, by virtue of their training or experience, knowledgeable in the operations of the criminal justice system of this state, and one individual who shall be, by virtue of his or her training and experience, knowledgeable in the operations of the entire spectrum of crime victim assistance programs delivering services to victims of crime. No person shall serve beyond the time he or she holds the office or employment by reason of which he or she was initially eligible for appointment.

(b) In the event of death, resignation, disqualification, or removal for any reason of any member of the council, vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and successors shall serve for the unexpired term.

(c) The initial terms for all 19 original members shall begin July 1, 1981. The initial term for the member added in 1985 shall begin July 1, 1985. The initial term for the member added in 1988 shall begin July 1, 1988. The initial term for the member added in 1989 shall begin July 1, 1989. The State School Superintendent shall be a member effective on July 1, 1989. The director of the Georgia Indigent Defense Council shall be a member effective on July 1, 1997.

(d) Membership on the council does not constitute public office, and no member shall be disqualified from holding public office by reason of his or her membership.