Colonists in Georgia signed a letter allowing the beginning of the slave trade in Georgia on October 26, 1749.
Georgia Sons of Liberty protested against the British Stamp Act on October 26, 1765.
A state Constitutional Convention at Milledgeville, Georgia repealed the state’s Ordinance of Secession on October 26, 1865.
President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act on October 26, 2001.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Hall county created a place for election losers to drink after their losses, according to AccessWDUN.
“Goat Rock has been a long-standing legend of Hall County since the early 1960s, a place where the losers of elections would go to drown their sorrows,” Sammy Smith, Gainesville Board of Education member said. “By securing a physical Goat Rock, Hall County residents and visitors alike can enjoy a piece of local lore.”
“It’s exciting when citizens participate in the creation of our local landscape, especially with a project like this, as so many Hall County residents can recall hearing the stories about Goat Rock in their youth,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Higgins said.
“Although the actual location of Goat Rock in Hall County was never known, we feel its placement on the Highlands to Islands trail is appropriate and will provide ample opportunity for visitors (and losing electors) to enjoy its presence,” District 4 Commissioner Jeff Stowe said.
Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #10.25.22.01, ordering flags to half-staff in honor of Charley Trippi on the State Capitol, at state properties in Athens-Clarke County and on the University of Georgia campus on November 5, 2022.
From the Secretary of State’s Absentee Voting Database:
Total ballots cast: 1,128,462
Total mail ballots cast: 108,364
Total in-person ballots cast: 1,018,395
In-person October 17, 2022: 134,792
In-person October 18, 2022: 135,076 *
In-person October 19, 2022: 127,802 *
In-person October 20, 2022: 123,003
In-person October 21, 2022: 141,692
In-person October 22, 2022: 80,280
In-person October 23, 2022: 18,128*
In-person October 24, 2022: 132,992
In-person October 25, 2022: 124,567
In-person undated: 62
Total Electronic ballots cast (overseas and military voters): 1,703
Note: In Person numbers do not add up as one voter in Glynn County is recorded as having voted in person on 10/13/2022, when early voting was not open.
* this appears to be down from previous numbers for in person voting
13WMAZ looks at how votes are tallied.
If you voted last election with the new system, you already know how the process to cast your ballot works. You vote on a touchscreen and then get a printed ballot.
Holland says once you make your selections for each race, you get a printed ballot, showing your choices.
“The voter then has a chance to review it on the printed ballot,” [Houston County Elections Assistant Supervisor Andy] Holland said.
Then, you take your copy of the ballot to the tabulator.
“The ballots are counted as the voter scans them. It’s the scanner that actually tabulates the votes,” Holland said.
Then, there’s a whole different process with counting absentee ballots.
“Whether you mailed it or dropped it off in the drop box, once the Board of Election receives your ballot, we check their information to make sure it matches the application to verify the voter’s identity,” Holland said.
Once it’s verified, Holland says they store them in a secure location until it’s time to open and scan them. The early scanning process begins Wednesday, October 26 where we scan it through an ICC scanning unit to be tabulated.
That tabulator will officially count your absentee vote.
In some cases, the tabulator can’t count an absentee ballot so it falls into the court of a “vote review panel” made up of the Board of Elections and representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties.
“If there’s any ballot that has an overvote or stray mark or something the scanner can’t make a determination on. We’ll go to the voter review board and they’ll determine the voter’s intent,” Holland said.
For fun, here’s my favorite story about election workers trying to determine a voter’s intent:
Someone in Scotland wrote “WANK” beside every party on their ballot, other than the Green Party, beside which was written “not wank”. According to Scottish Law that indicates “Clear preference” and the vote got counted hahahahaha
Bibb County has seen a steady stream of early voters since the polls opened, with more than 1,000 voters a day except Sunday. 11,099 votes were cast as of Monday evening, according to the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections website. The county has roughly 115,000 registered voters, according to the county’s Interim Elections Supervisor Thomas Gillon. With a population of 119,000 people of voting age, that’s good for a 96% registration rate.
The Rome News Tribune has an excellent analysis of early voting trends, written by Diane Wagner.
[Fourteenth Congressional District] Turnout as of Wednesday morning was at 105.8% of the rate during the same period for the 2018 midterms. But the boost is coming from Polk, Paulding and Catoosa counties. Comparisons for the other 8 counties ranged from 55.9% in Dade to 96.3% in Murray. The rate in Floyd County was 80.4% of the early voting rate in 2018.
It is worth reading in it’s entirety.
Turnout in Georgia’s election surged past 1 million voters Tuesday, continuing a daily trend of record-breaking participation in a midterm election with two weeks remaining before Election Day.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said voters are flocking to in-person early voting locations, which are open six days a week for three weeks across Georgia. Fifteen counties also offered Sunday voting.
“This isn’t a victory lap yet. We’re about halfway through the second quarter, but we need to encourage everyone to go out to vote and not discourage them,” Raffensperger said Tuesday at a press conference at the Capitol. “We need to let them know their vote will be counted and counted accurately, not that their vote will be stolen.”
By the time polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8, overall turnout is expected to easily surpass the 3.9 million Georgia voters who participated in the last midterm election four years ago but likely fall short of the 5 million ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election.
Turnout this year is 55% higher than at this point in the 2018 midterms, according to state election data. About 90% of voters cast ballots in person, and the remaining 10% had returned absentee ballots.
It’s unclear whether high turnout benefits one political party over another. So far, female voters and those over 65 have been two of the highest-turnout demographic groups. By race, turnout has been elevated among both Black and white voters, while Hispanic and Asian American voters each accounted for just 1.5% of voters so far.
Governor Brian Kemp participated in the groundbreaking for the new Hyundai plant in Bryan County, according to a press release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp, along with Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) Executive Chair Euisun Chung and company officials, officially broke ground today on Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America’s (HMGMA) new manufacturing plant at the Bryan County Megasite, joined by state, local, and federal officials. The $5.54 billion investment for this facility by the company and its affiliate suppliers was announced in May of this year and includes plans to produce a diverse range of innovative, fully electric vehicles (EV) and a new battery manufacturing facility.
HMGMA will create more than 8,100 jobs over the next few years as the company establishes a stable supply chain for EV battery and associated components in the U.S. market. HMGMA’s new smart factory is expected to begin commercial production in the first half of 2025.
“With more Georgians working than ever before, record jobs and investment coming to all parts of our state, and award-winning workforce development programs and infrastructure, the Peach State’s economy is reaching new heights,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Our partnership with Hyundai Motor Group and the groundbreaking of this innovative facility exemplifies that unprecedented success. With a long-term commitment to improving lives and livelihoods, we look forward to continuing this partnership and seeing its impact on both this community and our state as a whole.”
“Hyundai and the people of Georgia share many qualities: respect for our histories, ingenuity, creativity, and determination to make the world better for the next generation,” said Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung. “Today, our EVs are recognized as best in class, and with this partnership, we are determined to be the global leader in electrification, safety, quality, and sustainability. With the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, we will continue to evolve beyond an automaker to the world’s leading mobility solutions provider.”
Today’s celebration included a morning groundbreaking on-site, along with an expo and program at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, where the company highlighted its “advanced technology and extraordinary human achievement” with a wide array of exhibits for hundreds of attendees.
In addition to their commitment to creating new jobs and opportunities in Georgia, HMG celebrated and announced new connections with the local economy that will enrich the health of local communities through its corporate social responsibility programs, totaling $1.54 million.
This includes programs through the company’s social responsibility initiatives, Hyundai Hope and Genesis Gives, which have collectively committed $120,000 to roughly ten organizations supporting local communities in and around Bryan County.
Hyundai also announced a $120,000 donation to Georgia Tech for STEM education scholarships. Hyundai Hope On Wheels presented $500,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope and Young Investigator Grants to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Genesis Inspiration Foundation presented donations totaling $200,000 to two Georgia-based nonprofit organizations, Drawchange and Paint Love.
Additionally, Kia’s “Accelerate the Good” program donated $600,000 to help local youth realize their hopes and dreams with gifts to Family Promise of the Coastal Empire, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Inspiredu.
“Today’s groundbreaking and community celebration signifies Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America’s commitment to this community and to the Savannah region. Beyond the $5.54 billion in investment and the 8,100 jobs that they will bring to the region, they are already making an impact by connecting and contributing to our community with contributions to various nonprofits,” said Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority Chairman Carter Infinger.
“Sixteen years ago, Hyundai Motor Group placed a bet on Georgia. Since that time, the company has become a Georgia company, changing the lives of thousands of Georgians not only in West Point, but across the state. Today we celebrate a new beginning, doubling down on an already successful partnership,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Hyundai is dedicated to giving back to the community wherever they go, and their innovative spirit keeps them at the cutting-edge of technology. The Bryan County facility will directly create jobs of the future for the Savannah area and support opportunities in the EV revolution for Georgians across the state. We’re thankful to Governor Kemp, to the Savannah JDA, and to all of the partners who helped bring this project to our state.”
Central to the selection of the Bryan County Megasite was its close proximity to the Port of Savannah. Under the leadership of Griff Lynch and the Georgia Ports Authority, the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick have expanded to meet the recent challenges and helped move record amounts of cargo. With connections to the port by both rail and highway, Hyundai will be able to access global markets quickly and efficiently. As evidenced by record-breaking global commerce and trade numbers, Georgia has the tools companies need to meet consumers where they are.
On top of Hyundai’s direct contributions to the region, non-affiliated HMGMA suppliers in connection with the project will invest approximately $1 billion in other locations around the state. Learn more about the project at www.georgia.org/hyundaimotorgroup.
About Hyundai Motor Group
Hyundai Motor Group is a global enterprise that has created a value chain based on mobility, steel, and construction, as well as logistics, finance, IT, and service. With about 250,000 employees worldwide, the Group’s mobility brands include Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Armed with creative thinking, cooperative communication and the will to take on any challenges, we strive to create a better future for all. For more information about Hyundai Motor Group, please see www.hyundaimotorgroup.com.
Gov. Brian Kemp, Republican, Georgia’s two U.S. senators, both Democrats, and the Republic of Korea’s ambassador to the United States were among the officials who wielded shovels in a sort of big sandbox in front of the stage within a huge, walled and carpeted tent at a previously remote location in Bryan County. This is on the 2,287-acre “Mega Site” purchased by the state and a Joint Development Authority, or JDA, whose four member counties are Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham. With actual construction slated to begin in early 2023 for the plant to be producing vehicles in the first half of 2025, portions should soon become visible to passersby on I-16.
Kemp during his remarks identified the plant as “Georgia’s largest economic development project ever,” and Ambassador Tae-yong Cho proclaimed, “This is a great day for both the United States and the Republic of Korea.”
Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock did not speak from the stage. But when U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves did, his assertion of the role played by President Joe Biden’s goals for electric vehicle, or EV, production contrasted somewhat with Kemp’s crediting of Georgia’s long-term “conservative, common-sense governance” with bringing a surge of new manufacturing to the state.
The first speaker on stage before the shovels were plunged into the symbolic earth was José Muñoz, global president and chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor Company and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis North America.
“We heard the clarion call of this administration to hasten the adoption of new electric vehicles and reduce carbon emissions,” Muñoz said. “So, we took action.”
When Kemp came to the microphone, he personally thanked Muñoz and Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive Chair Euisun Chung and other Hyundai and Kia executives by name.
“To the entire Hyundai Motor Group team, on behalf of all Georgians, I want to say thank you for bringing even more jobs to the number-one state for business,” Kemp said. “I also want to say thank you to our original HMG partners, Kia, who made a transformational investment in our state over a decade and a half ago and continues to be such a valued friend.”
The governor, who didn’t mention he is in a race for re-election with early voting underway, called the plant’s construction “incredibly monumental” even for a state he said seems “to make history every day” with its economy.
“We have the lowest unemployment rate in the history of our state, and we’ve never seen as much job creation and investment in the Peach State in a single year, all because we made the tough call, and the right call, to protect and fight for both lives and livelihoods during the pandemic, and that’s because we trusted our citizens instead of a lot of short-sighted politicians, and because we did, we’re now making history yet again,” Kemp said.
Since 2020, by his count, he has announced 30 “electric mobility-related projects” expected to bring more than more than $13 billion in investment and more than 18,910 jobs to Georgia, including the 8,100 at the Hyundai plant.
[Don] Graves, the [U.S.] deputy commerce secretary, then credited U.S.-Korea cooperation in this project to the administration’s goal for electric vehicles.
“It’s a reflection of President Biden’s direct engagement with our friends in South Korea, which is leading to new investments just like this,” Graves said. “Hyundai’s electric vehicle expansion is also in line with the Biden administration’s effort to tackle climate change, move to clean energy, move to domestic sources of energy and set the U.S. on the path to achieve net-zero admissions by 2050.”
From the Savannah Morning News:
Site prep is underway, with foundational pads set to be installed by year’s end, according to Savannah Economic Development Authority CE Trip Tollison.
While construction to build-out the 11-building, 16-million-square-foot “metaplant” is slated to take at least two years, the groundbreaking signals a significant shift in the automotive industry that will have an yet-imagined impact on the local, state and national economy — and is imagined as the catalyst for kickstarting the nation’s turnover from gas engines to electric vehicles.
“The automotive industry will see more change in the next 10 years than in the prior 100,” Kemp said during Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony. “Thanks to Hyundai Motor Group, the local partners, the state partners, and the partners here today, that future is going to be made right here.”
“Hyundai’s electric vehicle expansion is also in line with the Biden Administration’s effort to tackle climate change, move to clean energy, move to domestic sources of energy and sets the U.S. on the path to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,” said Don Graves, U.S. deputy secretary of commerce. “An important piece of that goal is President Biden’s ambitious target to make EVs half of all new car sales by 2030.”
The state has already seen significant investment in electric vehicles and clean energy. Rivian announced a $5 billion manufacturing plant in Georgia earlier this year And Qcells, a solar energy manufacturing company, announced a $171 million expansion at its Dalton plant. The U.S. government is investing $7 billion in infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, and beefing up the battery supply-chain network so the country is not reliant on foreign suppliers.
Ossoff said investment is a win for combatting climate change, even though the extraction process for the raw materials in the computer chips required for electric vehicles (2,000 per car) can wreak havoc on air quality.
“I’ll continue working with colleagues in Congress, the Biden administration, the state government and our industrial partners to work to make those supply chains as clean and sustainable as possible,” Ossoff said.
South Korea’s ambassador to the U.S., Cho Tae-yong, said 130 Korean companies have invested in Georgia by establishing operations in the Peach State.
“The Korea-U.S. partnership is flourishing here in the Peach State of Georgia,” Cho said. “Ladies and gentlemen, the site we come to visit today will become another landmark in the history of Korean investments in the United States.”
The metaplant will bring at least 8,100 jobs with an average salary of $58,105, according to the $1.8 billion incentive package brokered between Hyundai and the State of Georgia. It will be built at the 3,000-acre site located near I-95 and I-16.
Workforce development programs made in coordination with local higher education institutions and public school districts are in the works to train local populations to staff the plant and related industry.
“Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham and Effingham Counties are now part of the Hyundai family,” [Hyundai CEO and President Jaehoon “Jay”] Chang told the crowd at the Enmarket Arena Tuesday.
Gov. Brian Kemp used the platform to tout his decision to roll back coronavirus restrictions in the opening months of the pandemic.
And South Korea’s ambassador to the U.S., Tae-yong Cho, delivered pointed remarks about a provision in the federal climate change law as Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock sat in the front row.
“Korean companies are now at risk of being disadvantaged by the EV credits of this act,” he said.
Cho referred to a measure in the Democratic-passed law that would require all EVs to undergo final assembly in North America to qualify for lucrative incentives. Since Hyundai’s factory won’t be operational until 2025, that would mean the automaker’s customers could lose out on the break.
Governor Brian Kemp has been endorsed by former Democratic Governor Joe Frank Harris, according to the AJC.
Gov. Brian Kemp picks up another Democratic endorsement today with a nod from former Gov. Joe Frank Harris, a conservative Democrat.
Harris said in a statement he is “proud of the tough decisions (Kemp) has made during these challenging times.”
Kemp responded in kind, saying in a statement that “Georgia is better off today thanks to Gov. Joe Frank Harris.”
Harris is the second big Democratic name to endorse Kemp this week. On Monday, former first lady Shirley Miller, the wife of the late Gov. Zell Miller, also came out in support of the governor’s reelection.
The Kemp campaign’s decision to highlight the Harris and Miller endorsements this week is another example of the conservative Republican working to expand his appeal past his GOP base and court independent voters — and even a few Democrats — with less than two weeks left until Election Day.
United States Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) appeared together at a rally in Savannah, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Democratic Party’s Savannah election campaign office is not in a glamorous location. But on Tuesday afternoon, the parking lot in front of the space, which is sandwiched between two hair salons behind the Circle K gas station on U.S. 17, played host to both of Georgia’s U.S. senators.
Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff came to U.S House candidate Wade Herring’s get-out-the-vote rally staged in front of the office, campaigning together for the first time since the 2020 election. Warnock and Ossoff last tag-teamed ahead of the U.S. Senate runoffs, when both unseated incumbent Republicans and gave Democrats majority control of the Senate.
Herring, a political newcomer, is running against longtime incumbent Republican Rep. Buddy Carter.
Senator Warnock also appeared in Brunswick, according to The Brunswick News.
The Democratic senator made a campaign stop in Glynn County to encourage local voters to support him and his party during the midterm election Nov. 8.
“We have important moral work to do,” Warnock said. “I know that this is a political campaign, but if I’m just going to show up looking like another transactional politician — and there’s no shortage of them — then there was no reason for a pastor to get involved in something as messy as politics.”
“The first time I came to this very spot during the last cycle, hardly no one was here,” Warnock recalled. “Few people knew me, but not that many. Well a few things have changed since then.”
“Election season has begun,” [Glynn County Democratic Party Chair Julie] Jordan said. “… Glynn County and the entire state of Georgia have been breaking early voting records, and that’s good for Democrats.”
Both Walker and Warnock are making a final push to avoid the four-week runoff period that would reset the race and require millions more in campaign resources.
Warnock unveiled a new TV ad this week that shows him intruding on a family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
“That’s right. I could be interrupting your Thanksgiving. Because if nobody gets 50% of the vote, there’ll be a runoff,” he says. “And nobody wants that to happen.”
Walker used a campaign stop in Ellijay on Tuesday to push Republican voters to turn out and end the election in November.
“Tell 10 of your friends to go vote. That’s it. And if you don’t have friends, make friends. Go vote,” said Walker. “I’m going to win that election. And I promise you, I promise you, I’ll fight for you.”
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker campaigned in Dawsonville, according to AccessWDUN.
“You’ve got to start representing the people that voted you into office, or you need to go,” Walker said. “If you don’t know, you’ve got to go. That’s what we need to put in now, we need to put strong leaders in Washington that have forgotten about being a politician, and be these people that are good, decent people. People that believe in this country, believe in this American fire.”
One local named Suzy said many of the issues facing their year’s election hit close to home for her.
“I wanted to find out what he would do about all of our farms being bought up here,” Suzy said. “I mean, the single-family homes have been bought up at 60% by Blackrock. … And they make them so unaffordable for people to live, you know. And then the farms are being bought up by Bill Gates at an alarming rate. I want to know what they’re going to do about that. I mean, I’m a farm girl, and all of our prices have gone through the roof.”
Suzy also mentioned the rising prices of medication, which has challenged her financially as her daughter battles a brain tumor. Suzy stated one monthly shot alone can cost upwards of $2,000. Additionally, the seed, hay, feed and grains that used to cost her farm $90 now cost her $140. Suzy said these key issues brought her to the rally.
For disabled veteran Tony, the Senate race has a lot to do with trust, history and lowering economic costs. Tony says he’s been following Walker since his high school days in the 70s. Being toward the end of a long battle with lung cancer, Tony said with medical prices so high, it’s been difficult to afford groceries, among other things.
WJBF writes about upcoming campaign events in the Augusta area.
Wednesday, Governor Kemp will be visiting voters in Baxley Georgia, while Stacey Abrams will be in the upstate.
Thursday afternoon, Abrams will be in Grovetown at 806 Horizon S Pkwy at 3:30 and Augusta at IBEW Local 1579 at 6 p.m.
[Herschel] Walker will be in Cleveland, Georgia on Wednesday with several guests including Sen. Lindsey Graham.
And Senator Warnock will visit the CSRA Wednesday, making a stop in Swainsboro before heading to Augusta.
Senator Warnock will be at the City Auditorium in Swainsboro at 2:15 p.m and his rally in Augusta will be at the Henry Brigham Senior Center at 6 p.m.
13WMAZ profiles the candidates for State House District 133, Republican Ken Vance, and Democrat Hoganne Harrison- Walton.
Vance served on Milledgeville’s City Council for decades and is a former law enforcement officer and educator.
“I’ve built a life of public service” he says.
They offer different solutions to improving public safety. Vance says raising the salaries and benefits of law enforcement officers will improve it, while Harrison-Walton wants to crack down on open carry laws.
“It’s the local people that are suffering. We’ve got to come up with a way to help local law enforcement. I wish we’d treat law enforcement like we do teachers. Have a set salary and have local supplements, like they do teachers,” Vance explains
“We should not be allowed to just open carry. That needs to be repealed as soon as possible. These policies are affecting Georgia economically, and also on local level public safety. I am an advocate for protecting yourself, protecting your family, protecting your home, but I do not think guns should be in public,” Harrison-Walton explains.
“We’ve got to find a way in our legislature to have some kind of pause button on inflation because a loaf of bread used to be $1.29, and now it’s $3.95 for the same loaf of bread, so inflation to me is the largest thing. People got to pay– they got to have the wherewithal to pay the bills,” he says.
“I have 28 years on the Milledgeville City Council, 49 as a law enforcement officer. I have the experience. I do have the familiarity with that process, which I think puts me ahead of most people,” says Vance.
Georgia State House District 158 Democratic nominee Madeline Ryan Smith will hold a Town Hall meeting on Saturday, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Monroe County voters will decide on a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education (E-SPLOST) on the November ballot, according to 13WMAZ.
As Monroe County voters make their way to the polls, the Board of Education is asking you to remember their students and staff.
The Education Special Purpose Local Option Tax is back on the ballot for renewal.
The ESPLOST is a one-cent tax collected from anyone who shops in Monroe County, visitors or residents. Folks in Monroe have been paying this penny tax since 1999.
Since then, under the current ESPLOST they have raised over $104 million. In the upcoming cycle the district expects to raise $40 million.
School Superintendent Mike Hickman says if the ESPLOST passes they have big plans.“New buses, technology for students and staff, white fleet, which are trucks and vehicles that we use in the system,” says Hickman.
Voters have the opportunity to vote on this tax until Election Day November 8.
Gwinnett County will close its rental assistance program, according to AccessWDUN.
In a press release, the county said the program would close as soon as the county reaches its full commitment.
Gwinnett County was tasked with spending over $55 million from the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program in April 2021 with the goal of helping those impacted by the pandemic.
The county then received an additional $39.9 million to support its Project RESET 2.0 emergency rental and utility assistance program after being recognized by the U.S. Treasury as a top performer.
“To date, Gwinnett has processed nearly $79.3 million in financial assistance for 6,909 households ensuring that 17,164 individuals in Gwinnett County did not have to face an eviction or utility disconnection,” the press release reads.
That’s an average of $11,477.82 per household helped.
Speaking, as we did earlier this week, about government redeveloping old commercial properties, Gwinnett County is expected to spend more than $158 million to renovate Gwinnett Place Mall, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
The redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall won’t happen without significant public investment from the county government, Gwinnett commissioners learned this week.
Consultants warned that much of the work will cost the county an estimated $158 million, but there’s a catch to that figure. It does not include some key costs related to redeveloping the mall property so the county will likely end up spending a lot more than the $158 million figure.
“That doesn’t include the affordable housing,” project manager Allison Stewart-Harris said. “It also does not include demolition. There’s a lot of unknowns around that …
“We think with that investment of the ($158) million, that would leverage about $863.2 million in private investment so you end up with a leverage ratio of ($1 in public money) to almost $7 of private money.”The plan is to create a Global Villages redevelopment with seven villages built where the mall currently stands. It would have between 2,700 and 3,800 new residential units units, about 55,000-square-feet of new retail, about 50,000-square-feet of commercial office space, a 50,000-square-foot cultural center and 12.7 acres of park space.
“What we determined is the private sector would build those villages, that residential component, commercial spaces and those small-scale green spaces, but the rest of that, in order for this to work financially is really going to come under the public sector,” Stewart-Harris said.
On the flip side, Stewart-Harris said the redevelopment of the Gwinnett Place Mall property is expected to result in 3,200 direct, indirect and induced jobs, as well as $138.2 million in permanent wages.
There will also be a tax benefit for both the county government and Gwinnett County Public Schools.
“(The) annual tax revenues, once everything is built out, will be about $3.2 million into the (county’s) general fund and $8.2 million to the school district,” Stewart-Harris said.
Houston County and Sheriff Cullen Talton are appealing a federal court order compelling the county to pay for an employee’s gender-reassignment surgery, according to 13WMAZ.
This spring, the judge ruled that Houston County violated Anna Lange’s civil rights by denying the surgery, and last month, a jury ordered the county to pay Lange $60,000 in pain and suffering after a three-year legal fight.
The county’s appeal now heads to a federal appeals court in Atlanta which can decide whether to take up the case.
Her lawyer says the surgery would cost around $20,000. He says the county has spent $1 million over three years fighting Lange.
Valdosta City Council voted to issue $2 million dollars in grants to local businesses from federal COVID relief funds, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
The funds are part of the Valdosta portion of the American Rescue Plan Act allocation for a Small Business Grant Program as a counterpart to the nonprofit grant program set back in April.
Total allocation is $16,254,682 for Valdosta, with half of the allocation being received in June 2021 and $3.2 million of the funds received going to retainage pay to hourly city employees.
The Small Business Grant Program is designed to provide relief to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and help revitalize the city’s economy. The city had received 234 applications totaling $3.9 million of potentially eligible requests.
Applications were divided based on location in the Qualified Census Tract as defined by ARPA, minority/female/veteran ownership and time of application receipt.
As applications are prioritized on a first-come, first-serve basis, the $1 million would only serve the first 54 businesses with maximum rewards ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 depending on the business’ gross receipts but are limited to documented eligible expenses.
In his report to Valdosta City Council, City Manager Mark Barber recommended adding $1,550,000 to the allocation amount to at least meet the requests of the first two QCT categories.
Valdosta City Council also approved a vehicle purchase , according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Valdosta City Council approved its sole bid item at a recent meeting, resulting in a new bucket lift truck for the engineering department that’s $72,700 above the allocated motor pool budget amount.
Funds were budgeted for $90,000, but due to instability in the automotive industry and a two-year backlog of this type of service vehicle, staff had to find a provider that could supply a truck immediately, leading to the deal with Atkins Ford.
Mark Barber, city manager, noted staff knew of no other work truck that would be available within a reasonable amount of time because of the manufacturer’s backlog.
“Due to the nature of the automotive industry, there is a predicted two-year backlog of this type of vehicle on not only the truck but the lifting apparatus as well. After checking with many contacts, staff located one brand-new 2022 model truck available with the lifting apparatus that meets our specifications through the state contract holder … Akins Ford has currently reserved this truck for the City of Valdosta pending the decision of mayor and Council on Oct. 20, 2022 at the City Council,” Barber said in his report.
City Council unanimously approved the request.
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