Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for January 28, 2025

On January 28, 1733, Georgia’s first colonists celebrated a day of thanksgiving for their safe arrival in Savannah and Chief Tomochichi’s granting them permission to settle on the Yamacraw Bluff.

On January 28, 1943, Governor Ellis Arnall signed a joint resolution of the Georgia House and Senate amending the Georgia Constitution to make the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia a constitutional board and reduce the power of the Governor over the Regents.

The movement to a constitutional board came after the loss of accreditation of all Georgia state higher education institutions for white people. The previous Governor, Eugene Talmadge, had engineered the firing of UGA’s Dean of the College of Education; after the Board of Regents initially refused to fire the Dean, Talmadge dismissed three members, and replaced them with new appointees who voted for the firing. Talmadge lost the 1942 election to Arnall.

Elvis Presley made his first appearance on television on January 28, 1956 on the Stage Show on CBS.

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff as many Americans watched on live television. President Ronald Reagan addressed the loss of seven astronauts.

Reagan had originally been scheduled to give his State of the Union that evening, but cancelled the speech. His address on the Challenger disaster was written by Peggy Noonan. The speech written by Noonan and delivered by Reagan is ranked as one of the top ten political speeches of the 20th Century.

Happy birthday today to Northwestern University (1851), Yale Daily News (1878), the first daily college newspaper in the country, the United States Coast Guard (1915), and the Lego brick, which was patented on January 28, 1958.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Costco has seen the light and will serve Coca-Cola in my favorite restaurant their food courts, according to WJBF.

CEO Ron Vachris confirmed Costco “will be converting our food court fountain business back over to Coca-Cola” during the company’s shareholders meeting on Thursday, according to CNN. The switchover is expected to happen this summer.

For more than a decade, it was Pepsi that was found at the fountains in Costco food courts nationwide. Prior to 2013, though, it was Coke products that were consumed alongside chicken bakes and hot dogs.

Rumors have been circulating for months that Costco may switch to Coke in the food court, drawing support from customers online. One Reddit user warned it “better not be a December fools prank” while another said the then-rumor made their “whole day.”

When Costco swapped Coke for Pepsi, it was a move to help keep its beloved hot dog at $1.50.

The combo has been available for $1.50 since the mid-1980s. But, comments by the company’s former CFO, Richard Galanti, caused uncertainty about the item’s future.

For now, at least, the combo’s beloved price tag is set to remain — you’ll just have a different selection of soda to pair with the quarter-pound all-beef hot dog.

Five candidates qualified so far for a Special Election to the Floyd County Commission, according to WRGA.

During the first day of qualifying on Monday Shonna Vailey, Chip Hood, Tona Shepard, David Thornton, and Corey Townsend all signed up to run.

Qualifying continues Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Floyd County Elections Center on East 12th Street.

The fee is $216.

The election to fill the unexpired term of Larry Maxey is March 18.

Under the Gold Dome Today

8:00 AM HOUSE MOTOR VEHICLES 606 CLOB

8:30 AM HOUSE Approp Sub Trans 415 CLOB

10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD7) House Chamber

10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 7) Senate Chamber

1:00 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY CIVIL 132 CAP

1:00 PM HOUSE Approp Sub Education 506 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE PUBLIC & COMM HEALTH 606 CLOB

2:00 PM JOINT RETIREMENT 406 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE Approp Sub Human Res. 506 CLOB

3:00 PM HOUSE ENERGY, Util & Tcom 406 CLOB

3:00 PM HOUSE Approp Sub Health 415 CLOB

3:30 PM Joint Senate Finance / House Ways & Means 341 CAP

Governor Brian Kemp continues working on Tort Reform, according to WJBF.

Governor Kemp says he wants lawmakers to update Georgia’s laws. He says they hurt small business owners, drive up insurance costs and stop the creation of new jobs.

Tort reform could change how lawsuits could be filed and how the state would add caps for damages to plaintiffs.

“One of those key pieces of legislation is when we look at the judicial system and we make adjustments to the tort laws in Georgia and how to balance the scale in that area. We have seen a runway jury verdicts in Georgia to continue to maintain to operate in the state” said Senate Majority Leader, Steve Gooch.

Some lawmakers who oppose tort reform claim it could hurt families who have lost loved ones in accidents at work and that there needs to be a solution that protects employees, not just business owners.

Legislation on transgender rights will likely affect the 2026 Republican Gubernatorial Primary, according to the AJC.

Georgia Senate Republicans are opening a new front in their battle over transgender rights. And this time, they’re targeting a legal settlement that allows Georgia employees to get transgender-related health care through the State Health Benefit Plan.
But it also has roots in the brewing GOP race for governor between Attorney General Chris Carr, who announced his campaign in November, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to join the race within months.

A proposal to be introduced today by Republican state Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia and backed by Jones would block the state health insurance plan from covering hormone therapy and surgical procedures for transgender employees seeking treatment for their transition.

State-owned or operated health care facilities, as well as state-employed health care providers, would also be barred from providing gender-affirming care. The measure includes exceptions for certain medical conditions.

It stems from a 2023 settlement of a lawsuit filed by several transgender state employees who were denied coverage for treatment they were prescribed for their transitions. The state agreed to cover gender dysphoria treatments and pay $365,000 in legal fees.

That settlement was handled by staffers working for Carr, who is headed toward a 2026 showdown against Jones. The legislation dings Carr for his office’s role in the litigation, saying the deal was reached with his “guidance.”

Carr’s camp suggests it’s more nuanced than that. His spokeswoman Kara Murray said it was up to the state agency, not his office, to decide whether to settle the case.

“Just over a year ago, the Law Department informed the Senate that the law was bad and needed to be changed,” she said. “If proposed legislation fixes the bad law, that would be very good for Georgia, and we would support it.”

It’s part of a spate of transgender-related measures. Georgia adopted a law in 2023 limiting certain medical treatments to transgender minors. And lawmakers will soon debate a bill that blocks transgender girls from competing in women’s high school and college sports.

State Senator Colton Moore (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) plans to attend the State of the Judiciary address in the House Chamber today, according to the AJC.

State Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, will return to the Georgia House chamber today for the first time since he defied House Speaker Jon Burns’ order to keep out and was hauled off in handcuffs.

There likely won’t be that kind of drama when Moore and his Senate colleagues enter the House chamber today for a joint session to hear Georgia Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs deliver his State of the Judiciary speech.

House Speaker Jon Burns backed off the ban earlier this month and told the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman that “we’ll welcome the Senate to the floor to hear the State of the Judiciary.”

The Columbia County Republican Party is promoting a “Patriots for Colton” event asking people to escort Moore as he walks across the Capitol to the House chamber — a rally sure to provide plenty of footage for their feeds.

“Bring your camera, phone, signs,” the Columbia Republican Party posted in a flier on X.

Moore has used his social media account in recent days to relentlessly attack Burns, which Butns has so far ignored. He deviated from that approach briefly late Monday with a post telling his supporters to stay out of trouble today.

“We ask that everyone assemble peacefully and respectfully to witness the Joint Session,” he said.

Congratulations to my friend, Joseph Brannan, who will serve as District Director for Congressman Brian Jack (R-Trump Land), according to the AJC.

The people of Georgia’s Third District will be served well and faithfully by Joseph.

Three Georgia State Representatives filed House Bill 62, the “Georgia HOA Accountability and Community Empowerment Act,” according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

Georgia State Reps. Sandra Scott, D-Rex, Viola Davis, D-Stone Mountain, and Kim Schofield, D-Atlanta, filed House Bill 62, which they believe will create accountability for the associations.

“We’ve been having a lot of problems with these homeowners associations,” said Scott, who filed the legislation. “We’ve been getting a lot of calls about them.”

The general assembly has talked about HOAs for three years, she said. So when she ran into South Fulton Councilwoman Linda Becquer-Pritchett, who had an idea for legislation, Scott was intrigued.

Among other things, HB 62, the Georgia HOA Accountability and Community Empowerment Act, defines exactly who can vote in HOA elections and what a quorum is for the meetings.

It also names the Secretary of State’s office to oversee the associations including, certifying election results, investigating complaints and imposing penalties for violations.

The legislation limits the number of votes in an election to one per unit regardless of how many people live in the residence. It requires there be at least three members on an HOA board and mandates that anyone serving on the board needs to own and live in their unit.

The bill also lays out the way in which a community member can contest an election and requires that associations scan each ballot and maintain those scans for one year following the election of board members.

The legislation is a way to guarantee that residents have the opportunity to be heard and to hold board members accountable, Scott said. People are losing their homes because of HOA fees, she said.

“If I pay my mortgage and I pay my taxes, I shouldn’t lose my house for HOA fees,” Scott said.

Two hundred service members from Fort Stewart will deploy to the U.S. Southern border, according to the AJC.

About 200 soldiers from Fort Stewart near Savannah have deployed to the U.S.-Mexican border as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

The troops, according to the military, will “support enhanced detection and monitoring efforts” and help set up and repair physical barriers. They will operate under U.S. Northern Command and Joint Task Force North, which are working with federal immigration authorities.

The military announced their deployment Monday afternoon, though the soldiers left for their mission Sunday. The announcement says the length of their deployment is unknown but they “will carry out their missions until relieved.”

They are among about 1,500 active-duty personnel from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps who are deploying to the southern border to augment the roughly 2,500 service members already there.

In announcing the initial troop deployments last week, then-Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said Trump directed him “to take all appropriate action to support the activities of the secretary of homeland security in obtaining complete operational control of the southern border of the United States.”

The prosecution of former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson continues today with jury selection, according to The Brunswick News.

Lawyers will begin selecting 12 jurors and three alternates today in the trial of former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson.

Johnson is charged with obstruction of justice and violation of her oath of office.

After the qualification of 36 potential jurors, Senior Superior Court Judge John R. Turner instructed prosecutors and defense lawyers to be prepared to start making their strikes Tuesday. Before questioning the final panels of jurors, Turner told the lawyers that once the trial jury is selected he would give them time to refine their opening statements, which could be delivered in the afternoon.

John Fowler is prosecuting the case for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Carr’s office took over the case after two neighboring district attorneys bowed out following Johnson’s recusal.

From the AJC:

Opening arguments in the high-profile trial are expected to begin Tuesday after attorneys select 12 jurors and two alternates from a panel of 36 Glynn County residents qualified to serve on the case. The trial is expected to last about two weeks but could take a little longer, Senior Judge John R. Turner said.

Even members of Johnson’s defense team have acknowledged in court that what happened to Arbery was “a despicable act.” But they maintain their client is innocent of the charges brought by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office.

The Georgia State Board of Education adopted new rules requiring school district to consult with local law enforcement or emergency management agencies on building design, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Under an amended rule the state board approved, local boards of education must consult with their municipal or county law enforcement officials or with emergency management agencies when designing new facilities to house public school students.

“The safety of our students is our highest priority,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said Friday. “By setting the expectation that all local school systems collaborate with law enforcement and emergency management professionals, we are taking an essential step toward ensuring that our schools are designed with safety in mind from the ground up.”

The amended rule is expected to allow local school systems to incorporate such security measures as secure entry points, effective surveillance systems, and safe school evacuation routes.

Gov. Brian Kemp is asking the General Assembly to provide an additional $50 million in state grants to improve security in Georgia schools. The added funding would bring the total for the current fiscal year to $158 million.

Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon will run for Congress against Republican incumbent Andrew Clyde (R-Jackson County), according to the AJC.

Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon launched a primary challenge on Tuesday against Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus who has sometimes broken ranks with his own party.

Couvillon entered the 2026 race with an announcement that emphasized his conservative record as the top elected official in Gainesville and his results-driven approach. It made no mention of Clyde, the third-term incumbent.

“While most politicians are more concerned with making a point than getting things done,” Couvillon said, “I’ll be ready on Day One to support President Trump’s agenda, secure our southern border, tackle inflation and the rising cost of living, and stand with our farmers and small businesses.”

Clyde has easily swept aside Democratic opposition in the deep-red district, which Trump carried with roughly two-thirds of the vote. But he hasn’t faced a formidable Republican challenger since his 2020 election.

The longtime owner of an Athens gun store, Clyde won his party’s nomination over eight rivals in that race with a pledge to expand Second Amendment rights and rein in federal spending.

Since his victory, Clyde has aligned himself firmly with Trump and was an early supporter of his comeback bid. He has also largely backed GOP-led initiatives in the House.

Georgia’s United States Senators both criticized President Trump’s pardons of alleeged January 6th offenders, according to WALB.

Georgia’s U.S. senators on Monday along with 45 colleagues introduced a new resolution condemning the pardons of people who were found guilty of assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officers.

The resolution follows President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon more than 1,500 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and to commute the sentences of 14 others.

“Pardoning violent criminals who carried out this unabashed and unembarrassed assault on our democracy is not only an immense injustice but blatant disrespect to the courageous law enforcement officers who protected our Capitol and fought to preserve our republic that day,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

Fellow Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said: “I condemn in the strongest terms President Trump’s disgraceful pardon of more than 1,000 criminals, many of them violent, who overran the U.S. Capitol, desecrated the seat of our democracy, and assaulted law enforcement in their failed attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.”

Georgia Governor Democrat Stacey Abrams helped provide new heaters for residents of De Soto, Georgia (Sumter County), according to the Albany Herald.

This small, rural city encompasses about 510 acres, has a population of about 130 and a house count of about 116.

As of Friday night, about 75% of these homes were outfitted with brand new, energy-efficient appliances that cost residents nothing.

This was all thanks to a project called “Vitalizing DeSoto,” an initiative from Rewiring America, a nonprofit that promotes the widespread adoption of electric appliances and technologies in homes across the U.S. This work in DeSoto was championed by Georgia politician Stacey Abrams.

Abrams said choosing a town with DeSoto’s demographics was intentional.

“It was important to me in the theme of picking communities across the country to look at areas that would be the most overlooked … when it comes to issues of climate action and electrification,” she said.

By upgrading DeSoto residents’ appliances, not only did Rewiring America make a more energy-efficient community with decreased utility costs, but they also provided modern, working appliances to many homes that had gone so long without.

Much of Rewiring America’s funding comes from federal initiatives like the IRA, which includes programs specifically designed to support home electrification. The nonprofit leverages existing tax credits and rebates through these government programs to cover the costs of demonstration projects. It also can receive donations and grants as a nonprofit.

Georgia is one of the states that accepted these federal dollars through the state rebate program. Abrams said she hopes that the DeSoto demonstration becomes proof that encourages other areas in the state and country to utilize these funds.

“This is an opportunity for real people to see direct benefit and to save money,” Abrams said. “When you are a community that’s struggling over every dollar, having your power bill cut in half can be life-altering. It is my hope that we recognize that irrespective of any political ideology, the cost to our communities to not have access is too great, and we should do our best to make certain they can take advantage of what’s possible.”

In all seriousness, kudos to Ms. Abrams.

Savannah and Chatham County will opt out of the House Bill 581 homestead exemption, according to WSAV.

The City of Savannah is publicly rejecting the state’s homestead exemption proposal also known as House Bill 581.

The reason being is Savannah and Chatham County homeowners are taxed under the Stephens-Day model, and they said it is better than the state’s proposal.

“The new house bill will lock you into a 2024 tax assessment, so if you’ve had yours locked in for more than a few years, you’d probably want to stay with for a few reasons,” said Savannah realtor Sean Williams of Keller Williams Realty. “It’s going to be a lot cheaper because you’ve already been locked in for a while, and it also locks in your city taxes not just your county taxes.”

Williams says that way, your city and county taxes will not increase as much as they could under the state’s model.

Savannah city leaders, including Mayor Van Johnson and Aldermen, are holding a public forum Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. to hear from homeowners and to explain their position.

The city and county have unofficially decided together they will reject the state’s exemption.

There will be an official decision made over the course of three public forums, the first being held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the board of education room at the Eli Whitney Administrative Complex.

From WTOC:

“Chatham County and the City of Savannah has a homestead exemption already, it has been in place since 1999,” said Jay Melder, Savannah’s city manager.

For about 25 years, Savannah’s version has been called the Stephens-Day Exemption.

“HB 581 and Stephens-Day that we already have… are exactly the same for Savannah taxpayers,” said Melder.

The city wants to stick with Stephens-Day for two main reasons. The first being that locals are used to it.

“Stephens-Day has been a local bill from the state since 1999, we know exactly what it is, we know exactly the benefit that it provides, and a lot of our residents have already taken advantage of that homestead exemption,” said Melder.

The second reason being that Melder says it could actually help you save more money.

“For certain taxes that the county charges, that rate is frozen at your home purchase price, and can never go up,” said Melder. “It doesn’t matter what inflation does, and that’s really really good for the property taxpayer.”

Colquitt County and Colquitt County public schools decided against opting-out of the HB581 Homestead Exemption, according to the Moultrie Observer.

“In response to the voters passing House Bill 581, the Colquitt County Board of Education has decided not to opt out. The Board will closely monitor the effect on the annual millage rate and be prepared for future adjustments,” the Colquitt County School Board said in a statement.

During a January work session of the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners, County Administrator Chas Cannon explained, in detail, the piece of legislation, and it was the general consensus of the board to stay in.

Also, the commission will look at the possibility of asking voters to adopt a Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST), in November, which would add a penny to the current sales tax.

“The HB 581, which passed last year by a pretty large margin locally allows, in addition to a cap on homestead exemptions or homestead values, it also allows for FLOST,” said Cannon when opening discussion on the legislation at the meeting.

According to a Georgia Municipal Association and Association County Commissioners of Georgia fact sheet, HB 581 primarily does three things. It provides for some procedural changes to property tax assessments and appeals. It provides for a new statewide homestead exemption that applies to local governments, unless they affirmatively opt out. Then, it creates a new local option sales tax that is used for property tax relief.

“This FLOST would, basically, have to be a one for one swap with sales tax to offset your property tax in your general fund,” Cannon said. “So, essentially, it’s a shift of the tax burden from parcels to consumers.”

He added that it could be done like any other SPLOST or TSPLOST, “You have to have a local referendum, meet with all your cities. It’s limited to five years.”

He also told the commissioners that it allowed them to offset property tax, in the county, with sales tax.

Also according to the fact sheet, if a school board opts out, counties and municipalities can still levy the FLOST. School systems currently cannot receive a share of the FLOST, as they cannot receive revenue from sales tax, except from the ESPLOST and ELOST.

Cannon replied, “To opt out, you have to take an action. To stay in, you don’t take any action. You can opt out up to March 1 but you have to have three hearings, just like a millage rate increase.”

Then, Commissioner Marc DeMott said, “I really thought it was going to be negative … but I’ve been talking with several people around about it and they really like the idea … because it (FLOST) has to go directly to the property taxes.”

“I haven’t heard of any of our cities … I think that this gives us time to kind of educate the cities a little bit,” said Cannon.

The same fact sheet from the two Georgia entities states that, “If a city that imposes a property tax opts out, then the county and all cities within the county will be ineligible for the FLOST.” It goes on to clarify that if even one city that levies a property tax opts out, the FLOST is not permitted.

“My biggest concern is that opting out will deny every property owner in Colquitt County a considerable property tax reduction with the new FLOST,” Cannon said in response to an email from The Observer. “The law is currently written so that each individual local government has the choice to opt out on the homestead exemption, but if they do, it prevents the County and all the other cities in the County from participating in the property tax offset. By doing so, we could miss out on a county-wide property tax reduction and the county citizens who live within cities would also miss out on a city-wide property tax reduction.”

Tift county and its municipalities will meet and likely discuss whether to opt out of the HB581 homestead exemption, according to the Tifton Gazette.

The Tift County Board of Commissioners, City Councils of Ty Ty, Omega, and Tifton, and the respective mayors of those cities plan to convene Jan. 30 to deliberate upon their next course of action regarding the house bill and its policies.

Local governments have also been offered the opportunity to opt out of the exemption through the bill’s policies, thereby retaining their normal tax values. It is expected the city and county’s governing bodies will discuss whether or not to opt out of this program during the upcoming meeting. The joint meeting will take place this Thursday at 6 p.m. in the County Public Safety Building, located at 316 W 2nd St.

Augusta-Richmond County will hold public meetings about opting out, according to WRDW.

The Augusta-Richmond County government has scheduled three public hearings on the homestead exemption law that could impact your property taxes.

Both the county government and the board of education have to each hold three meetings to decide whether they will opt in or out of the cap on property tax increases enacted under the new Georgia law.

The Richmond County Board of Education is also considering whether to opt out, according to WRDW.

Floyd County Board of Education members decided against opting-out of HB581, according to WRGA.

The Floyd County Board of Education on Monday announced that it will not opt out of HB 581, allowing county residents to take advantage of the homestead tax break on school taxes.

“We greatly appreciate the public feedback and took all that into consideration before making this decision,” Floyd County BOE Chair Danny Waits said Monday.

The county school board had a third public hearing planned for Wednesday but canceled that hearing.

Rome and Floyd County voters later this year will have the option to vote on an extra 1-cent added to the sales tax, which would help defray property taxes across the board.

All of the funds collected through that extra cent would be directly applied to city and county property taxes.

However, the city and county will need to come up with an agreement on how the funds collected from that extra cent would be distributed. That process would be similar to the current local option sales tax agreement between the city, county and Cave Spring. However, it does not have to be the same distribution factor.

The local option sales tax agreement is a tax revenue sharing agreement that must be renewed every 10 years. Under the most recent agreement, Rome’s percentage increased from 41.7% to 45.2% and Floyd County’s went from 56.5% to 53%. Cave Spring’s share stayed the same at 1.8% of the proceeds.

Glynn County Commissioners held a retreat to discuss issues, according to The Brunswick News.

The meeting was held at Sea Palms to discuss a myriad of issues including the results of a citizen survey, roads, jobs, quality of life and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax projects, among others.

County Commissioner Wayne Neal said the county is seeking a contractor to build a $12 million juvenile justice center in budget. It’s a problem Neal said the county has had on other projects, too.

“We have the money,” Neal said. “The problem is people come back and ask for more money. I thought we had done a lot to avoid project creep. It’s very frustrating.”

Commissioner Bob Duncan said smaller lots are needed for workforce housing. Teachers, law enforcement and other municipal employees would be among those who could qualify for workforce housing.

“The big key is reducing infrastructure costs by giving higher density projects,” he said.

Bulloch County Commissioners will consider adding more time for citizen comments, according to the Statesboro Herald.

One scheduled topic for discussion will be whether the commissioners should allow public comments on specific agenda items before voting.

This topic appears in the “new business” portion of the agenda. It was “new business” items in particular that new Commissioner Nick Newkirk, District 2, Seat C, wanted people in the audience to be able to comment on when he broached the topic during the Jan. 7 meeting.

“I would like to be able to put some public comments before the new business, if that’s doable, and also we need to figure out if that’s possible to do that at every meeting, so the public can comment on new business before we take a vote on it,” Newkirk said.

Currently, when the commissioners hold required public hearings for specific actions, such as zoning decisions, a certain amount of time is allotted to hear from citizens in favor of and opposed to the requested change.

Otherwise, “public comments” time is usually the last or next-to-last thing on the agenda for the commissioners’ two regular meetings each month. But this comes after any voting matters in the “old business,” “consent agenda,” and “new business” segments.

That’s something Newkirk and some other challenger candidates for commission seats in the 2024 elections noticed and talked about during their campaigns.

However, the order of business for regular meetings is outlined in the Bulloch County Code of Ordinances.

“The ordinance basically says that public comments will be at the end of the agenda,” County Attorney Jeff Akins pointed out during the Jan. 7 meeting. “It also allows the board by majority vote to allow public comments on an individual item on the agenda.”

The key ordinance subsection currently states: “Public comments. The final agenda item of the meeting shall be reserved for comments from the public. All members of the public who wish to address the board must submit their name and the topic of their comments to the county manager at least three business days before the board meeting.

“These individuals will be allotted five minutes to make their comments and their comments must be limited to their chosen topic. These limits can be waived by a majority vote of the board.”

Another subsection states: “Public participation on agenda items. “By a majority vote, the board may allow public comment on an agenda item at the time the item is being considered by the board. These comments must be limited to the subject that is being debated. Members of the public may speak for five minutes and may only speak once. These limits can be waived by a majority vote of the board. …”

Beth Antonakos was appointed Lincoln County Commissioner for District 2 to fill a vacancy, according to WRDW.

Chief Judge Thomas B. Hammond has appointed Beth Antonakos to fill the remaining two years of [the late Commissioner Larry] Collins’[s] term as the District 2 member of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, Chairman Walker T. Norman announced Monday.

Collins died Jan. 17.

He served as commissioner of District 2 from 1997 until 2010 and was re-elected in 2014, 2018, and 2022 for additional four-year terms.

The Georgia Ports Authority held a ribbon cutting for a new facility, according to The Brunswick News.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s newest auto processing facility on Colonel’s Island will serve as a regional hub for the Norway-based shipping company.

“This is a world-class facility and I am very impressed by what we have managed to achieve together with our partner Georgia Ports Authority,” Wallenius Wilhelmsen President and CEO Lasse Kristoffersen said.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen is one of the largest roll-on/roll-off shipping companies in the world, GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said.

He thanked the company at the ribbon cutting for committing to the Port of Brunswick and noted that the expansion will be an “economic development engine” for Glynn County, as well as the state and region.

“One of the most critical plays in football is the handoff,” Lynch said, holding a football on stage as a metaphor. “We’re making the handoff today to you on this special day and wish you and your customers success in the years ahead.”

Wallenius Wilhelmsen employs 518 people in Georgia and 3,713 in the US. Its strategic vision for Brunswick is to consolidate the company’s South Atlantic operations, creating a hub to foster continued growth in the region, the company said.

The Brunswick terminal will be able to accommodate all the vessels in the Wallenius Wilhelmsen fleet, including the Shaper class vessels and the Tirranna wind-propulsion vessel. The new cargo handling equipment will also be sustainable, like EV trucks and forklifts.

Currently, there are 29 chargers on the terminal for yard vehicles, shuttle vans and trucks. The plan is to improve several of the level 2 chargers to level 3. Forty-two EV forklifts are on order to replace aging and diesel forklifts, among other equipment.

The Port of Savannah took delivery of four new cranes, according to WTOC.

This now means that the port has eight of these cranes.

Once the construction of these cranes is complete, the port will be able to work on two cargo ships at once.

This construction is expected to be complete in 2028.

“We want our ocean carrier customers to see us as the port they can bring their ships and make up valuable time in their sailing schedule using our big ship berths. Our crane productivity and 24-hour rail transit to inland markets is industry-leading,” added Susan Gardner, Vice President of Operations at Georgia Ports.

This will then allow the port to work with the largest cargo ships that travel up and down the East Coast.