Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for August 28, 2026

General Robert E. Lee’s Confederates met General John Pope’s federal forces at the Second Battle of Manassas on August 29, 1862.

Union General William T. Sherman’s forces tore up 12 miles of railroad between Red Oak and Fairburn on August 29, 1864.

On August 30, 1888, Asa Griggs Candler bought one-third interest in the Coca-Cola company, bringing his total ownership to more than two-thirds of the company.

Georgia native Ty Cobb debuted with the Detroit Tigers on August 30, 1905.

August 28, 1929 saw Governor Lamartine Hardman sign a Constitutional Amendment authorizing the levy of a state income tax.

The United States Air Force Academy moved to its permanent home in Colorado Springs on August 29, 1958.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the “I Have a Dream Speech” on the Mall in Washington, DC.

The Beatles played their final concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.

On August 29, 1971, Hank Aaron broke the National League record for most seasons with 100 or more RBI, as he drove in his 100th run to make 11 seasons hitting that mark.

An obscure college professor named Newt Gingrich began his political career on August 28, 1974, as he kicked off his first campaign against Congressman Jack Flynt.

On August 29, 1977, Lou Brock stole his 893d base, to surpass the record set by Georgia-born Ty Cobb.

On August 30, 1979, President Jimmy Carter reported being attacked by a rabbit near Plains, Georgia. Here’s an interview in which President Carter was asked about the rabbit incident.

Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell was indicted on August 30, 2004 on racketeering, bribery and wire fraud charges and would later plead guilty to tax evasion.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp appointed two new Gwinnett County Superior Court Judges, according to AccessNorthGA.

Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed Veronica H. Cope and Kathrine M. Armstrong to the Superior Court of the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit.

A press release from Kemp’s office said Cope will fill the seat left vacant by the death of Superior Court Judge Deborah Fluker. Armstrong’s appointment is tied to changes made under House Bill 1215, which became law as Act 450 in 2026.

Cope has served as a judge on the Gwinnett County State Court since being elected in 2020. Before taking the bench, she practiced law for nearly 20 years, handling commercial litigation, insurance defense, felony criminal cases and juvenile matters.

She previously served as president of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers and has been involved with several legal and civic organizations in Gwinnett County. She has received the Nikki T. Randall Servant Leader Award and the Kathleen Kessler Award from the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.

Cope earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with distinction. She received her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. She lives in Gwinnett County and has three sons.

Armstrong has served as chief judge of Gwinnett County Recorder’s Court since 2019. A lifelong Gwinnett County resident, she began her legal career in the Gwinnett County Solicitor-General’s Office before moving into private practice, where she focused on family and criminal law.

Armstrong is the daughter of the late Mark E. Layng, who served as a Gwinnett County magistrate judge, and the granddaughter of the late John C. Layng, a former Superior Court judge in Northern Illinois.

She earned degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia and her law degree from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. She attended law school while working full-time as a legal assistant in the Solicitor-General’s Office. Armstrong is also a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett’s Class of 2022. Armstrong and her husband, Greg, have two children.

Meta will further limit teens’ access to social media accounts and pay more than $17 billion dollars to settle a lawsuit, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Tifton Gazette.

An agreement to resolve a federal lawsuit brought by Georgia and other states and U.S. jurisdictions would require Meta to impose new limits on teen accounts on its social media platforms while also giving parents the option for more control.

The operator of Facebook and Instagram also agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to the plaintiffs as part of the settlement proposal filed Wednesday in federal district court in California.

The proceeds would be shared among 47 states, Washington, D.C. and several U.S. territories, with Georgia to receive between $100 million and $135 million, state Attorney General Chris Carr’s office said.

Carr called it a landmark agreement, suggesting in a statement that there could be future cases, “and while Meta is the first to come to the table, they shouldn’t be the last. It shouldn’t take lawsuits, legislation or investigations to do the right thing.”

The lawsuit grew from a bipartisan, nationwide investigation that alleged Meta had designed Instagram to addict children despite the resulting mental health harms the company documented but did not publicly disclose, Carr’s office said.

The settlement also would resolve claims against Meta for sharing nonpublic information about Facebook users with Cambridge Analytica and others ahead of the 2016 election.

The leader of Fairplay, a Boston-based organization that has pressured state and federal lawmakers to act, heralded the settlement as a “watershed moment” protecting children from “addictive and dangerously designed social media.”

Still, Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin said the court agreement did not exact enough concessions from Meta.

“We are disappointed that the settlement does not turn off by default recommendation algorithms that connect kids to predators and send young people down dangerous rabbit holes,” Golin said in a statement. “In general, the settlement is too focused on offering parents tools rather than restricting harmful features.”

The agreement calls on Meta to limit teen access to its platforms to two hours per day with access restricted from midnight to 6 a.m. and to restrict notifications during school hours. It also would limit features linked to eroding mental health, such as plastic surgery filters and “like” counts.

Meta already bans accounts for those under 13. The settlement would require the company to implement better processes to identify users that young and delete their accounts.

The agreement also would require that Meta encourage parents of teens ages 13 to 17 to take supervisory control over their children’s accounts.

Parents who take that step would be notified if their child communicates with another adult on the platform or engages in repeated searches for terms related to suicide, self-harm or eating disorders.

Meta would also have to give teens a “reasonably accessible” option to turn off algorithmic feeds, something parents could also control if their child’s account was enrolled in parental supervision. The account would then be restricted to content from accounts the teen follows, in chronological order.

Child-protection advocates were disappointed that those features required parents to opt in.

“If it’s not a default, it doesn’t get picked up,” said Sharon Winkler. “That’s pretty weak.”

Winkler has testified before the Georgia General Assembly about the risks of unbridled child access to social media.

Her son, Alex Peiser, died by suicide at age 17 in 2014, and she blames the Instagram algorithm that she said sent him dark memes, such as images of corpses, after he broke up with his girlfriend.

“He didn’t want to see pro-suicide stuff,” she said. “He wanted breakup songs” and support.

Winkler was also disappointed that the protections against child-adult interactions were optional rather than automatic.

“Good start but much more work to go,” she said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the settlement funds could pay for a variety of services, including crisis intervention, after-school or summer programs, youth mental health programming, outdoor activities, and investigations and litigation to improve teen safety on social media.

A spokeswoman for Carr’s office said Georgia’s proceeds would go into the state treasury.

Foreclosure rates are rising in Southwest Georgia, according to the Albany Herald.

An Albany Herald analysis of foreclosure-sale advertisements across 39 southwest Georgia counties identified 604 advertisements from January through June 2026, compared with 395 during the same six months of 2025 — an increase of 52.9%.

That increase almost exactly mirrors a statewide trend independently identified by ATTOM, a national real estate data company.

ATTOM reported 8,433 Georgia properties with foreclosure filings during the first half of 2026, up 52.4% from the same period last year. That was the third-largest year-over-year percentage increase among states with at least 500 filings.

Georgia also had the nation’s 11th-highest foreclosure rate during the first half of the year, with 0.19% of the state’s housing units — about one in every 539 — receiving a foreclosure filing.

The two datasets measure different things. ATTOM counts properties receiving default notices, scheduled-auction notices or bank repossessions and attempts to count each property once. The Herald analysis tracks residential notices advertising properties for foreclosure sale under Georgia’s nonjudicial foreclosure process.

But the nearly identical year-over-year increases provide independent evidence that what is happening in southwest Georgia is part of a broader statewide shift.

ATTOM reported 4,549 Georgia properties with some type of foreclosure filing during the first quarter, up 77.8% from the first quarter of 2025. Foreclosure proceedings were started on 4,356 properties.

By June, 1,328 Georgia properties received foreclosure filings, equivalent to one in every 3,420 housing units.

The most dramatic increase among the Albany area’s two largest housing markets was in Dougherty County.

The Herald analysis identified 94 unique residential properties advertised for foreclosure from January through August, compared with 50 during the same period last year and 44 in 2024.

Tariffs on Canadian goods may cause issues for South Georgia, according to WRDW.

A Georgia cattle farmer and local economists are warning that retaliatory tariffs will ultimately hurt consumers’ wallets, driving up the cost of everyday goods from fuel to food.

As trade negotiations continue, supporters and critics are divided over whether the long-term impact will help or devastate American businesses.

“Everything, whether it’s tariffs or whatever they do, it’s going to end up back on the consumer,” said Scott Craig, a cattle farmer at Family Roots Farm.

Craig said rising costs for fertilizer, fuel and equipment are already squeezing his bottom line, leaving him with few options but to pass those expenses along.

Georgia is facing pressure as Canada targets state exports, including steel, lumber and pecans, in its retaliatory tariffs.

“I haven’t seen a business in Georgia say, ‘These tariffs have been awesome for me,’” said Tom Smith, an economist at Emory University.

Smith warned that the potential impact on local businesses could be catastrophic, potentially forcing some out of business because northern buyers may stop purchasing their products. He added that business owners watching this unfold in real time are left feeling overlooked.

“That person is going to be freaking out saying, ‘Why doesn’t anybody care about me?’” Smith said.

The Trump administration maintains that the trade measures will ultimately serve American agricultural interests.

“I think this is going to be very positive for the American farmers,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Last year, Georgia exported a record $60.3 billion in goods, with Canada accounting for $6.8 billion—roughly 11% of the state’s total exports.

Despite the shifting landscape, some business leaders remain optimistic about the state’s ability to adapt.

“Georgia businesses have remained resilient and nimble through evolving trade negotiations,” said Daniela Perry of the Georgia Chamber Foundation.

But back on the farm, Craig said consumers are already feeling the pinch directly where it hurts most.

“They also have to see their food bill going up every week they go to the grocery store,” Craig said.

Higher gas prices since the U.S. attacks on Iran have cost Georgians $1.4 billion dollars, according to the AJC.

Georgians have spent an extra $1.4 billion on gasoline since the start of the Iran war in late February, putting additional financial pressure on households and businesses, according to an analysis from Brown University.

Higher gas prices have contributed to persistent inflation, strained some household budgets and made it more costly to do business.

“For me, it’s another thing that should not be as expensive as it is,” Decatur resident John Mead said at a gas pump Thursday near the former North DeKalb Mall. “When you add it all up, you’re like, ‘Where’s all my money?’ Between healthcare, gas, food, it costs a lot to live.”

In metro Atlanta, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.81 as of Thursday, according to AAA data. That’s up $1 per gallon since the war started.

On Thursday, the state Department of Agriculture announced it has adopted a recent federal fuel waiver to increase supply.

“As high fuel prices persist, we’re taking action to give Georgians a break at the gas pump,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, who is running for reelection in November, said in a news release. “By adopting this federal waiver, we’re able to increase the available supply of fuel, while maintaining strict quality standards and certifying pumps across the state to ensure Georgians get what they pay for.”

Larger companies also have reported rising fuel costs. Home Depot recently said it would use $730 million in tariff refunds it received from the federal government to largely offset “cost pressures related to fuel, energy and other product input costs,” according to a second-quarter conference call.

The Brown research focused on gasoline and household impacts. Diesel prices, meanwhile, have been disrupted not only by the Iran war but also Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries.

On Thursday, the average price for a gallon of diesel in metro Atlanta was nearly $5.47, pennies away from the highest-ever recorded price in June 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. On an inflation-adjusted basis, however, the price in today’s dollars would have to be about $6.25 a gallon for diesel to eclipse the prices of four years ago.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Larry Walker (R-Perry) said legislators should be thinking about Flock surveillance cameras, according to 13WMAZ.

As the debate over Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), such as Flock cameras, continues in Georgia Senator Larry Walker from Perry says lawmakers need to be prepared and informed before the next legislative session in January.

“We like to do things based on facts and data in the Georgia Senate and introduce legislation that is reasonable, responsible, and meaningful,” Walker said.

Walker drafted a letter to leaders of the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and the Association of Chiefs of Police this month. It calls for lawmakers, law enforcement, and the public to start having conversations about ALPRs and how the legislature should go about regulating them. He says he’s heard concerns surround the cameras from both constituents and law enforcement.

“I’ve talked to sheriffs in particular that have had some problems in their department and are concerned, they want to be able to continue to have this tool, but they want to be sure it’s used properly,” Walker said. “We want to have the actual facts. We want to talk to the relevant parties and do it the right way.”

Walker’s letter also includes some questions about ALPRs, like who should have access to camera data, and whether citizens have a say before local leaders decide to install cameras. Walker says he’s hoping to have some answers before the 2027 legislative session, when laws surrounding ALPRs may come to the floor.

Walker says he wants to support law enforcement, but he knows there are serious concerns about privacy. In Central Georgia and across the state, there have been over a dozen cases involving charges of Flock camera misuse by law enforcement.

“We’ve got to walk that balance between being responsible about people’s privacy and also keeping the community safe,” Walker said.
Walker isn’t the only one encouraging conversations about Flock.

Senator John Albers announced Tuesday lawmakers created a task force with law enforcement to take a closer look at the cameras and figure out how to regulate them before any legislation hits the Senate floor.

“We have to be smart and have a balanced approach,” Albers told 11Alive Tuesday. “We have to be smart and thoughtful. While there were issues and actions that happened that we do not like and were wrong, we also have to point out the positives.”

Meanwhile, Walker agrees that balance is best practice. As Georgia moves closer to the 2027 legislative session, he says both law enforcement and the public should have a chance to make their voices heard.

“I hope we’ll, like we generally do, reach a common-sense, balanced approach,” Walker said.

Any legislation regarding ALPRs would be introduced during the 2027 legislative session.

Georgia’s first “Baby Box” was installed, according to WRDW.

Parents in crisis will soon have a new way to safely surrender a newborn in Georgia.

Georgia’s first Safe Haven Baby Box will open Friday at Henry County Fire Station 6, 30 Fairview Road in Ellenwood.

The climate-controlled device allows a parent to anonymously surrender a newborn at any time. Once the exterior door is closed, it locks and alerts first responders.

“These are what we do, saving lives and we have the opportunity to save the life of our smallest ones,” Henry County Fire Chief Pat Wilson said.

The box became legal under House Bill 350, which took effect July 1. Wilson said the effort to legalize baby boxes began in Henry County, and the fire station’s location near major roads and interstates will make it accessible to parents in crisis.

“It’s all anonymous, they can come up to that door — once they open that door they place the baby inside the box, they close the door, that box is locked, the only way to access the child is from inside the building,” Wilson said.

Opening the exterior door triggers an alarm for firefighters and 911 dispatchers. Police are also notified, and dispatchers can monitor the inside of the box through a camera. The department’s goal is to reach a surrendered newborn within five minutes and take the child to a hospital for additional care.

“To ensure one, the baby is being cared for properly, get them to the hospital get them that additional care,” Wilson said.

Stockbridge resident Amie Anderson spent years advocating for the law, which was co-sponsored by state Sen. Brian Strickland. Wilson said that history makes Henry County a fitting location for Georgia’s first box.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the Indiana-based nonprofit behind the program, says 27 states have operating baby boxes. Georgia will join that group Friday. The organization, which works to prevent infant abandonment, has installed more than 400 boxes nationwide since 2016 and operates a 24/7 call and text hotline for parents seeking information about safely and legally surrendering an infant.

The Henry County box cost about $25,000. Wilson said Stockbridge Community Church paid for it and will cover monitoring costs for the next 10 years.

“They’re paying for the monitoring, everything for the next 10 years for this box, that is so incredible,” Wilson said.

Henry County hopes to install five baby boxes over the next two years.

“To step up and say we need to have this in our community as well, so we ensure the state of Georgia that every child is safe,” Wilson said.

Under Georgia law, parents may surrender newborns up to 30 days old at hospitals, police stations and fire stations without facing criminal charges.

A blessing ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday at Fire Station 6.

Colquitt County was able to lower property taxes because of the Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) passed by voters, according to the Moultrie Observer.

Colquitt County’s decrease in millage rate was attributed to the collection of FLOST over the last five months. This year’s millage rate is 6.717 for unincorporated areas and 9.518 for incorporated areas. In comparison, last year’s millage rate was 9.197 for unincorporated and 11.767 for incorporated.

When County Administrator Chas Cannon first presented the proposed property tax rates at a commission meeting earlier this month, he said, “You can see the impact of FLOST, there, on the incorporated, unincorporated. Pretty steep reduction. We expect that to go further next year.”

The Colquitt County Board of Commissioners adopted the millage rates at their Aug. 25 meeting, a day after the Colquitt County School Board adopted its rates.

The Colqiutt County Board of Education adopted its millage rate as 7.721 on Aug. 24. The City of Moultrie’s proposed millage rate is 6.071, and the council is expected to adopt it Sept. 15.

Former State Senator Tim Golden was elected Chair of the Georgia State Transportation Board, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The Georgia State Transportation Board elected its new executive leadership team at its monthly board meeting Aug. 20.

Dennis McEntire, representing Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District, was elected chair; Tim Golden, representing Georgia’s 8th Congressional District, was elected vice chair; and Cathy Williams, representing Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District, was elected secretary.

The new positions are effective immediately. Board elections are held annually to ensure all regions of the state are represented at the executive leadership level of the board.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Jackson) is financially mismatched in his Senate campaign against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, but GOP groups are stepping up, according to the AJC.

He had $2.1 million in cash on hand as of June 30, according to his most recent campaign finance filing. Ossoff had $42.6 million, and he possibly raked in millions more after his comments regarding a top aide to President Donald Trump went viral.

Put another way, Ossoff has raised more money this campaign cycle than any other federal candidate nationally, while Collins barely makes the top 50 among Senate candidates.

But help is on the way. The Senate Leadership Fund, a political committee controlled by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has committed to spending $44 million in Georgia in hopes of defeating Ossoff.

The Senate Leadership Fund will spend most of the money pledged to boost his campaign on TV and digital ads starting around Labor Day, although a portion will also be dedicated to polling and other voter outreach like mail.

A related advocacy group, One Nation, recently put out an ad accusing Ossoff of raising taxes on Georgians by voting against the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which contained a series of targeted tax breaks. That group has pledged $15 million, which will almost all be spent on attack ads.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party’s official campaign arm for Senate races, said it is taking advantage of a recent court ruling that allows political parties to coordinate more extensively with campaigns. A spokesperson for the group declined to share specifics about how that will play out in Georgia but said it is taking place.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned for Governor in Columbus, according to WTVM.

Bottoms held a “meet and greet” at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, where voters had a chance to hear her vision for the state of Georgia.

Bottoms said some of her main priorities are lowering healthcare and housing costs, expanding Medicaid and fully funding public schools.

“I want be the favorite Governor of everybody who wants better in this state and that begins with all of us. This election is not about perfection, but this election is about choices we have for us,” Bottoms said.

Bottoms is facing Republican Rick Jackson for Georgia’s top job. Jackson made a campaign stop in Columbus a couple of weeks ago. He said his top priorities are aggressive tax relief, cost of living affordability and cracking down on illegal immigration.

Both candidates are expected to make more stops in Columbus as the campaigning continues.

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen (R-Augusta) announced Community Office Hours for September, according to WRDW.

During the events, Allen’s staff will be available to assist constituents with issues involving FEMA, social security, veterans affairs, Medicare and other federal agencies.

Allen will not be in attendance, but his caseworkers will be on-site to meet individually with residents.

“If you need assistance dealing with a federal agency, our dedicated caseworkers stand ready to help you. Please visit my team during Community Office Hours in September or contact one of our district offices for more information,” said Allen said in a statement.

Columbia County says a deal with Google may lower property taxes over time, according to WRDW.

A deal between Google, the Columbia County Development Authority and the county itself for a $17 billion data center investment has been approved, county officials said.

Columbia County has approved a memorandum of understanding for the project, which officials say could eventually help eliminate a portion of homeowners’ property tax bills.

The Economic Development Authority of Columbia County approved the agreement, representing a commitment of at least $17 billion, one of the largest private investments in county history.

County Manager Scott Johnson said the county will receive $40 million a year from Google for seven years. The Development Authority will receive about $5 million a year.

“It gives us the opportunity to be able to fully fund the homestead tax relief grant. Should the voters approve that in November, we’ll be able to fully fund that grant,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the agreement allows property tax relief to begin in year one. The county expects the first check at the end of this year or early next year.

“We made certain promises to our taxpayers, and we let Google know in advance that they were gonna have to do certain things to be able to do business in Columbia County. And property tax relief was at the forefront of that. So we negotiated a deal that’s probably never been negotiated before,” Johnson said.

Johnson said this is the first deal like this he’s seen made between a data center company and a local government with this large of a fee structure. The project is set to be one of the largest of its kind in the country.

“I don’t know that anybody’s ever worked with their development authority as close as we did here in Columbia County to find a legal way to get those fees back in the hands of the taxpayers through property tax relief,” Johnson said.

County Commission Chairman Doug Duncan has said the county’s goal in attracting data centers is to eliminate its share of homestead property taxes. The County currently collects around $25 million a year in those taxes. The $40 million would go towards alleviating that.

Full relief won’t come to homeowners immediately. Voters will decide in November whether the money can be used to reduce their property taxes.

There is currently an $18,000 cap on tax relief each home can receive. The county is lobbying the state for a constitutional amendment to remove that cap.

“Changing Georgia’s constitution is extremely difficult to do. It requires a lot of heavy lifting. But again, if a county is sitting with millions of dollars in the bank that they want to give back to their constituents, I mean, why would our legislature or why would our voting public not approve that?” Johnson said.

Johnson said the state provides a $2,000 homestead credit, and the county added an $8,000 credit last year, bringing the total to $10,000. House Bill 439, if approved for Columbia County’s use in November, adds an $18,000 credit, for $28,000 total off a home’s assessed value. That constitutional amendment would eliminate that cap, allowing for full relief.

“I’d be extremely disappointed if the voters didn’t pass House Bill 439, because that’s exactly what they asked us to do: find a mechanism to be able to provide this tax relief. If they vote that down, we do not have a vehicle anymore. We can’t give the money back,” Johnson said.

Johnson said data center zoning in Columbia County makes up less than 3% of the county’s total landmass.

Johnson said the property taxes the data center will pay when it’s fully built will be substantial, estimating several billion dollars over 25 years. The county currently takes in $42 million in total property taxes.

Johnson mentioned raising salaries for firefighters, deputies and government employees, along with building and maintaining parks with the additional money. How that money will be used long-term hasn’t been determined.

Johnson also said the school system could do something similar to alleviate school board taxes in the County, lobbying for a bill and constitutional amendment on their own.

When News 12 asked the Columbia County Board of Education if they planned on pursuing this, they replied, “We greatly appreciate the support and collaboration of our local and state government leaders and delegates. We look forward to exploring future funding opportunities that could provide meaningful relief for taxpayers.”

The Development Authority also says it will invest the funds it receives from this deal back into the community for economic development.

County officials have said additional details on a comprehensive tax relief plan will be announced as the process continues.

If you’re trying to build a data center in Georgia, this is the way.

Savannah City Council voted to adopt a 155-day moratorium on new data centers, according to WSAV.

Savannah City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve a 155-day moratorium on large-scale data center developments in the city.

The moratorium puts a temporary pause on large data center projects, including plans to convert large warehouses or industrial buildings into data centers.

Mayor Van Johnson said the pause will give city leaders time to better understand what large-scale data centers could mean for Savannah.

“Before Savannah approves facilities of this scale, we have to fully understand what this means for our electrical grid, for our water sources, for our infrastructure capacity, our land use, what it means for our neighborhoods, and our taxpayers,” he said. “We need to fully understand how many permanent jobs actually create and what public resources they actually require and whether the economic benefits are worth it over long-term impacts.”

The 155-day moratorium gives city leaders time to review Savannah’s current zoning ordinances and determine whether changes are needed before more data center developments move forward.

From WTOC:

The decision comes as local leaders face growing pressure from technology companies looking to expand, as well as plans for data center construction in neighboring areas like Effingham County. Currently, there are 235 active data centers in Georgia, with more than 4,700 operating nationwide and another 750 planned.

The newly passed ordinance places a temporary ban on:

• Data center developments with an electrical capacity of 10 Megawatts or greater.
• Industrial buildings of 200,000 square feet or more being built or converted for data center use.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who discussed the potential moratorium during his weekly press conference earlier this week, reiterated his long-held stance that massive data centers do not belong inside Savannah’s city limits.

“We need to fully understand how many jobs one can create, what public resources are required and whether the economic benefits are worth the long-term impacts,” Mayor Johnson said.

While the moratorium temporarily protects the city from new projects, city leaders acknowledged that they will continue to face expansion pressure from the tech sector as they work to establish permanent guidelines.

Hall County Commissioners extended their moratorium on new data centers, according to AccessNorthGA.

District 3 Commissioner Gregg Poole started off by announcing they would be extending a moratorium on data centers and detention centers by another 180-days, putting it on the agenda after the public hearing.

The board voted 5-0.

The public hearing at the last voting meeting on Aug. 14 got heated, with many citizens feeling the ordinance on data centers did not go far enough, with some wanting an outright ban.

A similar 180-day moratorium was approved on Feb. 26 of this year. 181 days have lapsed since then.

That [new] moratorium will run until Feb. 23 of 2027.

Tybee Island City Council voted to amend their Short Term Vacation Rentals ordinance, according to WTOC.

The changes include dividing the island into sectors and placing caps on short-term rentals in specific areas to allow growth in some zones while protecting others.

Additionally, the updated ordinance requires properties to designate emergency contacts to address issues immediately or face a fine. It is a move that residents hope will help with enforcement and curb violations from property owners.

The new ordinance is set to take effect Jan. 1. City leaders said this will allow property owners and management companies time to comply.

Bibb County property owners may see higher tax bills, according to 13WMAZ.

Both Bibb County Commissioners and school leaders are considering maintain their millage rates, which could mean higher property taxes for some Bibb County homeowners.

The Bibb County School District is currently sitting at a millage rate of 14.674 mills, the same as last year. The Bibb County Commission is sitting at a rate of 9.575 mills, also the same as last year. With increased property values, the district would increase property taxes by 9.33% for the average homeowner. On the Commission side, the average homeowner would see a 9.28% increase.

That means a homeowner with a $200,000 property value could pay an additional $150 in property taxes next year.

For some homeowners, the potential increases are concerning. Faye Sanders has owned her home in Macon for 25 years.

“Everybody’s already struggling now as a whole,” Sanders said. “That’s taking away from your groceries, that’s taking away from your extra change, your gas that you got to use to get to work. So now look at transportation, how you gonna get your transportation because now you’re using your extra money to go towards that?”

On the school side, the district is facing a $15 million budget deficit. Board President Daryl Morton says about eight million of that deficit is state-mandated expenses, like literacy coaches and employee health insurance, which a tax increase could help eliminate.

On the county side, Mayor Lester Miller says the county is operating on a tight budget, and has made difficult cuts on their end. In the past, he says the county has been able to roll back their millage rate to keep up with rising home values. However, higher operating costs made that difficult this year.

“We’re not able to roll the millage rate back again, because we would have to cut services to do so,” Miller said.

Miller says the commission is prioritizing funding public services, especially public safety in the 2027 fiscal year.

In November, Bibb voters will have the chance to vote on homestead tax exemptions for seniors citizens 65 and older, which Miller is looking forward to offering for taxpayers.

But for now, Miller says they need to maintain the millage rate to continue providing services to Bibb.

“We can’t continue to pay our officers, and our public safety pay and meet all the obligations for citizens that they want for our streets and for our parks and whatever expenses we may have by not increasing the millage rate at all,” Miller said.

Hall County Commissioners voted to raise their property tax millage rate, according to AccessNorthGA.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners has approved the millage rate increase 14.12% higher than the rollback rate.

Heated discussions took place at the first public hearing on Aug. 14, with the rate for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 being proposed at 3.565 mills.

Hall County Director of Financial Services Taylor Samples has said that the increase did not show the full story, noting that decreases in special tax districts will make the overall millage rate go down.

The only increase will be seen by Gainesville property taxpayers.

Richmond County Board of Education lowered the property tax millage rate, according to WRDW.

Richmond County property owners won’t see a school tax rate increase this year, according to the Richmond County Board of Education.

The board says the school millage rate will drop slightly from 18.74 in the current budget year to 18.252 for the next one — a reduction of 0.488 mills.

Board leaders say they know many families are feeling financial pressure and wanted to avoid adding to the burden through higher school taxes.

“Our absolute highest priority is providing a top-quality education for every student in Richmond County while remaining fiercely protective of our community’s hard-earned money,” Board President Shawnda Stovall said in a statement.

She said the board is looking for ways to run the district more efficiently instead of raising the tax rate, and that they “hear” and “value” local taxpayers.

The board says it will continue to focus on:

• Keeping its finances transparent.
• Supporting students and schools responsibly.
• Acting as a careful steward of public funds.