Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for February 22, 2023

The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act on February 22, 1766.

Georgia’s first Governor Archibald Bulloch died mysteriously on February 22, 1777.

[Bulloch] became a leader in the state’s Liberty Party and was elected to the Commons House of Assembly in 1768, to the post of speaker of the Georgia Royal Assembly in 1772 and finally to the Continental Congress in 1775.

On June 20, 1776, Bulloch was elected the first president and commander in chief of Georgia’s temporary government, posts he held until February 5, 1777, when Georgia adopted its state constitution. Just over three weeks later, on February 22, 1777, Georgia faced a British invasion, and the state’s new government granted Bulloch executive power to head off the British forces. A few hours later, Bulloch was dead. The cause of his death remains unknown but unsubstantiated rumors of his poisoning persist.

[H]e is also known as the great-great-grandfather of America’s 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt.

The Cyclorama painting of the Battle of Atlanta went on display on Edgewood Avenue on February 22, 1892.

On February 22, 1976, a series of U.S. Postage stamps commemorating the Bicentennial was issued, featuring the state flags.

The Ledger-Enquirer interviewed Columbus NAACP chapter president Wane Hailes about Black History Month.

Q: What do you want folks to know about local Black history?

A: Many in the community may know that the A.J. McClung YMCA on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard was originally called the Ninth Street Branch YMCA and located on the corner across from First African Baptist Church where the Columbus Police Departments parking lot now stands. What they may not know, however, is that when it was built in 1907 it was only the second modern Negro YMCA building in the country and the first in the south. Another historical fact is that when it was dedicated on Tuesday, October 8, 1907, the toastmaster for the evening was Dr. M. L. Taylor and the featured speaker was Dr. Booker T. Washington. Gertrude Pridgett “Ma” Rainey, accompanied by pianist Leila Price, performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

This song would later become the Negro National Anthem. The Ninth Street Branch YMCA entertained over 100,000 men, boys, soldiers, and visitors during its existence. From 1907 until its demolition in December of 1963, more than 4,000 men held active memberships in the Association.

Q: What displeases you most about the status of equal opportunity and civil rights, and what solutions do you advocate?

It is our contention that the current six county Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, intentional or not, is designed to dilute the Black voting strength. As a result of the facts listed above we asked that the Columbus City Council request that the local elected delegation introduce legislation to make Muscogee County a single County Judicial Circuit when their session begins in January. They voted not to. This is a problem for the Black community because it denies us an opportunity to level the playing field when it comes the judicial system. Until this occurs we will never have equal representation.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 22

Wednesday – February 22, 2023 – Legislative Day 22
TBD Rules Committee: Upon Adjournment – 450 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE SMALL BUS DEV – 506 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER AFFAIRS – 606 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE Ways & Means Sales Tax Sub – 403 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE INSURANCE – 406 CLOB
8:00 AM Cancelled – Senate Natural Resources & Envt – 450 CAP
8:00 AM State & Local Government Operations – 450 CAP
8:15 AM HOUSE Ways & Means Public Fin & Policy Sub – 403 CAP
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES – 341 CAP
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 22) – House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 22) – Senate Chamber
1:00 PM HOUSE HIGHER ED – 606 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Tax Rev Sub – 403 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Transportation – Mezz 1 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Public Safety – 450 CAP
1:30 PM HOUSE Judiciary Non-Civil Leverett Sub – 132 CAP
1:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election – District 10 – Senate Chamber
2:00 PM HOUSE HEALTH – 515 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE TECH & INFRA INNOV – 406 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE SPECIAL RULES – 403 CAP
2:00 PM HOUSE JUVENILE JUSTICE – 506 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE TRANSPORTATION – 415 CLOB
2:00 PM Senate Insurance & Labor – Mezz 1 CAP
2:00 PM Senate Higher Education – 307 CLOB
2:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election – District 13 – Senate Chamber
3:00 PM HOUSE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS – 606 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE Insurance Property & Casualty Sub – 403 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE CODE REVISION – 415 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE INDUSTRY & LABOR – 506 CLOB
3:00 PM Senate Government Oversight – 307 CLOB
3:00 PM Senate Health & Human Services – 450 CAP
3:30 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY NON-CIVIL – 132 CAP
3:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election – District 14 – Senate Chamber
4:00 PM HOUSE Education Policy Sub– 406 CLOB
4:00 PM HOUSE HUMAN RELATIONS & AGING – 341 CAP
4:00 PM Senate State & Local Govt Ops – 450 CAP
4:00 PM Senate Finance – Mezz 1 CAP

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee yesterday passed Senate Bill 162, a comprehensive reform of the state’s Certificate of Need program, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

A state Senate committee narrowly approved legislation late Tuesday that would replace Georgia’s certificate of need (CON) law governing hospitals with a less restrictive “special health-care service” license.

The original version of Senate Bill 162 introduced last week called for a complete repeal of CON, a move legislative Republicans and conservative public policy organizations have advocated for years but that has been opposed by hospital groups. The CON law, which the General Assembly passed back in 1979, requires applicants wishing to build a new hospital or provide a new medical service to demonstrate a need for it in their community.

Representatives of Georgia hospitals have long argued that getting rid of CON would allow physician owners of ambulatory surgery centers to open for business near existing full-service hospitals and siphon away paying patients. Under federal law, full-service hospitals must treat every patient regardless of ability to pay.

A new version of Senate Bill 162 presented to the Senate Regulated Industries Committee Tuesday is aimed at removing that argument by ensuring that Georgia hospitals with the highest concentration of Medicaid patients and patients without health insurance no longer have to shoulder the financial burden of uncompensated care.

The bill would establish a “direct payment plan” without using state dollars to cover uncompensated care provided by Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, the state’s 21 research hospitals, and Georgia’s 61 rural hospitals, said Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, the legislation’s chief sponsor.

“This takes care of the Medicaid patients and all the ones who don’t have insurance,” he said. “With this windfall … there’s going to be significant money.”

Representatives of groups that have long defended the CON law expressed some concerns with Watson’s bill but said it warrants further study.

“We support CON,” said Monty Veazey, president and CEO of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals. “However, we are willing to come to the table and have discussions.”

Watson’s bill squeaked through the committee by a single vote, with Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, the panel’s chairman, providing the winning margin. It now heads to the Senate Rules Committee, which will decide when and if to bring it to the Senate floor.

Dr. Fran Witt, President and CEO of Effingham Health System writes about Senate Bill 162 in the Effingham Herald.

David Bodiford lives with Stage 4 cancer and receives care from the specialists at Effingham Health System.

“My surgeons referred me to the doctors that practice at the Cancer Care Center at Effingham System for chemotherapy,” he said. “It’s only four stoplights from my house, and that’s better than the sixty it takes to get to Savannah. I receive treatment in the morning and I’m back at work in the afternoon.”

Local access to care proved crucial for a young girl named Clara, too, after a toe and the side of foot were almost completely ripped off while she was playing on a pool slide.

“We brought her to Effingham because it was close. We needed to stop the bleeding. I didn’t realize the level of care that we would receive,” said her mom. “We thought she was going to lose the side of her foot. But they took over. Calmed us, assessed her injuries, and then fixed her foot. She is already back playing soccer. We have never been treated better at a hospital.”

Whether getting regular treatments or needing emergency care, Georgians benefit from having community hospitals close by. In some case it’s a matter of convenience; in others it’s a matter of life and death. The issue is even more acute in rural Georgia where patients might find themselves far from healthcare services if their local hospital has closed.

At Effingham Health System, we’re committed to providing top-notch services right here in our community in clinics like our Cancer Care Center, our Cardiology Center, and our Women’s Health program. Our Emergency Room, staffed by board-certified emergency physicians, treats 18,000 patients per year, supported by Hospitalists, Cardiology, robotic surgery and state of the art imaging. With respected heart and stroke designations, Georgia’s top patient safety award, and national recognition for innovation, we are transforming quality health care close to home.

These assets that mean so much to the people of Effingham County are endangered by legislation under consideration by the Georgia General Assembly right now. SB 162 would repeal a state law that has protected Georgians’ access to hospital care for more than 40 years.

Georgia, like many other states, operates under a Certificate of Need program, under which the Department of Community Health considers applications for providing new healthcare services in a certain location.

Proponents of this legislation argue that CON protects healthcare monopolies and prevents competition that would lower prices. It would be an enticing argument if it weren’t totally false.

The CON law recognizes the fact that nonprofit hospitals like ours don’t function in a “free market.” Hospitals are required by federal law to treat every patient who walks through the door, regardless of ability to pay, and they also treat patients covered by Medicaid, which reimburses hospitals below the cost of care. Hospitals put patients above profits, offering services that lose money but are needed by people in the community.

CON laws are intended to prevent providers from moving into a market served by a hospital and cannibalizing the profitable procedures that give hospitals the margins they need to stay open. Repealing these protections aims to let a few Wall Street investors to get rich while community health suffers as hospitals cut back their offerings or close for good.

Georgia’s CON laws has seen numerous revisions in recent years that have expanded the flexibility of the program. The vast majority of applications to provide new services are approved by DCH. In other words, CON isn’t stopping investments in services that a growing community might need. But the program does provide a needed check from state officials that gives hospitals the stability and predictability that all businesses depend on when making budgets and considering new ventures.

For people like David and Clara in our community who benefitted greatly from their proximity to the high-quality care that Effingham Health System offers, we must defeat SB 162. Please stand up for our hospital and other nonprofit hospitals across Georgia by calling your legislators today and asking them to oppose this dangerous legislation.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) said the legislature will consider additional improvements to the mental health system, according to the Associated Press via the Statesboro Herald.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns said Tuesday that state lawmakers will make another push this year to improve mental health care, with a forthcoming bill outlining a series of changes, plus multiple studies aimed at setting the groundwork for more action in following years.

Under House Bill 520, the state would expand its student loan forgiveness program for mental health care providers, try to make it easier for officials to use a form of court-ordered outpatient treatment created last year.

It also would create new crisis stabilization units in Columbus, Dublin and the Atlanta area, and mandate more data sharing among agencies to assist with studying problems and planning for services.

Burns, a Newington Republican, acknowledged that the effort comes in the wake of a major push in 2022 by then-House Speaker David Ralston, who died last year.

“While we miss him dearly we are proud to continue the work he inspired,” Burns said.

Funding for the state’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities was increased by $180 million.

But more money will be needed, sponsors of this year’s measure acknowledged, especially to increase how much Medicaid pays care providers, which in turn could allow care providers to raise wages for workers.

“I think we’re going to have relief in this budget,” said Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat.

Oliver said that the part of last year’s law that created court-order assisted outpatient treatment doesn’t work well and makes it too hard to use. She said the law needs to be rewritten this year to make that option more useful.

Another study will look at lowering license barriers for mental health professionals, including those trained in other countries, and considering lowering or waiving experience requirements for people licensed in another state.

“We need our licensing boards for our mental health professionals to be more responsive, to be more efficient and more part of the modern world of online services and online payments,” Oliver said.

From the Georgia Recorder:

“We said (last year) that this would be a multi-year effort,” Burns, a Newington Republican, told reporters. “Today, we begin the next chapter of our ongoing commitment to better mental health care in Georgia.”

This year’s proposal is focused on growing the behavioral health workforce – partly by expanding a loan repayment program – while sizing up the state’s crisis bed needs and taking steps to pry loose aggregated health data from state agencies to better inform decision-making in the future.

“There is not a week that goes by when we literally have at least one or two Georgians contact us personally and say my son, my daughter, my cousin – what am I supposed to do?” said Rep. Todd Jones, a South Forsyth Republican and the bill’s co-sponsor.

“They can’t find a bed. They can’t find a critical illness bed. They can’t find a place for them to go or to step down. We need to address this, and we need to study this,” he said.

The measure would also create two task forces: one that would take a crack at “reviewing and building a continuum of care to ensure access to and appropriate use” of the state’s behavioral health system and criminal justice system, including a study of current inpatient bed capacity, and another that would look at the impact of behavioral health on Georgia’s homeless population.

And it would look at ways to modernize the state’s licensing requirements in hopes of identifying and removing barriers to employment as lawmakers try to shore up the behavioral health workforce.

“We know that workforce deficiencies are at the heart of many of the problems all our businesses and all our social services are facing this year and will for the immediate future,” said Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat and the bill’s co-sponsor.

“We know that of the 600 intensive psychiatric beds for children, over half of them are taken by children of other states because Georgia’s reimbursement rate is simply lower,” Oliver said.

The late House Speaker David Ralston, who was a key driving force behind last year’s bill, died in November. When the new bill was filed Tuesday, “In honor of SDR7” was written beside the bill sponsors’ names. Ralston represented District 7.

From the AJC:

House Bill 520 would expand a student loan forgiveness program created last year for mental health providers who work in underserved areas of the state and take other steps to improve care. HB 520 would allow those who are already working in the mental health field and still have student loans to apply for loan forgiveness.

“We know that workforce deficiencies are a part of many of the problems all our businesses and social services are facing this year and will for the immediate future,” said state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat who is co-sponsoring the bill. “If they’re serving people in Georgia but still have a student loan, we want them to apply (for forgiveness) and get the benefits.”

This year’s bill also aims to increase capacity for people who need to receive inpatient care. To do that, state Rep. Todd Jones, a Republican from Cumming, said the bill would ask the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission to do a “bed study” to determine how many people can receive inpatient behavioral health care in Georgia facilities. Jones is also co-sponsoring HB 520.

“There is not a week that goes by, and I can speak for Rep. Oliver and myself, when we (don’t) literally have at least one or two Georgians contact us personally and say, ‘My son, my daughter, my cousin (needs help). What am I supposed to do?’” Jones said. “They can’t find a bed.”

Lawmakers said the 2022 law was just the beginning of efforts to improve mental health care in Georgia.

“Speaker Ralston was absolutely the spearhead to (last year’s legislation), and we will always thank him for that,” Jones said. “For us, that was just the beginning point. And this is in fact the decade of mental health.”

The Senate Economic Development Committee voted to recommend passage of Senate Bill 57 by Senator Billy Hickman, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Stateboro Herald.

The Senate Economic Development Committee passed the legislation 8-1 and sent it on to the Rules Committee to schedule a vote of the full Senate.

Senate Bill 57 would allow sports betting both online and in person at kiosks that could be placed inside a variety of businesses, including sports venues. Sports betting would be overseen by the Georgia Lottery Corp.

“Sports betting is deemed a lottery game,” said Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, the bill’s chief sponsor.

For that reason, Senate Bill 57 contemplates legalizing sports betting in Georgia without the need for a constitutional amendment. It essentially would be added to the games already authorized since Georgia voters approved the creation of a lottery in 1992.

Under Hickman’s bill, 20% of the adjusted gross income derived from sports betting would go to the Georgia Lottery Corp. to benefit education. At a hearing on the measure last week, Hickman said sports betting potentially could generate $300 million to $400 million annually for the state.

Citing an economic impact study released last year, Hickman said sports betting could inject $1 billion annually into Georgia’s economy and create more than 8,500 jobs.

Georgia state Senate Appropriators approved the Supplemental Budget for the current Fiscal Year, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.

“We feel we have more flexibility in the ’23 budget than we will in ’24,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, told committee members.

Tillery said the Senate’s version of the mid-year budget meets or exceeds Gov. Brian Kemp’s spending recommendations on 27 of the governor’s 30 top priorities. It includes $1 billion in state income tax relief, a $1 billion property tax rebate, and $1.1 billion to backfill the loss of state sales tax revenue from gasoline and other motor fuels that occurred during a 10-month suspension of the tax ordered by Kemp to compensate for rising pump prices.

The Senate committee also supported the governor’s spending requests to give every K-12 public school a $50,000 school safety grant and “learning loss” grants to help offset the impacts of the pandemic on student instruction.

About $137 million sought by Kemp would be earmarked for the additional staffing that will be necessary to accomplish “the great unwinding” of Medicaid in April, when the federal government will relax pandemic-era regulations that prevented states from disenrolling people from Medicaid.

Senate budget writers anted up more funds than the House provided in its version of the mid-year budget for a variety of programs, including doubling a $5 million House appropriation aimed at the “hoteling” of children in foster care.

“It’s just not the best place we should be caring for those youths, who are our wards,” Tillery said.

The Senate committee added $3.5 million to a $3 million House appropriation to expand the state’s nursing program, recognizing the current shortage of nurses in Georgia, and doubled to $4 million state funding of domestic violence shelters.

The mid-year budget heads next to the Senate floor for a vote, probably later this week.

From the Associated Press via AccessWDUN:

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted to approve House Bill 18, which amends the current state budget that ends June 30. Senators are likely to vote on the amended budget Thursday, which includes $2.4 billion in additional spending after Gov. Brian Kemp raised projected revenue.

The spending plan would also include $1 billion to give property tax rebates to homeowners and would divert $1.1 billion in state revenue to the Department of Transportation to make up for fuel tax revenue that the state didn’t collect while gas and diesel taxes were suspended. Both of those plans need separate legislative approval, as does Kemp’s plan to use $1 billion in surplus money to give another round of income tax refunds of $250 to $500.

Kemp, a Republican now calls for spending $32.6 billion in state tax money in the budget ending June 30, up 7.3% from originally projected last year. Including federal and other money, total spending would rise to $61.6 billion.

The Senate proposes spending $24.5 million for one-time bonuses for 55,000 retirees in the state Employees Retirement System. That should equal $500 per employee, said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican. Retires haven’t received regular cost-of-living increases in recent years, although they got a 1.5% increase in July. The typical ERS retiree gets a pension of about $2,000 a month.

The House and Senate must resolve differences between their spending proposals. The disagreement over how quickly school districts must cover an increase in health insurance premiums for employees including maintenance workers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and others will be among the most closely watched issues.

The State Health Benefit Plan had planned to increase premiums by 67% in January 2024, raising the amount charged per employee per month from $945 to $1,580, a total increase projected at $457 million a year. The House proposed giving the benefit plan another $100 million in state money and stretching the premium increase over three years. The Senate, though proposes giving the plan only $34 million for a two-year phase in, with districts owing the full amount beginning on Jan. 1 2025.

The state plans to spend $846 million a year to cover the increase for certified employees including teachers. The premiums that employees directly pay wouldn’t change.

From the AJC:

The midyear spending plan is expected to be approved by the full Senate later this week, and then senators will negotiate a final deal with the House, which passed its version a few weeks ago.

If given final approval, homeowners would receive an extra one-time exemption on the value of their homes at tax time, a move that Kemp said last month would save those Georgians, on average, about $500.

Tillery said the Senate version of the midyear budget met or exceeded more than 90% of Kemp’s spending proposals. But he warned that passing a budget for fiscal 2024 — which begins July 1 — will be more difficult.

State revenue collections are expected to be down this year, meaning lawmakers will have less money to allocate as inflation continues to raise the cost of what government does.

“If you think the ‘23 budget is difficult, the ‘24 budget will be harder,” Tillery said.

The House is currently working on its version of the 2024 budget. Under state law, budgets for the coming year are the only thing the General Assembly is required to pass before it ends its annual session next month.

House Bill 348 by State Rep. J. Collins (R-Villa Rica) would lower speeding fines, according to WALB.

The bill proposes things like reducing fines for the penalties. But parents and guardians at Sherwood Elementary said they don’t care about the money — they just want people to drive carefully in school zones.

House Bill 348 is also a part of the proposed legislation, which calls for the need for more flashing signage at those school zone cameras. Lawmakers are also considering shortening the time the cameras operate.

Illegally speeding through a school zone can bring a penalty of $75, including fees. The proposed bill would drop that to $10 with a $2 fee for the first offense.

Senate Bill 62 by State Senator Carden Summers (R-Cordele) could allow lawsuits against local governments for failure to prevent homeless camps, according to the Gainesville Times.

Senate Bill 62 would make it illegal for local governments to prohibit or even discourage the enforcement of ordinances that ban public camping, and they could be sued for violating the law.  A Senate committee approved a substitute version of the bill, and it received a second reading in the Senate. It will now go to the Senate floor for debate and revision before heading to the House.

The bill would allow the state to sanction its own camps without input from local governments, as well as audit public spending on homelessness.

Some local lawmakers have criticized the bill as an act of big government overreach that would limit local control of the homelessness crisis.

“That’s a local issue that should be handled by local municipalities,” said Sen. Shelly Echols, R-Gainesville, who opposes the bill. “If their voters want to continue to elect the people who don’t do anything about (homelessness), that’s up to them to do. It’s not the state’s place to tell them what to do.”

“My only comment at this time on the legislation is to say that eliminating local control is problematic,” Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, said over text. “Issues often vary, as do the solutions, in respect to our communities and their capabilities in dealing with these challenges.”

Rep. Emory Dunahoo, R-Gillsville, said he usually supports local control, but not on the issue of homelessness.

“I support this bill 100%,” he said. “Local control should always be our No. 1 priority, but then again, sometimes we have to reach out with a problem that we have here in Hall County, that we have throughout Atlanta … to where everywhere you go, you see this growing, growing. They’re on the side of the interstate. They hold up traffic. … There’s a large percentage of homeless that have mental problems, drugs, alcohol, and some that are just pure lazy. And, yes, I said that too, and probably somebody will hate me for that, but that’s a fact. And with that, I think a lot of this is just basically to try to benefit the state of Georgia of not becoming California, San Francisco, Seattle and those areas.”

Georgians testified virtually to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on a proposed mine near the Okefenokee Swamp, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

Twin Pines Minerals, an Alabama mining company, has applied for permission to build the mine along Trail Ridge in Charlton County near the southeastern edge of the swamp.

Currently, the state Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has jurisdiction over the mining company’s plan. Earlier this year, Twin Pines submitted a draft Mining Land Use Plan to EPD. The plan must be finalized before the EPD can proceed with a draft permitting process.

During the hearing, opponents outlined a host of reasons they believe the mine should not be built.

“According to numerous independent scientists, the mine will damage the swamp, first by lowering the swamp’s water level and second by dumping over one ton per day of salt into the swamp as a result of its wastewater evaporation,” said Joshua Marks, president of Georgians for the Okefenokee.

Marks also highlighted a letter signed by University of Georgia professor Rhett Jackson and ten other hydrology professors that contends the EPD used incorrect locations in evaluating the impact of the mine.

“EPD used the wrong river gauge [location], 15 miles downstream of the swamp to evaluate the mine’s impact, instead of the gauge right next door,” Marks said. “This would be like going to a doctor for a shoulder sprain [but the] doctor instead examines your ankle.”

Brian Foster of the Georgia Conservancy explained some of the unique benefits the swamp provides to Georgia: It is a gold-tier International Dark Sky Park, a national wilderness area, and a national natural landmark that provides boating, fishing, birding, hunting and photography opportunities. The swamp, which is home to the headwaters for both the St. Marys and Suwanee rivers, draws more than 650,000 annual visits and supports 800 jobs.

“Anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear … can see that it is unlike any place in the world,” [Stephanie] Ramage said. “Look, South Georgia, don’t trade what you’ve got – don’t trade it for a handful of jobs because that’s all you’re going to get.”

A second virtual public comment session is planned for Thursday night at 6 PM. People can also submit written public comments via email to twinpines.comment@dnr.ga.gov until March 20.

Albany City Commissioners will study pay rates for municipal employees, according to the Albany Herald.

The Albany City Commission is poised to initiate a second pay study in as many years, and the results could mean a pay raise for the city’s roughly 900 employees.

“They’re going to give us some advice on what pay should be for our employees,” City Manager Steven Carter said during an interview following the meeting. “This is going to give us a comprehensive look at where we are with our employees.”

The city has about 1,200 funded positions, but there are currently about 900 workers employed.

Bibb County Superior Court Judge David L. Mincey ruled that a Grand Jury may not subpoena records of the Municipal Water Authority, according to the Macon Telegraph.

In a ruling posted Friday, Judge David L. Mincey determined the MWA is not a public authority of Macon-Bibb County, so “the grand jury is not authorized to use its civil authority to inspect or investigate MWA or its board members… .” The ruling quashes DA Anita Howard’s subpoenas for authority members to testify before the grand jury.

The court also ruled that MWA’s board members are not county officers and are not subject to investigation under Georgia law governing grand juries.

In October, Former Chairman Sam Hart contacted Howard after County Commissioner Valerie Wynn raised concerns about possible illegal meetings involving four authority members before the departure of former executive director and president Joey Leverette in late October.

D.A. Howard issued a statement Friday afternoon that read in part: “In spite of the decision in this case, I will always continue to do my part when needed to hold elected officials, government agencies, and those who are answerable to the community, accountable for their actions. Elections at all levels matter, and public service positions are often held by individuals appointed by one elected official.

Gwinnett Newton Rockdale Public Health announced the availability of free Narcan, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

GNR Public Health announced on Friday that it is making the Narcan kits available to anyone over 18 in its three-county footprint. Narcan is a substance that can be used on someone, who is suffering from an overdose, to save their life.

“We’re here to help address the opioid crisis in our communities,” GNR officials said in an announcement. “We need to flood our community with Narcan (naloxone). Our Gwinnett health centers have life-saving kits available to anyone over 18 at no cost. Walk in and ask our staff how you can get one.”

Each kit that GNR Public Health is providing to community members includes two naloxone doses as well as a pouch to carry them in, a CPR face shield and information about how to administer the doses as well as the medical amnesty law, recovery and treatment options.

Health officials compared carrying Narcan to learning how to perform CPR on someone who needs it.

“You may not expect that anyone around you will suddenly need CPR, but the skill can be lifesaving,” GNR Public Health officials said. “Similarly, you may not think you’re around individuals who are at risk of an overdose, but having naloxone on hand can save a life should you encounter an overdose situation.”

Health officials said their staff is trained to teach people how to properly administer Narcan, and they will review the instructions with each person who picks up a kit.

Chatham County Fire Services may begin taking customers to court for unpaid fees, according to the Savannah News.

Chatham County government has hit the same roadblocks as the previous collection entity, Chatham Emergency Services: people don’t want to pay their bill.

But there’s one key difference between the two, in terms of fee collection: Chatham can take nonpayers to court. CES, a private company, could not.

At the Chatham Commission’s Friday, Feb. 17 meeting, County Manager Michael Kaigler said March 31 was the final due date. Any unincorporated Chatham property owners who haven’t paid their bill at that point will receive a notice of court action.

After taking over collection duties from CES last year, Chatham contracted with LifeQuest, a Wisconsin-based fee collection agency. The fire fee funds Chatham Fire, the firefighting arm of CES, formerly Southside Fire.

Prior to the switch, CES was able to collect fire protection fees from around 66% of unincorporated Chatham residents in 2021. As of Friday, Feb. 17, the county had collected 75.2%.

Kaigler said the late fee bills had updated language and graphics to better reflect that they came from the Chatham County government, which some commissioners reported was an issue early on. The initial bills were labeled with LifeQuest’s branding and featured the company’s Wisconsin address, which led some Chatham residents to mistakes the bills for spam.

Jekyll Island Authority executive director Jones Hooks announced he will retire at the end of June 2023, according to The Brunswick News.

During Hooks’ tenure, the authority has come to operate much differently than it did when he arrived in 2008. At that time, many facilities were operating at a deficit, and as a state authority Jekyll is responsible for raising its own annual operating budget.

“Now, the JIA’s annual self-operational budget is more than $35 million with more than 300 employees among 35 departments, responsible for managing 1,130 residential utility customers, island fire and emergency medical services, all island roads, beach parks and greenspace, 63 holes of golf, a water park, convention center, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Beach Village and Historic District, and marketing the Island to tourists,” said Alexa Hawkins, director of marketing and communications for JIA.

Under his leadership, more than $368 million in investments have been made to revitalizing Jekyll Island, Hawkins said.

“Significant strides have been made in conservation efforts, including the construction of a protective rock revetment, additional protection of the coastal viewshed, reforestation, as well the establishment of a Greenspace Preservation District surrounding Jekyll’s golf courses,” she said.

The Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration is moving into new headquarters, according to The Brunswick News.

The next election cycle does not begin in Glynn County until qualifying for municipal elections Aug. 21 to 25. [County Elections Supervisor Chris] Channell said the qualifying packet for candidates will be available online as the qualifying period gets closer.

The board of elections will be the single point of contact for the Brunswick city elections, including accepting the qualifying paperwork and fees. Channell said the city is reviewing the board’s plans for running the election.

Board chair Patricia Featherstone contested a claim by state elections officials that Georgia leads all states in elections. She said the state needs to address its runoff format and the requirement for 1 voting machine for every 250 registered voters. She also questioned the accuracy of telephone surveys because of the number of participants who don’t complete the surveys.

Garden City Council members approved new district maps, according to WTOC.

Council members unanimously approved new district maps at Monday night’s meeting.

“My district was 75% Black. You got 12% white and maybe 18% Hispanic. The disparity is you got certain districts that got a high number of one type race type to where to me, that would be unfair to where we need to try to work on bringing those numbers in as well like we did the district lines,” said Councilwoman [Natalyn] Morris.

Councilwoman Morris says she expressed her concerns, then voted to approve it because of everything that had to go into the process.

Now, it goes back to the state for final approval.

Savannah City Council is expected to vote Thursday on whether to levy impact fees on new development, according to WTOC.

The decision is whether to allow impact fees. Those are one time fees developers would pay to cover their impact on the city’s water and sewer systems.

Some Savannah city leaders say development should pay for itself, while some home builders oppose the proposed fees saying the new charges could make new houses more expensive.

At his weekly news conference, Mayor Van Johnson said the fees would help make city services more affordable for new developments.

“Otherwise, if we don’t, basically you have people in Windsor Forest paying for new development out in the Highlands. And the fact is, we’re saying the development should help pay for itself,” said Mayor Van Johnson.

Developer and member of the Savannah Homebuilders Association Mark Konter opposes the fees.

He says an added cost for builders could make new developments more expensive for buyers.

“Those impact fees are passed along by the building and development community onto the end user – the homebuyer or home renter,” said Konter.

Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson discussed rising violence in his State of the City, according to WTVM.

“The gun violence that took place in our city that wounded and injured 9 children in our community was horrific,” says Mayor Skip Henderson. Using strong vocabulary, he emphasized public safety is an issue, he and others are working to fix and address. But he says he believes the root of the problem is the demise of the family. “The rise of violence in our country coincides with the deterioration of the family,” says Mayor Skip Henderson. Boys & Girls Club Program Coordinator, Tavari Turner, says the mayors points of creating quality programming for teens and families is spot on.

The mayor said although law enforcement is in place to handle criminals, it also is up to the community to engage and assist. “We can make a decision to ignore it and point out the fact that those children are running wild, and getting guns and hurting people if we want to make a decision to do what we can as a community to not only protect our family, but also our community,” says Mayor Skip Henderson.

The mayor also says while crime is down investors are still willing to come and keep development strong, which is good for the chamber of commerce and the development of jobs. “There are many communities that are having challenges and trying to figure that out and fix the public safety picture,” says Jerald Mitchel, CEO of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. All in all we asked they mayor to use one word to describe the state of the city. “Good,” says Mayor Skip Henderson.

State Rep. Teddy Reese (D-Columbus) also discussed violence in Columbus, according to WTVM.

“I’m tired of losing our babies,” says Teddy Reese

With 8 shootings over the course of three days in Columbus, State Representative Teddy Reese spoke up about it at the state house. His focus…putting funds into programs that would lead to intervention. Reese says recreational, summer, and job programs for youth requires more money.

“As a state we can fight a little bit harder with the surplus that we have right now anyway to put more money towards community programming that will save our children that will get them away from the gang violence that will get them away from the prostitution and the drugs and everything else that we see looming the streets today,” says Teddy Reese.

“On the state level we gotta get engaged we gotta get involved in this and we can do that by making sure that our local entities have the funds that they need to be successful with community based programs,” says Teddy Reese.

“We need to make this a team effort I don’t think one person is gonna solve all the problems I don’t think one person may have to deal with the issues I mean let’s be honest there are even some parents out there who may be afraid of their own children because that’s the reality of the situation we can’t look past any points of reality we have to face it all and those are the issues that we have right now the real issues that we have right now in our community, says Teddy Reese.

Tifton interim City Manager Emily Beeman will take the permanent title, according to WALB.

“My first six months in the role would be continuing what I’ve been doing as the interim city manager for the city of Tifton. Providing support for the 150 employees that we have and the 17,000 people in the community that are supporting and are looking for the City of Tifton for direction.” Beeman added.

The city manager’s role is to oversee the entire operation of the city. Tifton Mayor Julie Smith says the city manager is the one that keeps all of the departments and employees moving forward on a daily basis.

“We’re really excited to have Emily on board as our new city manager. Her enthusiasm, her vision for the future, her willingness to serve this community is what really sold us on her.” Smith said.

The American Civil Liberties Union sent a Strike Force legal observer to Lula to monitor praying by elected officials, according to the Gainesville Times.

By 7 p.m., more than 70 people packed the council chamber, with a total of three members of the ACLU’s team of legal observers seated in the back. The purpose of their visit, they said, was to observe the proceeding of Monday’s regular meeting.

“We understand that the mayor customarily delivers these prayers himself, and that he denied a request on February 13, 2023 by Lula resident Joe Johnson to deliver a non-Christian prayer or secular invocation, even though (the mayor) allowed a Christian faith leader to present a Christian prayer to open a December 2022 meeting,” a portion of the letter states. “The office of mayor exists to represent all citizens of the City of Lula, regardless of faith or belief…(this practice) also send(s) the message that nonbelievers and adherents of faiths that do not wish to participate in the prayers are not accepted members of the community. These practices should be promptly stopped.”

Thomas went on to start Monday’s regular meeting with a moment of silence, instead of a Christian prayer. His reasoning behind this, he said after the meeting, was to “change it up.”

During public comments, a total of six residents spoke in defense of holding Christian prayer before government meetings, often followed by those in attendance shouting, “Amen,” to signify their support for that particular stance.

Johnson said the ACLU will continue “to monitor” future meetings in Lula, and that, “as long as they don’t revert back to only Christian prayers, everything will be good.”