On February 26, 1868, the Atlanta City Council offered use of the combined City Hall and Fulton County Courthouse as a temporary capitol if the Constitutional Convention meeting in the city would designate it the capital city.
On February 26, 1877, Governor Alfred Colquitt signed legislation calling a June 1877 election of delegates to a state Constitutional Convention to be held in July of that year.
On February 27, 1922, the United States Supreme Court released an unanimous decision holding that the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is constitutional. The case, Leser v. Garnett, arose because of a challenge seeking to strike women’s names from the voter rolls in Maryland and asserting:
- The power to amend the Constitution did not cover this amendment, due to its character.
- Several states that had ratified the amendment had constitutions that prohibited women from voting, rendering them unable to ratify an amendment to the contrary.
- The ratifications of Tennessee and West Virginia were invalid, because they were adopted without following the rules of legislative procedure in place in those states.
It might as well have asserted that sleeping on the couch for the rest of the plantiffs’ lives would be cold and uncomfortable.
Johnny Cash was born on February 26, 1932.
On February 27, 1962, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy were tried in Albany for charges stemming from a demonstration on the steps of City Hall.
On February 27, 1982, Wayne Williams was convicted in Fulton County Superior Court of murdering two adult males. Atlanta Police later said he was guilty of at least 23 of 29 child murders between 1979 and 1981. Williams was never indicted or tried on the allegations of child murder and maintains his innocence.
The World Trade Center in New York City was bombed on February 26, 1993, killing six and causing half-a-billion dollars in damage.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Northwest Georgia experienced an earthquake yesterday with no connection to U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene or State Senator Colton Moore, according to WSAV.
The earthquake happened around five miles northwest of Menlo, Ga. around 8 a.m. Menlo is very close to the Georgia-Alabama line.
It was shallow with a depth of six miles. This magnitude 2.6 earthquake didn’t cause any reported damage, which is common for weak earthquakes.
Northwest Georgia is also the state’s most active seismic region, according to the USGS map.
Under the Gold Dome Today
TBD Senate Rules Committee: Upon Adj 450 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE Education Sub Curriculum 515 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE CODE REVISION 132 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE WAYS & MEANS 406 CLOB
8:00 AM Senate Econ Dev & Tourism 450 CAP
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES 341 CAP
9:00 AM HOUSE Education Sub Policy 515 CLOB
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD23) House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 23) Senate Chamber
1:00 PM HOUSE HIGHER ED (Upon Adj) 606 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE Approp Sub Genl Govt 341 CAP
1:00 PM HOUSE INDUSTRY & LABOR 506 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE BANKS & BANKING 406 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY JUVENILE 403 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Public Safety 450 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Transportation MEZZ 1
2:00 PM HOUSE TECH & INFRA INNOV 406 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE RURAL DEVELOPMENT 515 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE GAME, FISH & PARKS 415 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE PUBLIC SFTY & HOME SEC 506 CLOB
2:00 PM Cancelled- Senate Ag & Cons Aff 307 CLOB
2:00 PM Senate State & Local Govtal Ops 307 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE Leverett Sub Judiciary Non-Civil 132 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE GOVTAL AFFAIRS 606 CLOB
3:00 PM Senate Interstate Cooperation 307 CLOB
3:00 PM Senate Finance MEZZ 1
3:30 PM HOUSE SPECIAL RULES 415 CLOB
4:00 PM Senate Health & Human Svcs 450 CAP
5:00 PM Senate Govt Oversight 307 CLOB
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Boggs will retire from the court, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.
Georgia Chief Justice Michael Boggs announced Tuesday that he will resign from the state Supreme Court at the end of next month, the last day of the Court’s current term.
Boggs plans to return to private practice in South Georgia.
In a resignation letter hand-delivered to Gov. Brian Kemp, Boggs noted his 25 years in elective office, including more than two decades of service as a judge at various state court levels.
“Throughout my service, I have endeavored to be a good steward of the public’s trust,” Boggs wrote. “During my 21 years as a judge, I have found it especially rewarding to contribute to efforts that improve our state’s judicial system for the citizens who rely on it to deliver justice for all.”
After spending two terms in the Georgia House of Representatives in the early 2000s, Boggs moved over to the courts, where he served first as a Superior Court judge in the Waycross Judicial Circuit. Subsequently, he joined the Georgia Court of Appeals, then was appointed to the state Supreme Court by then-Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016 .
Boggs won reelection to the high-court bench in 2018 and 2024. He became chief justice in July 2022.
In that role, he chaired the Judicial Council of Georgia, the policy-making body for the judicial branch, and initiated ongoing efforts to improve judicial security, address the state’s civil justice gap, and respond to the challenges and promises of artificial intelligence in the courts.
Boggs also sought to bolster access to justice through collaborative initiatives with the State Bar of Georgia’s Office of Bar Admissions and the Supreme Court’s Committee on Access to Justice. As chairman of the Judicial Council’s American Rescue Plan Act Funding Committee, he worked with the state’s executive branch to direct resources to trial courts to address case backlogs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his letter, Boggs noted that his wife has recently retired from full-time teaching, as well as increasing family and personal obligations at his home in South Georgia.
Kemp will appoint a new justice to fill Boggs’ seat, and the court will select its next chief justice.
Chief Justice Michael Boggs delivered a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp informing him he will leave at the end of the court term. He plans to return to private practice, according to a news release from the Supreme Court.
“Throughout my service, I have endeavored to be a good steward of the public’s trust,” Boggs wrote. “During my 21 years as a judge, I have found it especially rewarding to contribute to efforts that improve our state’s judicial system for the citizens who rely on it to deliver justice for all.”
Boggs is from Pierce County in south Georgia and his wife recently retired from full-time teaching. His resignation letter said the couple has “increasing family and personal obligations.” Boggs has served 25 years in elected office, including as a state representative, a superior court judge, a Court of Appeals judge and a Supreme Court justice.
Boggs has been chief justice since July 2022 when justices unanimously selected him to take over when Chief Justice David Nahmias stepped down from the court.
His resignation means Kemp will appoint a new justice to the court and the justices will choose a new chief.
Senate Bill 34 by State Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) aims to prevent Georgia Power from charging electric rate that might subsidize data centers, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.
Legislation prohibiting Georgia Power from passing on the costs of providing electricity to data centers to residential and small business customers cleared a state Senate committee Tuesday.
An 8-5 vote of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee sent the bill to the Senate Rules Committee to schedule a floor vote.
Senate Bill 34 comes in the wake of six Georgia Power rate increases in less than two years that have driven up what homeowners and small businesses pay by 37%. At the same time, the rapid growth of power-hungry data centers in Georgia is behind a demand for 3,300 megawatts of additional electric generating capacity, exponentially more than Georgia Power’s typical growth rate of about 100 megawatts per year.
“The consumers are paying for this additional power that’s being consumed by the data centers,” Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, the bill’s chief sponsor, told committee members Tuesday. “I want something in place that doesn’t let history repeat itself.”
Aaron Mitchell, vice president of pricing and planning for Georgia Power, argued the bill is unnecessary because of rules changes the state Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted last month that prohibit the Atlanta-based utility from passing on the costs of serving new large-load customers including data centers to residential customers.
“We have committed that residential customers will pay nothing to account for those 3,300 megawatts,” he said.
But energy lawyer Bobby Baker, a former member of the PSC, said the new rules the commission approved are full of loopholes that give Georgia Power so much flexibility over compliance that they offer no guaranteed protections for residential ratepayers.
“These rules changes are essentially worthless,” he said. “The cost causers need to pay for the costs they cause.”
Hufstetler’s bill got pushback from committee members who objected to the General Assembly stepping in on issues that are already being handled by the elected members of the PSC.
Others called for broadening the bill to apply to Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) and municipal electric utilities rather than limiting it to Georgia Power. Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, proposed amending Hufstetler’s bill to do just that.
But Kevin Curtin, senior vice president of government relations for Georgia EMC, opposed the amendment as taking away the power of board members of the state’s 41 EMCs, who – unlike Georgia Power’s board – are elected by EMC customers.
“Having a law imposed on us … takes away our boards’ authority to make decisions,” he said.
Summers’ amendment died for lack of a second before the committee approved the underlying bill.
Data centers are popping up all over Georgia. These facility are equipped with high-performance servers and computers to store data.
They require massive amounts of power and water to keep them going and cool them down.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development estimates there are more than 50 data centers in Georgia.
The GDEC website boasts Georgia is the epicenter of information sharing with 70% of all financial transactions pass through Georgia.
The U.S. International Trade Commission reports a mid-sized data center consumes around 300,000 gallons of water a day. That equates to 1,000 homes in the same 24-hour period.
The U.S. Department of Energy reports, a midsized data center consumes 1-5 megawatts of power a day. That equates to the same amount of energy used to power 500- 5000 Georgia homes.
Vested interests packed a State Capitol meeting room for a bill hearing in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee. There were not enough seats, as many people were forced to stand.
State Senator Chuck Hofstetler presented Senate Bill 34. He testified the bill would keep the cost of building new facilities to generate power for data centers would not be passed onto customers.
At a meeting, Aaron Mitchell with Georgia Power testified Georgia Power is ramping up energy production to meet an increased need.
Georgia’s Public Service Commission approved their case for 3,300 megawatts of new power generation.
Mitchell said the additional voltage should be online by 2027.
“Georgia Power has committed that residential customers won’t pay for the new capacity,” said Mitchell.
The room erupted in noise, as many frustrated ratepayers and watchdog appeared unconvinced after several rate increases.
“Its the old hey, just trust us, We’re going to do the right thing, but I’m losing faith,” said Sen. John Albers who voted to support SB 34.
Power customer John Duke was the only person allowed to speak during public comment after several long discussions. Duke testified that ratepayers can’t afford for the bill not to pass.
“There are some Senators here who are not for this and the reason is why? Who are you fighting for- your constituents or Georgia Power?,” asked Duke to the committee members.
The bill passed out of committee 8-3 with bipartisan support.
Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch was one of the no votes.
“We’re treating them differently than we do the other big manufacturers in Georgia. I think we should look at them all as one and not separate them by industry,” said Leader Gooch.
The Senate committee members are not alone in concern for data centers.
Speaker of the House Jon Burns announced a special study committee dedicated to developing a statewide resources plan. He announced the committee in January and said the state needs to support it’s economic development project.
State Rep. Brad Thomas agreed to serve as Chairman. He is excited about the future of the Artificial Intelligence space, while remaining concerned about the conservation of state resources.
“We really need to be careful to make sure that China doesn’t out-compute us. This is something that is going to have to make a part of our strategy moving forward… [AI] can impact so much of our life that healthcare, education, transportation, the way we manage our energy grid though these data centers,” said Rep. Thomas.
Thomas said while in their first weeks, they’ve met with power and water management companies. He wants to look 20 years down the line to make sure Georgia has the computational power needed to support growth.
Senate Bill 150 by State Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) aims to address a shortage of professional educators, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Athens Banner Herald.
Georgia public schools were short 5,300 teachers as of December, an ongoing problem state lawmakers have been unable to fix.
They have a new proposed solution, but it would take awhile to put in place: let more retired teachers return to the classroom with both pay and pensions.
Senate Bill 150 would allow former teachers to return to the classroom 60 days after they retire following 25 years of service.
It would expand on a current, but temporary law, that lets teachers return to the classroom after a year of retirement following 30 years of service.
That older law restricts this post-retirement service to a handful of high-demand academic subjects in high-vacancy parts of the state. About 450 retired teachers have been re-employed under that law, which is in its third year and expires next year.
The proposed law would expire in the summer of 2034.
“We’ve got a real issue that we’ve got to deal with,” Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, said Tuesday of the teacher shortage. He is the chief sponsor of SB 150, which he said would address the problem “on a temporary basis until our schools can gear up.”
A Senate committee voted unanimously to pass the bill on for a cost analysis. However, it likely won’t come up for further action until next year’s legislative session.
Senate Bill 74 by State Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania) could expose librarians to liability, according to Georgia Recorder.
The Georgia Legislature is considering a new bill aimed at preventing children from accessing explicit materials in libraries, but opponents say it would chill free speech and open the state up to lawsuits.
Senate Bill 74, which passed out of committee Tuesday on a party line vote, would remove an exemption for librarians in the section of state code dealing with distributing sexually explicit materials to minors.
The bill’s sponsor, Sylvania Republican Sen. Max Burns, said the law should have always applied to librarians.
“For unknown reasons to me, librarians were exempted from following Georgia law,” he said. “I’d like to point out teachers were not exempted. Coaches were not exempted. Pastors were not exempted.”
“So you have to ask a question, a simple question, why do we choose to exempt librarians? I require a convenience store owner to make the decision whether or not material that they provide is potentially harmful to minors. Convenience stores. Librarians are professionals.”
The bill would apply to librarians, including at school libraries, who “knowingly” violate the law. It would exempt library workers who can demonstrate that they “made a good faith attempt” to block harmful materials from minors.
Kerry Pritchard, with the Georgia Department of Education’s legislative affairs team, said enforcing the bill could be a challenge.
“With libraries, you could have 2,500 books that are everywhere, but there’s one person to be able to monitor everything,” she said. “It might be hard to know exactly what books are in the library for the simple fact that there’s, A, so many of them, and there might be books that are 30 years old that no one has put into a computer system to know one way or the other if it’s on the shelves.”
Sen. Elena Parent, an Atlanta Democrat, said she’s concerned the bill does not specify what would be considered explicit.
“Outside of some pretty major lines, a lot of it is subjective. If you take the young adult category, I bet there’s plenty in the young adult category of Barnes and Noble that many people in the legislature would at least say that they were totally opposed to and found harmful to minors, to be honest with you,” she said. “So that’s where I’m just struggling with, it didn’t sound like we have a bright line standard in the law.”
Christoper Bruce, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, said if he had the opportunity, he would have testified that the bill is similar to a piece of legislation struck down in Arkansas.
“The court struck down the key provisions of this law, underscoring that deputizing librarians as agents of censorship under the threat of jail time could create a chilling effect on the availability of literature and libraries,” Bruce said. “SB 74 creates the same legal vulnerabilities and will likely face similar constitutional challenges if it passes.”
House Bill 539 by State Rep. Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) follows the decision by Gwinnett County Board of Education to opt out of HB 581 , according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Gwinnett County homeowners may still get some relief on their school taxes.
A bipartisan group of legislators, led by state Rep. Matt Reeves, is putting forward a bill that would — if voters approve it — increase the existing homestead exemption on school-related property taxes. House Bill 539 was dropped in the Georgia House of Representatives’ hopper last Thursday, the same day the Gwinnett County Board of
Education voted unanimously to opt out of a statewide floating homestead exemption.
The legislation has support from both parties with Republicans and Democrats from the Gwinnett County House Delegation signed on as co-sponsors.
“The delegation is hearing from taxpayers that they need relief as homeowners,” Reeves told the Daily Post. “They need as much relief as they can get. There was a lot of discussion in 2024, and (House Bill 581, the statewide homestead exemption bill) and other measures across the state passed very resoundingly.”
“So, while the school board could not make a decision to opt into 581, I think they recognized the people want some additional tax relief.”
Twenty-three legislators have signed onto the bill, as well as a companion piece, in the House of Representatives.
In a sign of the bipartisan support for the measures, Reeves said state Rep. Jasmine Clark, the Gwinnett House delegation’s chairwoman, helped line up co-signers on the bill. Reeves is a Republican while Clark is a Democrat.
“I did not have any (Gwinnett representatives) decline to sign it,” Reeves said. “Pretty much everybody who was on the floor when the bill was available signed it.”
Senate Bill 175 by State Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) would prohibit ranked-choice voting used in lieu of runoff elections, according to State Affairs.
Bill sponsor Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, pitched it as a “proactive” measure to keep Georgia’s election system unchanged. Currently, candidates who do not receive 50% or more of the vote automatically head to a runoff.
“Our citizens want to see very clear, very straightforward elections,” Robertson said of Senate Bill 175. “We don’t need any tricks or shenanigans.”
Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference rather than pick only one candidate. The lowest vote-getters then have their votes transferred to the higher candidates until one gains a majority — without requiring runoffs.
In the committee hearing, Robertson argued that ranked-choice voting has caused “voter fatigue” in some places where it’s been used, such as some local elections in New York City. Backers of his bill say the method confuses voters and leads to long waits for results.
Advocates have long seen ranked-choice voting as a way to expand voter participation and reduce election costs in Georgia, a swing state where elections in recent years have been closely watched across the United States. Supporters say runoff elections cost the state tens of millions of dollars and draw low turnouts as voters grow tired of heading to the polls multiple times.
Robertson’s bill follows several Republican-backed measures aimed at tightening Georgia’s election system since the 2020 election cycle, in which Democratic candidates flipped the state in the U.S. presidential and Senate races.
House Bill 331 by State Rep. Beth Camp (R-Concord) would outlaw parking lot sales of dogs, cats, and domestic rabbits, according to Georgia Recorder.
The bill, sponsored by Concord Republican Rep. Beth Camp, is designed to stanch the flow of unwanted animals streaming into shelters across the state at a time of rampant overcrowding.
The measure cleared the House Agriculture and Consumers Affairs Committee with one dissenting vote Tuesday, but it still needs to be approved by the full House by March 6, which is Crossover Day, to have the best shot at making it to the governor’s desk this year.
If it becomes law, the bill will ban the practice of selling animals in parking lots, on sidewalks, seasonal flea markets and other similar outdoor areas that tend to be hotspots for unlicensed breeders who prioritize profit over the wellbeing of the animals in their care.
Breeders would still be able to sell dogs, cats and rabbits from their home, business, a veterinarian’s office or other designated locations, like outside a police department.
“There’s no consumer recourse if you buy an animal from someone that you don’t know in a place that there’s no traceability,” Camp said Tuesday. “It’s a twofold bill. It’s protecting the consumer, and it’s also protecting, in my humble opinion, the animals who unfortunately get dumped in animal shelters when people are unhappy with them because it’s not what they thought they were.”
Proponents of the bill argued that these unlicensed breeders are also often involved in other illicit activities and that Camp’s proposal would make it harder for them to skirt the law, which requires someone to get a state license if they sell more than one litter of puppies or 30 adult dogs in a year.
Rep. Leesa Hagan, a Lyons Republican, said she regularly hears complaints from back home about people lining up at the Walmart parking lot trying to “make a few bucks off” of animals instead of attempting to control the proliferation of their pets.
“I see this bill as a good start on us handling that situation because it discourages irresponsible breeding practices, irresponsible handling of these animals, while it does not impact our licensed breeders in any way,” Hagan said.
Peggy McCarthey, a volunteer with the Georgia Pet Coalition, which is an advocacy group that lobbies at the state Capitol, says the bill would help address one of the drivers of Georgia’s pet overpopulation problem.
“Why this bill is so important is because it might seem to someone, ‘Well, this is just someone selling a box of puppies in a parking lot. That’s not a big deal.’ But statewide and cumulatively, it’s a huge problem,” McCarthey said.
Nearly a dozen local governments have passed similar ordinances, but if Camp’s bill becomes law, it would apply statewide.
There’s also a new proposal in the Senate calling for a deep dive into the vexing problem during the legislative break. Sen. Carden Summers, a Cordele Republican, has filed a bipartisan resolution Monday that would create a study committee on “combating unscrupulous companion animal breeding practices,” like puppy mills and backyard breeding operations.
Summers’ proposal cites the impact to taxpayers when animals are seized and turned over to already overwhelmed shelters and rescue organizations, as well as the harm done to the unwanted pets who often end up abandoned or euthanized. The state Department of Agriculture seized 136 dogs last month from a puppy mill in Pierce County.
The panel would be tasked with making recommendations on “reducing or preventing unscrupulous companion animal breeding to ensure humane treatment of animals in breeding practices in this state.”
State Senator Drew Echols (R-Gainesville) gave a legislative session update to AccessWDUN.
Echols said he and Republican State Senator for District 50 Bo Hatchett were selected to carry Governor Brian Kemp’s legislation.
One of the governor’s legislation was Senate Bill 96, which will amend and modernize provisions for boards and committees across the state.
“There’s several boards and committees across the state that kind of defunct,” Echols said. “It was just a good government bill, it just cleaned up government.”
To get acclimated into the role, Echols was given Senate Bill 76, which sets up a fund for veterans through license plates.
“She [Senator Kay Kirkpatrick] felt like it would be a good bill for me to get my feet wet and kind of learn the process, so I very much appreciate that, and it passed unanimously,” Echols said. “There was quite a bit of hazing that went on during the process, but I was told that was because they love me.”
Tort reform was also a major talking point during the first part of the legislative session.
“There were things in the bill that were fair, there were things in there that weren’t fair,” Echols said. “It went out of committee unanimously and then there were still a lot of negotiations.”
The tort reform will look to strike a balance between rising insurance costs due to civil suits and allowing people to still retain damages when harm is done to them.
Echols said that the House of Representatives will look at it when crossover day comes on March 6. Other issues during the crossover will be hurricane relief.
“We talked a lot about hurricane relief,” Echols said. “So we’ll look forward to seeing that after crossover.”
Another bill passed by the senate was the red tape rollback bill, which will look to create an efficiency department for Georgia.
The legislative session for 2025 adjourns on April 4.
The Gwinnett County Board of Education voted to opt out of HB 581, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
[T]he Gwinnett County Board of Education voted unanimously to opt out of Georgia’s floating homestead exemption which is tied to the rate of inflation. Board members listed various reasons for opting out, citing decreased revenues.
One of those reasons, board Chairwoman Adrienne Simmons said, had to do with the district having competitive salaries for teachers.
“If our revenue is reduced, we would have more classrooms with unqualified teachers and that is just not a risk that I can support,” Simmons said.
While Gwinnett County Public Schools officials and school board members said opting out was in the district’s best interest financially, the decision was met with discontent from community members as soon as the vote was taken. School taxes make-up about two-thirds of a homeowner’s property tax bill if they don’t have a senior exemption, according to comments made by county commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson earlier this week.
Over the course of three public hearings on the matter, between mid-January to Thursday, several residents had urged the board to not opt out of the state homestead exemption.
“Shame on you,” several attendees shouted at board members after the vote.
GCPS was not the only local government entity to consider opting out of the homestead exemption. Several Gwinnett cities have considered opting out in recent weeks and county commissioners voted earlier in the week to opt the county government out.
School system officials, on the other hand, have argued that participating in the homestead exemption would cost the district $35 million in revenues per year.
A school system’s main sources of revenue are local taxes and state funding.
“The majority of our budget, our general fund operating budget, is for direct and indirect instructional services,” GCPS Chief Financial Officer Masana Mailliard said.
Mailliard added that the school system is committed to reducing its millage rate “when we can afford to reduce that millage rate.” Although the school board has rolled back the millage rate in recent years, however, those reductions have not been full rollbacks to a revenue neutral rate.
That has resulted in tax increases on homeowners school taxes.
But, board member Steve Gasper pointed to Gwinnett County government, saying the county tax assessor’s office played a major role in higher taxes through increased property value assessments. Gasper said his property taxes have nearly doubled over the last 15 years.
“It is not because of the school system,” Gasper said. “It is because of our tax assessor here in the county that has increased the value of my home.”
Cobb County Commissioners voted to opt out of the HB 581 Homestead Exemption, according to NewsBreak.
The 4-0 vote Tuesday came after the third and final public hearing the board held on whether to opt in or out of House Bill 581. At each hearing, citizens called for the county to opt out of the state’s proposed cap.
Many called the bill confusing, several issued scathing critiques of the legislature for passing it in the first place, and nearly all told the county to stick with the property tax system it already has.
Tuesday night, Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said their concerns were heard.
“This has not been something that has been clear to any of us … and we feel the pain of our citizens who are here,” Cupid said. “… There are 159 counties and only about 30 have a floating homestead exemption like Cobb County has. And so while I recognize that this bill was intended to provide relief for those across all of Georgia’s counties who may not have that exemption, we are very fortunate to have that here in Cobb County.”
Cobb County already offers a better tax breaks to its citizens through a floating homestead exemption that freezes home values — according to according to Dante Handel with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, Cobb’s exemption is more generous than the new one the state had offered.
Several local governments in Cobb County have announced their intention to opt out of the cap, including the Cobb County and Marietta City school districts and the cities of Marietta, Smyrna, Powder Springs, Acworth and Kennesaw.
Augusta City Commissioners voted to opt out of the HB 581 Homestead Exemption, according to WJBF.
Augusta City Commissioner Brandon Garrett returned after a self-imposed Sabbatical, according to WJBF.
Back in October, Brandon Garrett stepped away from his commission duties for what he said was for his spiritual and mental health.
Garrett rejoined the board at Tuesday’s meeting, telling city leaders he sought counseling during his time away.
“As a family we spent the last four months in a remote faith based residential counseling center in the wilderness of upstate New York. There I learned how my sins affected every aspect of my relationship with my family and the world around us but much more importantly with God,” Garrett said reading from a statement.
Garrett went on to ask commissioners for forgiveness and to move forward together.
Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education members are expected to vote today on opting-out of the HB 581 Homestead Exemption, according to WSAV.
Wednesday’s decision comes after the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System tabled its vote to opt out of House Bill 581.
A vote wasn’t made at the first meeting because several board members had different views about what they felt would best serve taxpayers in Savannah and Chatham County.
House Bill 581 allows Georgia public school systems to consider a floating homestead exemption for property owners impacting tax revenue.
Right now, local governments have until March 1st to opt in or out, but that could be changing after a new bill just passed through the State House.
That bill extends the deadline to March 31st and also adds new language to the existing exemption regarding things like whether or not a spouse has to reapply for the exemption if their significant other passes away.
The State House passed the bill extending the deadline last Tuesday, but it still has to pass through the Senate and then make it to Governor Brian Kemp’s desk before any extensions or changes are made.
The schools have, however, decided to vote on House Bill 581 on Wednesday.
Chatham County’s current homestead exemption, Stephen’s Day, has been in place for the past 25 years.
The Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors endorsed passage of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education (E-SPLOST) on the March 18, 2025 ballot, according to WSAV.
The Savannah Chatham Public School System (SCPSS) put the program up for a public vote on the March 18 special election.
The Savannah Area Chamber explains that ESPLOST 5 is expected to generate $705 million in local funding for school construction and renovations in the span of the next five years.
This marks the fifth program presented to voters for approval since the initiative first began in 2006.
“Our board had the opportunity to hear a detailed presentation from School Board President Roger Moss and system staff about the ESPLOST 5 program,” said Brad Harmon, Chairman of the Savannah Chamber Board of Directors. “Following a thoughtful and thorough discussion, we reached the conclusion that continuing investments through ESPLOST will not only address the demands of our county’s growth but also ensure that Savannah’s visitors contribute to the funding. Most importantly, it will help prepare our students to meet the future workforce needs of our members, ultimately benefiting the entire community.”
“I’m grateful to the Chamber Board and its leadership for their unwavering support of our students,” said Roger Moss. “The Chamber’s endorsement is invaluable in helping the business community understand the goals of the ESPLOST 5 program and the lasting impact it will have on student success.”
Nearly 40% of the 1-penny sales tax is estimated to be funded by tourism, with the proceeds directly benefit Chatham County residents. This approach supports essential projects without placing the burden on property taxes paid by homeowners and businesses.
“The rapid population growth in west Chatham County is driving the need for more schools, including Pooler’s first high school,” said Chamber President and CEO Bert Brantley. “We are deeply committed to supporting the school system’s efforts to improve early-grade literacy, knowing that investments in facilities, teachers, and curriculum lead to stronger educational outcomes and a more skilled workforce. That’s why our organization and the Savannah business community stand behind ESPLOST 5.”
Another key issue for the Chamber Board was ensuring funding for charter schools. ESPLOST 5 marks the first program to include funding for facility and site improvements at Savannah Classical Academy Charter School and Coastal Empire Montessori School.
Early voting for the Mar 18 election started on Feb. 24.
Monroe County Board of Education members voted to give themselves a raise, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Following a heated debate, the Monroe County Board of Education approved a major pay raise for itself earlier this month, attempting to align its salary with the pay rate of board members in neighboring districts. Currently earning $75 per meeting, which the superintendent said is the lowest pay of any area school districts, board members voted 4-3 to boost their compensation to $600 a month.
The decision followed a hearty discussion of potential financial troubles for the district and a controversial vote to opt out of state legislation offering property tax relief to certain homeowners — a move intended to preserve the board’s revenue.
“Well, when you vote to opt out of something the county voted for, you’re already taking something from the county, so (with) the fact that we opted out, I don’t see a problem with paying $600 per person,” said board member Robert Jenkins.
Monroe County’s board members aren’t paid the same way as many other districts, Superintendent Jim Finch said. The Monroe board members are only paid at every regular board or called board meeting, whereas neighboring school systems are paid monthly. “
If there’s one meeting per month, you just get paid for that meeting,” Finch said. “If we have multiple meetings, it may get up to $600 or it may not get up to $600.”
The approved proposal would pay members $600 each per month, regardless of the number of meetings.
Despite the low pay, board members Jeremy Goodwin and Priscilla Doster were among those who didn’t agree to the recommended pay hike, citing the big increase as unnecessary.
“Looking at the chart, it’s obvious that we definitely are far underpaid if you compare to all the other districts,” Doster said. “At this time, with the uncertainty of budgets, I mean we have hopes of having a lot more property tax coming in and a lot more sales tax coming in, a lot more money’s available, but right now nothing’s guaranteed except that those students are going to keep increasing in numbers…”
“I don’t feel like the board should pay themselves an eight-times increase. I just think that’s out of line,” Doster concluded.
Now, Monroe County school officials are waiting on legislative approval before the pay jump will officially take effect, said Kari Buckindail, MCSD communications director.
“The February 11th vote was just the first step in the process. After the vote, the decision required a signed resolution,” Buckindail told The Telegraph in an email. “Dr. Finch has already sent that to Rep. Dale Washburn. It also requires legislative approval before it can go into effect. We are waiting for that step to take place.”
Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Bobby Peters has applied to name the new judicial center after the recently deceased Judge John D. Allen Sr., according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Judge Bobby Peters announced his application to name the new judicial center after the late Judge John D. Allen Sr. Friday at Allen’s funeral.
The item is on Columbus Council’s agenda for the Feb. 25 meeting, starting at 5:30 p.m..
Peters’ application says, “Honorable John D. Allen is a lifelong resident of Muscogee County, Columbus, Georgia. His life was dedicated to service of his country as a fighter pilot in Vietnam and service to his community and state as a Recorders Court Judge, a State Court Judge, and a Superior Court Judge.”
Construction started last year for the new $207.5 million judicial center, funded by $200 million from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and $7.5 million approved by Columbus Council for an additional floor, Ryan Pruett, the city’s director of inspections and code, said during a presentation to the council last year.
The Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit serves Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Talbot, and Taylor Counties.
Jalen Johnson is resigning his seat representing Ward II on the Albany City Commission, according to WALB.
During his announcement, Johnson said he accepted a federal appointment in President Trump’s administration. He said plans to continue to serve Albany residents in his new role.
“When I first took on this role, I committed to fighting for everybody in Albany. I committed to pushing real improvements regarding infrastructure, expanding our public safety departments, securing the highest starting salary for our police department in southwest Georgia, together, we made some progress, but there’s still a lot to accomplish.” [said] Jalen Johnson, Albany Ward 2 Commissioner.
At 22 years old, Johnson became Albany’s youngest city commissioner in 2022.
The Albany City Commission is left with a second vacancy on the seven-member body with the resignation announced Tuesday by Commissioner Jalen Johnson.
Johnson, who has been the Ward II commissioner since 2022, said that he received a federal appointment and will be joining the administration of President Trump. He said he could not elaborate on what his role will be.
“I’ll be going to D.C.,” Johnson, who made the announcement of his resignation at the end of Tuesday’s commission meeting, said.
The departing commissioner won a three-way race to claim the seat in November 2021, claiming 53.7% of the vote.
With Johnson’s departure, it appears that a second special election will be necessary this year to fill the vacant seat.
Ward VI Commissioner Demetrius Young died in December, and a special election to fill that vacancy will be held on March 18.
The city’s charter states that in the event of a seat being vacated, the commission is to call an election within 15 days in instances in which there are more than six months left in the term of office.
Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar delivered his State of the City address, according to WTOC.
Mayor Jonathan McCollar spoke for about 30 minutes at a podium and also did a quick question and answer at his address. He highlighted economic advancements that have been made since he took office in 2018 and outlined a positive vision for the city’s future.
He started, “I don’t know about y’all, but I believe our future is bright.”
How bright is Statesboro’s future?
United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) says Medicaid cuts could hurt Georgia rural hospitals, according to WJBF.
Senator Jon Ossoff warned cuts to Medicaid could also risk the closing of rural hospitals, as about 11 percent of hospitals’ incomes in Georgia come from Medicaid funding.
Senate Republicans blocked Senator Ossoff’s amendment that aimed to protect children and maternal health care through Medicaid.
A new study shows 18 out of Georgia’s 30 rural hospitals face the risk of closure and Ossoff says these cuts will only make the situation worse and damage the health and safety of Georgians putting kids, pregnant mothers and seniors at risk.
“Two out of five children are covered by Medicaid. Seventy percent of seniors in nursing homes are covered by Medicaid. And half of our all births in Georgia are covered by Medicaid. If they destroy Medicaid, they will destroy in healthcare for Georgians,” said Senator Ossoff.
Republican lawmakers in Congress are looking to cut $880 billion dollars in costs through 2034. For Georgia, that could be about $16 billion dollars on the chopping block cut for Medicaid and Peach Care for kids.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that Paul W. Brown will serve as special agent in charge of the Atlanta Field Office, according to AccessWDUN.
The Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing on the East Coast, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Port of Savannah was the fastest growing on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts in 2024, outpacing the Port of New York and New Jersey in growth last year, Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch announced at this year’s State of the Port event Tuesday.
Showcased by a new host of cranes recently erected at the transforming Ocean Terminal, GPA shows no signs of slowing with $4 billion in planned investments over the coming years.
The Port of Savannah’s growth came at a 12.5% clip in 2024, adding 618,000 TEUs compared to 2023. That outpaced growth at the Port of New York and New Jersey by one percent. However, the Port of New York and New Jersey still outpaced the Port of Savannah in volume, handling 8.7 million TEUs in 2024.
“These are the gateway ports. Customers want to focus their cargo here because we are connected to the world,” Lynch said.
Mason Mega Rail Terminal achieved record volumes in 2024, moving 540,850 containers by train, up 29,000 containers compared to 2023, or 5.7 percent. The on-port facility provides dual access to Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads.
The Appalachian Regional Port also helped boost GPA’s performance, with an annual high of 37,840 rail lifts at the Northwest Georgia inland port, up 8.3 percent over 2023.
“Savannah continued to lead the nation’s major ports in speed to rail in 2024, with containers connecting from vessel to departing train in just one day,” Lynch said. “When port users choose Savannah, their cargo reaches inland markets with greater speed and the kind of reliability customers can plan around. For rail cargo, we average 19 to 24 hours from vessel discharge to rail departure.”
For port customers, cargo velocity equals reduced inventory costs. The Blue Ridge Connector, near Gainesville, Ga., is slated to open in 2026, served by Norfolk Southern. Lynch said the BRC is located in one of Georgia’s fastest growing markets. The area’s population is expanding six times faster than the national average, driving increased consumer demand. Containers moving between the Blue Ridge Connector and the Port of Savannah by rail will avoid a 600-mile roundtrip by truck. The 104-acre facility will have a full capacity of 200,000 containers each year, which would avoid 120 million truck miles annually.
Growing capacity improves Georgia Ports’ ability to support the economies of the state and nation, Lynch said. Port activity in Georgia now supports more than 609,000 full- and part-time jobs across the Peach State, according to an economic impact study by the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. That number is up 48,000 jobs or 8.6% compared to Fiscal Year 2021, the period covered by the previous study.
Other statewide impacts include $171 billion in sales for Georgia businesses (12% of state total, up 22% vs. FY2021); $72 billion in goods produced or services provided by port-supported industry each year (9 percent of total state GDP / up 22 percent vs. FY2021); $40 billion in income earned by Georgians annually (6% of Georgia’s total personal income, up 21.2% vs. FY2021).
OOCL Iris became the largest container ship to call on the Port of Savannah, according to the Savannah Morning News.
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