Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for June 14, 2024

The Magna Carta was sealed by King John on June 15, 1215.

The charter consisted of a preamble and 63 clauses and dealt mainly with feudal concerns that had little impact outside 13th century England. However, the document was remarkable in that it implied there were laws the king was bound to observe, thus precluding any future claim to absolutism by the English monarch. Of greatest interest to later generations was clause 39, which stated that “no free man shall be arrested or imprisoned or disseised [dispossessed] or outlawed or exiled or in any way victimised…except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.” This clause has been celebrated as an early guarantee of trial by jury and of habeas corpus and inspired England’s Petition of Right (1628) and the Habeas Corpus Act (1679).

On June 14, 1736, James Oglethorpe ordered plans to be drawn for a new city to be called Augusta.

On June 16, 1736, General James Oglethorpe arrived in England with Tomochichi, the Yamacraw Indian chief, Tomochichi’s wife and several other members of the tribe on a trip to meet the Georgia Trustees and King George II.

On June 15, 1740, Spanish troops attacked the English who were led by James Oglethorpe, at Fort Mose, two miles north of St. Augustine, Florida. With 68 English killed and 34 wounded, it was the heaviest losses sustained by Oglethorpe during his campaign against St. Augustine.

Happy birthday to the United States Army, established on June 14, 1775.

George Washington accepted the assignment of leading the Continental Army on June 15, 1775.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution, “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” One hundred years later, on June 14, 1877, was the first observance of Flag Day.

The Oregon Treaty was signed on June 15, 1815 between England and the United States, establishing the border between the U.S. and Canada.

On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln addressed the Illiniois Republican Convention as a candidate for U.S. Senate and warned that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

On June 15, 1864, a funeral was held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta for Confederate General Leonidas Polk, who was killed the day before at Pine Mountain near Marietta.

The Atlanta Constitution was first published on June 16, 1868.

Bob Dylan recorded “Like a Rolling Stone” on June 16, 1965.

The Monterey Pop Festival opened at the Monterey Fairgrounds on June 16, 1967, often considered one of the opening events of the “Summer of Love.” Among the artists playing the Festival were the Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Macon-born Otis Redding.

Six Flags Over Georgia opened on June 16, 1967.

Atlanta Braves player Otis Nixon tied the modern record for steals in one game with six stolen bases agains the Montreal Expos on June 16, 1991.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Today is the last day of early voting before Tuesday’s Runoff Elections, according to the AJC.

Voters will decide which candidates advance to the general election in November. In some cases, the runoffs will determine the winner in races where there’s no candidate from the other party.

Through Thursday, over 138,000 Georgians had already voted in advance of election day, according to state election data. During last month’s primary, total turnout reached 1.27 million voters.

Voters can find their sample ballots and early voting locations through the state’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.

Voting precincts will also be open on election day Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Candidates for the Democratic nomination for Richmond County Sheriff race and the non-partisan Superior Court Judge seat in Augusta met in forums ahead of Tuesday’s runoff elections, according to WJBF.

“The thing about runoff elections is when the people miss it the first time and like for whatever reason, like, ooh, it slipped my mind or something,” said Richard Rountree, Sheriff Candidate. “They do get an opportunity to come back, and we are glad they are taking advantage of that.”

Two forums took place Thursday night, one for the sheriff’s candidates and the other for both sheriff and superior court judge candidates.

“I’ve seen all sorts of civil cases. I’ve seen criminal cases, and I also think that my energy. I’m at a point in my career where I’m working hard. I’m going to do that for a long, long time, and so I think I’m uniquely qualified to serve,” said Matt Matson, Superior Court Judge Candidate.

“I think it’s important that they understand that we need change, we need a safer Augusta, and I’m prepared to bring that change and make our community a lot safer than it is today,” said Eugene [“Gino Rock”] Brantley, Sheriff Candidate.

Tuesday, June 18th, they will have the general primary and nonpartisan election runoff.

The AJC writes about local runoff elections:

The race for Clayton sheriff and the choice of DeKalb’s chief executive officer to replace outgoing CEO Michael Thurmond are among the races expected to appear on June 18 runoff ballots. Clayton also has a runoff for County Commission chair.

Congressional races: Three U.S. House primaries will require runoffs: the 2nd District, Republicans Chuck Hand and A. Wayne Johnson; the 3rd District, Republicans Brian Jack and former state Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan; the 14th District, Democrats Clarence Blalock and Shawn Harris.

Georgia Legislature: Among the runoffs for the Georgia Legislature are: Senate District 38, which is based in Fulton County, spans from Sandy Springs to Palmetto; Senate District 34, which spans Fulton and Fayette counties; and a DeKalb County seat held by retiring Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler. Read more about these runoff elections for Legislature.

Clayton County: Incumbent Sheriff Levon Allen is likely to face Clayton County Commission Chairman Jeff Turner, the second-place finisher in unofficial results. Commissioner Alieka Anderson will face former Tax Commissioner Terry Baskin for Clayton County Commission chair. Runoffs are also expected in commission races for Districts 1 and 3.

Cobb Commission: Jaha Howard and Taniesha Whorton were the top finishers in District 2 in a field of five candidates. The Cobb election may still be affected by an ongoing legal challenge to the county’s new political district map.

DeKalb County: Former Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson will meet again in a runoff for chief executive officer. Runoffs are also scheduled in the District 4 commission race, school board District 5 and one State Court Judge seat

Douglas County: Runoffs are scheduled for County Commission District 3 and School Board District 1. A Superior Court judgeship is also on the ballot.

Gwinnett County: Runoffs are expected for two school board seats. In District 1, incumbent Karen Watkins and Rachel Stone were the top finishers. In District 3, Steve Gasper and Shana V. White finished first and second. There is also a runoff for Superior Court judge.

Rockdale County: Oz Nesbitt Sr. and JaNice Van Ness are in a runoff for County Commission Chair. Runoffs are also needed in County Commission District 1 and School Board Post 1.

Governor Brian Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, toured the Korean DMZ, according to a Press Release.

On the first day of their economic development mission to the Republic of Korea, Governor Brian P. Kemp was joined by First Lady Marty Kemp in touring the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Intersecting the 38th parallel north, the DMZ runs across the Korean Peninsula and was established in 1953 under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

“For decades the Korean Demilitarized Zone has served as a boundary between democracy and tyranny,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “It was truly humbling to reflect on the service, sacrifice, and legacy of the thousands of Koreans and Americans who fought and died to preserve the freedoms of the Korean people. Our visit is also a powerful reminder of America’s responsibility to stand with our allies in championing freedom and liberty around the world, and the strong partnership our state and nation enjoy with the Republic of Korea.”

Following the tour of the DMZ, the governor continued leading an international mission to the Republic of Korea focused on reinforcing strategic economic development partnerships.

Korea-Georgia Connection at a Glance

The State of Georgia has maintained continuous representation in Korea since 1985, and Korea’s Consular Office with jurisdiction across the Southeast, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands has been located in Georgia since 1976. Korea has been one of the top sources of Foreign Direct Investment and international job creation in Georgia for the last three years. In fiscal year 2023, alone, Korean companies announced more than $10 billion in investments and the creation of 12,605 jobs across the state. Total trade between the State of Georgia and Korea totaled over $15.8 billion in calendar year 2023, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the state’s total trade.

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Georgia twice in coming days, according to Atlanta News First via WRDW.

Already set to appear at a 100 Black Men of America conference on Friday, Harris’ office said she will return to Atlanta on Tuesday for a gun safety seminar.

Harris is joining Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist Quavo for a conversation at the first-ever Rocket Foundation Summit that is taking place on rapper Takeoff’s birthday. This follows a September conversation at the White House where Harris and Quavo discussed ways to advance commonsense gun safety policies.

This will be the Vice President’s fifth visit to Georgia this year and her 14th since being sworn in.

On Friday, Harris will participate in a moderated conversation at the 38th annual conference for 100 Black Men of America, being held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Harris’ last visit to Atlanta was in late April, when she kicked off the administration’s “Economic Opportunity Tour.”

From the Gwinnett Daily Post:

Quavo and Takeoff, both Gwinnett natives, were two-thirds of the rap group Migos.

During Tuesday’s summit, the foundation is also expected to hand out 10 grants, each worth $10,000, to organizations that are working to end gun violence in metro Atlanta.

From the AJC:

The spate of stops in Atlanta underscore the campaign’s concerns that former President Donald Trump is gaining traction among Black men, with recent polls showing Black voters’ support for Democrats is beginning to drift.

President Joe Biden’s hopes of keeping Georgia in the Democratic column four years after his narrow upset victory in the state rests on strong turnout from Black Georgians, the pillar of a coalition that also includes white liberals, suburban swing voters and disillusioned Republicans.

Even a small sliver of Black Georgians who stay home could upend the fragile electoral alliance that helped Biden carry the state by fewer than 12,000 votes.

While senior Georgia Democrats say there’s little chance of a striking exodus of Black voters to Trump, they’re more concerned that Biden’s campaign won’t inspire the same rush to the polls it did when he flipped the state in 2020.

The frequent stops in Georgia also send a reminder to Democrats in Georgia and beyond that the Biden campaign still considers the state competitive, despite polls showing Trump with a single-digit lead in the state.

“Her continued presence in the state underscores how competitive Georgia is,” said University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock. “We are viewed as being very much in play,” he added. “It’s clear Democratic leadership has not written us off.”

From a separate article in the AJC:

A CBS poll released Sunday found that while the president’s support among Black voters is not as strong as it was in 2020, it has improved since the spring.

“It’s very, very important … to make sure that we’re explaining what this administration has done,” Montgomery, Alabama, Mayor Steven Reed told reporters while discussing potential apathy among young Black voters.

“We have to make sure we’re willing to go to the fraternity meetings, we have to make sure we’re willing to go to the Masonic halls, that we’re going to the churches, the men’s groups, the barbershops — or wherever (young people) might be and talk about what this administration has done, how it benefits young men and young women, and, more particular, what they can do with another four years,” he said.

Engaging Black voters is a crucial part of Biden’s reelection strategy. In 2020, a massive turnout from the Black community in battleground states was a key factor in turning the 2020 election in his favor. Without a repeat performance this November, Biden’s path to victory is more complicated.

“He’s going to get the lion’s share of the Black vote, but if turnout is anemic, it’s not going to be enough to help him out in battleground states (like Georgia),” Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie said Monday on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia” podcast.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is trying to peel away minority votes. Last month, Trump held a rally in the diverse neighborhood of the South Bronx where he claimed Biden’s immigration policies hurt Black and Hispanic Americans.

A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals heard arguments in the Bainbridge Monkey case, according to the Albany Herald.

At Thursday’s hearing, Decatur County District Attorney Joe Mulholland noted that the city of Bainbridge is choosing to do business with the CEO of Safer Human Medicine who just pled guilty to $35 million for abuse of animals. Mulholland also reiterated his own job as a community leader.

“To make sure that companies like Safer Humane Medicine have to follow all the rules, can’t slap people on the back, come into my community and try to put 30,000 monkeys next to the Flint River. That’s why the DA signs bond validations,” Decatur County District Attorney Joe Mulholland said.

Safer Human Medicine lawyer, Hugh Peterson, stands firm on the fact that the monkey facility which was also referred to as Project Liberty was never a secret.

Mulholland contended that the project’s approval violated the Open Meetings Act.

“Absolutely. 100% fraud. And what hurts about it most is that these are local individuals that I’ve worked with for 20 years and this thing was purposely fast-tracked and put without the personal input of the citizens of Decatur County,” Mulholland said.

The Decatur County Development Authority told the judge they had rescinded their vote for the project. But Safer Human Medicine said they’re not backing down.

“Judge, we contend that everything was done properly. That Safer Human Medicine and the development authority followed procedure,” Peterson said.

Mulholland said he expects a decision from the court of appeals in the next couple of months. Ultimately, the courts will either rule to move forward with the project or reverse and deny the bond.

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (R-Jackson County) writes about the state’s debt to our veterans, in the Savannah Morning News.

While we will never be able to fully repay our state’s veterans for the sacrifices they have made to preserve freedom, we can work to ensure that these heroes receive the highest quality mental health care and housing opportunities in Georgia.

June is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. Today, take some time to reflect not only on the sacrifices veterans have made, but also the mental health struggles that many still endure. Many Georgia veterans are affected by PTSD, and we must do more to address this condition and the toll it takes on our veterans and their families. Healthcare delays and backlogs, coupled with failures of leadership at the federal level, have forced states like ours to intervene and ensure we give our veterans the support they need and deserve.

This year, the Georgia Senate voted to establish the Senate Study Committee on Veterans Mental Health and Housing. It is fitting that this vitally important committee begins its work during PTSD Awareness Month. The committee will evaluate the adequacy of public and private programs and services available in Georgia to provide mental health services and housing to our veteran community.

Many of Georgia’s veterans require services and support tailored to their unique experiences and their needs, particularly if they suffered severe injuries or have been exposed to traumatic events during their service. PTSD in particular can create an intense strain on Georgia’s veterans and their families. The committee will work to assist these brave men and women and help them get the access to quality mental health care that they deserve.

In addition to increasing access to mental health care services for our veterans, the committee will also study solutions for the many veterans who suffer from chronic injuries, physical disabilities, addiction, mental illness, or other issues that limit their ability to work or obtain housing.

A recent federal study by the Housing Assistance Council estimates that as many as 40,000 veterans in Georgia live in poverty and that nearly 700 veterans currently experience homelessness in Georgia. That is entirely unacceptable for a population that has given so much to our state and our country.

Promoting access to specialized services and housing is often a key step to ensuring that veterans and their families have the resources and support they need to thrive in the years following their military service. I am proud that we have begun the work to address these issues, but there is still much more to be done in order to help veterans thrive in our state.

Georgia’s veterans have given so much to preserve our freedoms. The best way we can honor them is to make sure they are cared for when they return home. Amidst the struggles that our veterans undergo while suffering from PTSD, I am proud that the Georgia Senate has committed to ensuring our veterans can access quality mental health care services and affordable housing options.

Former candidate for Mayor of Macon-Bibb County Shekita Maxwell filed a lawsuit seeking a new election, according to 13WMAZ.

Maxwell filed a motion in Bibb County Superior Court calling for an injunction just a week after the election. She argues the election wasn’t secure and that some people with disabilities had a harder time voting.

Maxwell posted on Facebook last month that she filed for the injunction, but it didn’t drop into the court system database until this week after a judge signed off on her pauper’s affidavit. That’s something you file with the court saying you don’t have enough money to afford court costs.

Maxwell’s lawsuit highlights a few problems, like the long walk from the parking lot to the elections office, one of the early voting locations. She argues that could mean it drove people with disabilities away from the polls.

The suit also mentions mixed-up ballots, like Bibb County Commission districts 6 and 9, and house districts 143 and 145. While not connected with the suit, Bibb County NAACP President Gwenette Westbrooks called this week for the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections to make sure ballots are correct.

“Someone is at fault. And we have to make sure that, you know, it doesn’t happen again. I’m saying this is a very, you know, we’re coming up on an election in November. We have to get it right,” Westbrooks said.

On election day last month, Elections Supervisor Tom Gillon told 13WMAZ most of those problems had to do with redistricting.

“We did an OK job with it, but we apparently may have missed a few streets here, a few people there. I don’t think it’s a large number of voters that were affected, but it was probably scattered around the county,” Gillon said.

Of course, those mixups don’t affect the mayor’s race. Everyone in Macon-Bibb voted on the same two names: Maxwell and Miller.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will not investigate an ethics complaint filed against Guyton City Council member Theodore Hamby, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Justin Hitt, campaign manager for Kelly Hoffner, who is in a tight run-off contest for the Republican nomination for the Effingham County Tax Commissioner position, has lodged an ethics complaint against Guyton City Councilman Theodore Hamby for “soliciting money from candidates running in the tax commissioner’s race.”

The complaint was referred to both the City of Guyton’s Board of Ethics and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI determined that information provided in the complaint “did not rise to the level of a GBI investigation,” according to Nelly Miles, director of Office of Public & Governmental Affairs for GBI.

Guyton City Attorney Ben Perkins confirmed that the City of Guyton’s three-member Board of Ethics will review the allegations in the coming weeks.

“The City of Guyton ethics ordinance specifies a two-step process,” explained Perkins. “First, the Board of Ethics is empowered to dismiss in writing complaints that it determines are unjustified, frivolous, patently unfounded, or fail to state facts sufficient to invoke the disciplinary jurisdiction of the City Council. If that hurdle is cleared, the board has 60 days from the date on which the complaint is filed to collect evidence and hold a hearing.  A decision by the Board is to be submitted to City Council within 7 days of the hearing.”

Hamby denies “all the false claims” brought against him.

“I have always conducted myself with the utmost integrity and have prided myself on being the most transparent councilman,” said Hamby. “I eagerly await the conclusion of this matter so that I can continue focusing on the work the citizens of Guyton elected me to do.”

Augusta is considering double-pay for police officers willing to patrol part of downtown, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Beginning this weekend, deputies can sign up to work “Downtown Broad Street Proactive” patrols for double overtime pay, according to an email sent to deputies Monday by sheriff’s Maj. Gerald Metzler.

The email was forwarded to the mayor by Sheriff Richard Roundtree on Monday.

The patrols will be every Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., according to the email. There will be no more than 12 deputies per night, with the highest-ranking deputy assuming group leadership.

Deputies are encouraged to patrol on foot, with at least two deputies on each patrol, the email noted.

The Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools heard from area residents about their proposed property tax millage rate, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Roll back the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s (SCCPSS) proposed millage rate to 16.349 mills.

That was the message from every person who took the opportunity to speak before the school board at both Wednesday’s first and second public hearings on the district’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 millage rate.

The current rate is 17.631 mills, which would actually result in a 7.84% property tax increase, despite the millage rate remaining the same for a fourth year. That is, as Budget Director Paige Cooley stressed yet again in her concise presentation, because the majority of Chatham County’s property owners saw their assessed property value go up this year due to calculations by the Chatham County Board of Assessors.

A rate of 16.439 mills would mean property owners’ contributions this year would be the same next year.

Former District 1 State Senate Republican candidate and education resources chair for Ladies on the Right Beth Majeroni took issue with a “certain board member’s” comments during the latest school board meeting on Wed., June 5. Majeroni said that the board member seemed “to be very confused about the concept itself of millage rate.”

The board member she referred to was District 3 School Board Representative Cornelia Hall, who had expressed that she felt the millage rate was too low. Majeroni was bothered by the fact that Hall wanted to take a closer look at Henry County, which Superintendent Denise Watts, Ed. D., had presented as the most comparable district to SCCPSS but with a much higher millage rate (plus a bond).

Majeroni said that the thinking “if one Georgia County has a higher millage rate than Chatham, then Chatham should also…shows a complete misunderstanding of the millage rate and how it is computed.” She advocated for the district to cut the π208 Bull Street bloat” (referring to the number of administrators designated as central office employees) before voting to increase taxes.

At both hearings, some commenters cited the disparities in property valuations between the two counties, even though the median home prices are similar and Chatham County’s population is about 50,000 more than Henry.

Speakers condemned salaries and benefit expenditures for what they referred to as administrative or “non-school-based” positions within SCCPSS’s central office. Cuts to those positions was the only suggestion speakers offered in regard to cost savings that could justify the roll back.

Chatham County Commissioners also hosted a meeting to discuss their property tax millage rate, according to WTOC.

The board has tentatively adopted a millage rate that will require an increase in property taxes by just over 7 percent in General Maintenance and Operations taxes.

An increase in property taxes by almost 6 percent in Special Service District taxes.

An increase in property taxes by 7 and a half percent in Chatham Area Transit Authority taxes.

Chatham County Commissioners are expected to vote today on funding for a county fire department, according to WTOC.

The creation of the department would be a big change from the model that brings fire service to the county now which is a privately owned company.

How it will essentially work is the county is going to buy out the fire protection portion of Chatham Emergency Services.

Chuck Kearns, the CEO of Chatham Emergency Services, said, “going over to the county, they have much deeper pockets and they have more resources, and they really are concerned about the growth of the community with the Hyundai plant coming in, and all the development that’s going on and the expansion of the ports. So it kind of makes sense to let the government do that, and now that they actually want to do it, it makes sense to make the transition as quick and easy as possible.”

Certainly the way you’re billed for fire protection services will change. Residents will no longer see “fire fees” which have caused quite a controversy in the community.

Instead, they’ll be paying for fire service through taxes.

The new Chatham County Fire Department is set to begin operations on July 1st.

Property tax assessments have risen dramatically in Glynn County, according to The Brunswick News.

The county has seen substantial growth in the tax digest of nearly $30 million in the last three years.

In 2019, the total tax digest — the assessed value of all taxable property in the county, including the city limits — was $7.7 billion. The assessed value is different from the actual value of a home, or, as the Glynn County Property Appraisal office calls it, “fair market value.”

Assessed value is used for calculating property taxes and is 40% of fair market value. The appraisal office estimates all real property in the county is valued at $17 billion, up from $15.8 billion last year. The property appraisal office and the Board of Assessors set the assessed values independently from local governments.

Taxation based on assessed value translated to a sum of $135.14 million in revenue for the government agencies in 2023. In 2022, the county brought in $129.03 million; in 2021, $118.4 million; in 2020, $112.2 million; and in 2019, $108.5 million.

Property tax revenue is split between City Hall, the county government, the Glynn County School Board and state government.

When looking only at taxes paid on real property the Sea Island Co. was far and away the largest taxpayer at $1.18 million. Adding in personal property, Sea Island paid about the same, but Brunswick Cellulose, the local subsidiary of Georgia Pacific, paid $3.7 million in taxes.

Some of the growth can be attributed to rising land values while some is likely due to new additions to the tax rolls, said Tax Commissioner Jeff Chapman. Per records provided by the property appraisal office, 620 new structures were built in 2024 so far, 593 in 2023, 468 in 2022, 369 in 2021, 371 in 2020 and 401 in 2019, only a handful of each being non-residential.
While inflation has slowed, it’s not stopping, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sitting around 3.3% as of last month. “Spiraling” inflation of recent years, as described by Glynn County Commission Chairman Wayne Neal at a recent address, may stall, but it’s not reversing course.

LaGrange swore in Mayor Jim Arrington and District 1 LaGrange City Council member Darby Pippin, according to WTVM.

Arrington fills the vacant mayor position due to the untimely death of former beloved mayor Dr. Willie T. Edmondson – he was elected mayor in May of this year in a special election.

City Council Member Darby Pippin becomes the first Councilwoman since Norma Tucker and Kay Durand – she was elected in May’s special election as well and fills the vacant District 1 Council seat previously held by Arrington after he stepped down to run for Mayor.

Tybee City Council passed a new Short Term Vacation Rental ordinance, according to WTOC.

City council voted 4-1 to rezone more than half of the island with the goal of slowly removing short term vacation rentals.

Ultimately Tybee City Council chose to pass the ordinance that would slowly remove Short term Vacation rentals.

This ordinance prohibits owners in residential zones from transferring their short-term licenses.

It also prohibits a new license from being issued once a property is sold reducing the number of rentals in residential areas over time.

But this ordinance didn’t come without nearly 2 hours of public comment.

Some supporting the change and opposed by others.

According to an economic study conducted by Georgia Southern in 2022, Tybee Island collected 1.3 million dollars in sales tax, 1.8 million in property tax and 8.5 million in lodging tax.

All money that some fear would slowly dwindle as short-term vacation rentals slowly die out on the islands.

The Bibb County School District may close a school or schools due to falling revenue, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Mandated costs for the district’s 2025 budget are about $4 million higher than last year’s budget. Also, health care costs incurred by the district will increase by 86% between 2024 and 2026 for each participant, Sims added.

“As we think about those available funds – those mandated funds take away from our fund base, which gives us a smaller pot of money to operate with,” Sims said.

Mandated funds, which are not funded by the state, include salaries, health insurance and retirement contributions. The 2025 proposed school budget aims to address employee pay disparities by including raises for classified and certified employees in order to retain staff and make the district a more competitive employer across Middle Georgia.

The Bibb County School District identified about $2.8 million in cuts through departmental adjustments and program audits, Sims said.

In addition to those cost cuts, funding from the federal American Rescue Plan, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding for the district will end in September. The millions of dollars, which were distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped the district assist students during a difficult time, he added.

“Over the course of the 2024-2025 school year … we will engage in looking carefully at our long-range facilities plans, engage the community, and think through school consolidations,” Sims said, adding that he does not yet have a school in mind.

The appointment of Byron Hickey to to fill a Columbus City Council seat hit another roadblock, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The controversial and delayed appointment of retired police officer Byron Hickey to the Columbus Council was poised to take a step toward completion Thursday. Instead, it’s still delayed — with a bit more controversy.

The Columbus Consolidated Government’s pension board gathered Thursday in a called meeting to consider a proposed amendment that would resolve conflicting parts of local law, preventing Hickey from completing the swearing-in process.

The city charter considers councilors to be part-time employees, and they are paid like it, earning around $22,000 per year. But they have the option to participate in the city’s health insurance plan, and about 8% of their pay automatically goes in the city’s pension plan because the plan considers councilors to be full-time employees.

Nobody mentioned that conflict when, in a 6-3 vote May 28, the council appointed Hickey to succeed the late Jerry “Pops” Barnes and fill the remaining two years of the four-year term. Barnes, who died April 14 at age 80 from an undisclosed illness, was the District 1 representative on the 10-member council for 17 years.

A week after he was appointed, and the same day the city’s probate court judge swore him into office, Hickey received an email from CCG human resources director Reather Hollowell informing him that his city pension would be suspended while he served on the council because the city’s pension ordinance considers councilors as full-time employees, despite the charter treating councilors as part-time employees.

Fast forward to Thursday, when an attempted solution was delayed.

After about 40 minutes of discussion, the consensus of the pension board was to not vote on the proposed amendment and to not make a recommendation to the council.

The added controversy came when pension board members asked why the proposed amendment narrowly was written to carve out an exception for only retired city employees who are appointed or are elected to the council, rather than any public office.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley, a pension board member, noted he received the proposed amendment only 54 minutes before Thursday’s called meeting was scheduled to start.

“This is being done hurriedly,” he said. “… I’m not comfortable voting on this matter today.”