On the same day, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to his friend Jean-Baptiste LeRoy, in which he said,
“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
General Sherman’s army prepared for the March to the Sea on November 14, 1864.
On November 13, 1865, the United States government issued the first Gold Certificates.
The Georgia General Assembly adopted a resolution against ratifying the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution on November 13, 1866.
In deciding not to ratify the 14th Amendment, the General Assembly adopted a committee report explaining that: “1. If Georgia is not a State composing part of the Federal Government known as the Government of the United States, amendments to the Constitution of the United States are not properly before this body. 2. If Georgia is a State composing part of the Federal Government … , these these amendments are not proposed according to the requirements of the Federal Constitution, and are proposed in such a manner as to forbid the legislature from discussing the merits of the amendments without an implied surrender of the rights of the State.”
Excavation began for a new Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on the site of the former City Hall/Fulton County Courthouse on November 13, 1884.
Walt Disney released “Fantasia” on November 13, 1940.
Georgia Governor and Constitutional Commission Chair Ellis Arnall moved that a home rule provision be included in the new draft of the state Constitution and his motion passed 8-7 on November 13, 1944.
On November 14, 1944, the Constitutional Convention working on a revised document for Georgia reversed its position on home rule that had been adopted the previous day on the motion of Governor Ellis Arnall.
On November 13, 1956, the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that struck down a law requiring segregation on buses in Montgomery, Alabama.
Ronald Reagan announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States on November 13, 1979.
“The people have not created this disaster in our economy; the federal government has. It has overspent, overestimated, and over regulated. It has failed to deliver services within the revenues it should be allowed to raise from taxes. In the thirty-four years since the end of World War II, it has spent 448 billion dollars more than it has collection in taxes – 448 billion dollars of printing press money, which has made every dollar you earn worth less and less. At the same time, the federal government has cynically told us that high taxes on business will in some way “solve” the problem and allow the average taxpayer to pay less. Well, business is not a taxpayer it is a tax collector. Business has to pass its tax burden on to the customer as part of the cost of doing business. You and I pay the taxes imposed on business every time we go to the store. Only people pay taxes and it is political demagoguery or economic illiteracy to try and tell us otherwise.”
“The key to restoring the health of the economy lies in cutting taxes. At the same time, we need to get the waste out of federal spending. This does not mean sacrificing essential services, nor do we need to destroy the system of benefits which flow to the poor, the elderly, the sick and the handicapped. We have long since committed ourselves, as a people, to help those among us who cannot take care of themselves. But the federal government has proven to be the costliest and most inefficient provider of such help we could possibly have.”
“I believe this nation hungers for a spiritual revival; hungers to once again see honor placed above political expediency; to see government once again the protector of our liberties, not the distributor of gifts and privilege. Government should uphold and not undermine those institutions which are custodians of the very values upon which civilization is founded—religion, education and, above all, family. Government cannot be clergyman, teacher and parent. It is our servant, beholden to us.”
“We who are privileged to be Americans have had a rendezvous with destiny since the moment in 1630 when John Winthrop, standing on the deck of the tiny Arbella off the coast of Massachusetts, told the little band of pilgrims, “We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.”
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on November 13, 1982 in Washington, DC.
On November 13, 2006, groundbreaking began for a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Three astronauts with connections to Georgia – Eric Boe, Robert Kimbrough, and Sandra Magnus – were aboard the space shuttle Endeavor when it lifted off on November 14, 2008.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
The Georgia Supreme Court held that District Attorneys must comply with the state Open Records Act, according to the AJC.
District attorneys and their offices are subject to Georgia’s Open Records Act, the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled, rejecting a request by outgoing Athens-Clarke County District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez for protection from a constituent’s lawsuit.
Representatives for Gonzalez, a Democrat who lost her reelection bid to independent challenger Kalki Yalamanchili, did not immediately comment on the case.
The court’s unanimous decision prevents district attorneys from claiming immunity as prosecutors when they’re sued in their official capacities under the state’s public records law.
The Open Records Act instructs government agencies to produce or provide access to public records upon proper request and is intended to promote transparency.
A key argument by Gonzalez was that the act applies only to the executive branch of government. She argued that district attorneys are part of the judicial branch and therefore exempt from public records requests. That theory was echoed by the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia.
In their Oct. 22 opinion, Georgia’s nine justices held that district attorneys exercise executive power, though that is not expressly stated in the Georgia Constitution. They said judicial power is exclusively vested in the courts, and legislative power belongs to the Georgia General Assembly.
“All that remains for district attorneys, then, is executive power,” the justices said. “Second, the nature of the power exercised by district attorneys is neither legislative because district attorneys do not make the law, nor is it judicial, because district attorneys have no power to decide cases.”
“A district attorney’s prosecutorial immunity applies only to individual-capacity claims,” the court said. “With respect to Miller’s official-capacity claims against Gonzalez, those claims are deemed to be claims against the district attorney’s office, an agency of state government under the ORA, and not claims against Gonzalez personally.”
Georgia’s Secretary of State hosted a press conference to discuss the November 5, 2024 General Election, according to WJBF via WSAV.
In a press conference held on Tuesday, one week after Election Day, he said lines were short and wait times were minimal in this year’s election despite record turnout.
“Thank you to all the Georgians in one of the most safest and secure elections,” said Raffensperger. “Millions of voters showed up to vote and you voted in record numbers — nearly 5.3 million people. Georgia has one of the cleanest voting rolls in the country.”
“Election integrity does not happen in the eleventh hour. It is planned years in advance that is why I made sure only American citizens vote in our efforts and I fought for photo ID for all forms of voting in Georgia,” said Raffensperger.
The Secretary of State said despite 60 bomb threats, poll workers and election staff quickly resoled the issues and made the process seamless for voters.
Raffensperger added the recent slew of texts sent to some black voters about “picking cotton” post elections was also likely from foreign hackers.
“We believe that it’s foreign and from Russia and that was happening in several locations across the country but the federal authorities will weigh on that and that is our initial determination,” said Raffensperger.
By law, counties had one hour after polls closed to send in early voting and absentee ballot results and he said most met that and the handful that did not will face the state election board and likely face fines.
Counties have to certify election results by end of day Tuesday, and the state has to certify the results by Nov. 22.
Tuesday was the deadline for Georgia’s 159 counties to certify their votes, and all the counties met that goal.
Local officials certified their results in a 2 p.m. meeting of the Richmond County Board of Elections.
“Today, counties across Georgia will reconfirm the will of Georgia voters with county certifications,” said Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
The state must certify elections in order for the electoral votes to go to President-elect Donald Trump.
Certifying votes at the county level is the first step toward statewide certification, which leads up to the critical Electoral College vote.
Raffensperger’s office said Tuesday evening that all counties had certified their results.
He credits a lot of the speedy process at the polls to this year’s new electronic poll pads
“We added that coming in 2024 it was up all every precinct in the state. 2022, we had a few, and we’re really just testing it out, and we weren’t ready for all the technology,” he said. “It took a while to get it upgraded, so that really helped us speed it up even faster. So 59 or 49-second check-in, and then the lines were just so short.”
Raffensperger credits photo ID, something they didn’t have for absentee ballots back in the 2020 election for more confidence and security at the polls.
“That was a huge security measure, but also a huge confidence builder for everyone,” said Raffensperger. “We use your driver’s license number, which links it back to your photo, but it’s a unique identifier, and so we’re not just basing it on the signature match. People said it was subjective. No argument from me on that. So let’s go ahead and use the driver’s license number so we can make sure that we have actually verified who this voter is. We think that has just really increased the security of the process, but also gave voters confidence.”
“Looks like we had a great election cycle – free fair and fast. Can’t beat that,” Raffensperger said Tuesday morning.
Another key date is Dec. 17, when all state electors hand in their votes for the presidential election.
Congress must count and certify the election on Jan. 6. As president of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris will oversee the counting. The last time the losing candidate had to fulfill this role was Al Gore in 2001.
President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20.
The Chatham County Board of Elections certified their votes in the November 5, 2024 General Election, according to WSAV.
The Chatham County Board of Elections certified the “official and complete” results for the Nov. 5 election on Tuesday after ballot counting issues on election night.
The board confirmed there was a record turnout of voters in Chatham this cycle, totaling over 140,000.
However, the makeup of the turnout was not exactly what election officials were expecting.
“I thought we would have maybe 50,000 vote early and maybe 75,000 on election day. That’s what we prepared for,” Chatham County Elections Director, Billy Wooten, said.
Over 90,000 people voted early this election cycle.
That’s why there was a significant delay when several SD cards containing early votes couldn’t be tabulated and had to be re-entered.
“The registrars were having early voting and didn’t close down their scanners, and that resulted in the cards – there were votes on the cards, we could all see those cards, the tabulating system could see those votes, but they were not, after we put them all in,” Tom Mahoney, the Chairman of the Chatham County Board of Elections, said. “They were not accepted because the tabulating system didn’t know the election had ended.”
There were also over 10,000 absentee ballots, a portion of which the board said couldn’t be tabulated until election night because they were delivered last minute.
“Another thing that’s difficult to anticipate, just because the registrar sends out a lot of absentee ballots, how many are they going to receive back? And how many are they going to receive back by the close of the polls on election day?” Mahoney questioned.
In fact, workers had to come back the next day to finish tabulating, putting Chatham well past the state’s deadline for counting mail in votes.
Once that was done, unofficial election results were considered complete.
“Every time you have an election, something goes wrong, and you learn from it, and you move on, and we’re doing that. So, we don’t expect that same error to occur,” Mahoney said.
According to the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Chatham County Board of Elections could potentially face fines for the ballot counting issues, but he couldn’t elaborate because the investigation is ongoing.
The board has 30 days to file their final reconciliation report with the state.
Georgia Democratic Party Chair (and Member of Congress) Nikema Williams is under fire over the General Election results, according to the AJC.
[The AJC] reported late Tuesday that Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff — likely to be among the most targeted Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections — is among those pressuring Williams to step down and that he called her after the election to personally ask her to resign.
He hasn’t commented publicly on the leadership fight, and his aides would not say on the record whether Ossoff is joining other party figures in demanding a leadership change.
But Williams has plenty of supporters, too. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson signed an open letter that acknowledged frustration with President-elect Donald Trump’s victory but praised Williams’ “steady leadership.”
(House Minority Caucus Chair Billy Mitchell’s name was also on the letter, but he called us this morning to say it was sent without his approval. “I have nothing against Nikema. I wish this debate, this debacle, could have been done in private. But I’m not getting involved in this fight.”)
Meanwhile, Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s other Democratic senator, declined to publicly defend Williams when we caught him in the U.S. Capitol halls. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, the Lithonia Democrat who is close to Ossoff, told us there’s a “groundswell” of party officials calling for Williams to step down but that the decision is hers to make.
So where does this go? Some think the strong-arming could lead Williams to step down. Others speculate that she could stay on. Williams said Tuesday there are internal discussions about her next step.
A potential aftershock if she stays: Williams’ critics could follow Gov. Brian Kemp’s playbook. After he clashed with the Georgia GOP, Kemp started his own political network to carry out the work he wanted the party to focus on.
One option we’ve heard about would involve routing Democratic National Committee dollars that normally would be designated for the state party through a county organization friendly to Ossoff.
More than half of Glynn County voters cast early ballots in the November 5, 2024 General Election, according to The Brunswick News.
During early voting, 33,067 people cast their votes early and another 2,752 voted by mail. That led to only 8,395 votes showing up to the polls on Election Day. There are 61,214 registered voters in Glynn County.
Another trend for the election was 56% of the people who voted were women.
Board members complimented staff and poll workers on the smooth election process.
“It went well, nothing major,” said Christopher Channell, the board of elections supervisor.
During the summary of last week’s election results, election officials said early voting was busiest on weekdays. Channell said turnout for the extended hours the last week of early voting was good enough to justify recommending hours are extended again for the last week for the next general election.
Board members were told to work on the budget, with a recommendation to make a part-time position full-time and for new computers to replace old ones in the offices.
Board member Tommy Clark complimented the board and the local delegation of elected officials in the General Assembly for taking the lead on a successful request to waive a state requirement for one voting machine for every 250 registered voters.
The intent of the requirement was to alleviate long lines on Election Day, but local election officials said the early voting turnout is so great in Glynn County that the additional machines were unnecessary and would create a financial burden on local board of elections across the state.
Columbia County voters approved an extension to the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education (E-SPLOST) through 2032, according to WRDW.
The Georgia State House Republican Caucus voted to nominate their existing leadership for their existing positions when the legislature convenes in January. From the Associated Press via WSAV:
At the gathering inside the state Capitol, Republicans renominated Jon Burns of Newington Tuesday as speaker, a position that is traditionally the second-most influential post in state government behind the governor.
The full House will vote on the position when it reconvenes in January. Republicans lost two seats after the election, but they still hold a majority so Burns will likely win. Republicans are on track to hold 100 seats, vs 80 seats for the Democrats.
“As we look forward to January, I am incredibly confident in the strength of the majority we have worked to defend, and I know there is no issue too big for us to address,” Burns said.
Burns, who lives in a rural area of Effingham County west of Savannah, has worked in the farm supply business. He was selected as speaker in November 2022, succeeding the late former speaker David Ralston.
Inside the House chamber, Burns touted successful Republican efforts from last session including tax reductions, infrastructure investment, funding for pre-k programs, literacy initiatives, “cracking down on illegal immigration” and increasing penalties for certain crimes.
Next year, Burns said the chamber will work to invest in education and increase access to healthcare. Burns recently signaled he was open to Medicaid expansion.
“We will continue championing taxpayers and businesses of every size across the state,” Burns added. “We will continue supporting Georgia’s growing families and providing opportunities for economic security and mobility for every citizen in our state.”
After a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School north of Atlanta, Burns said in September lawmakers would consider policies to support mental health in schools, detect guns and encourage people to safely store guns in 2025. Georgia’s Senate is considering similar policies.
“We will address school safety and ensure that we take every reasonable measure to ensure that a tragedy like what happened at Apalachee High School never happens in our state again, while upholding the rights and privileges of our law-abiding citizens,” Burns said after he was nominated.
Republicans kept Rep. Jan Jones of Milton as House Speaker Pro Tem and Rep. Chuck Efstration of Dacula as majority leader. Rep. James Burchett of Waycross will remain whip, while Rep. Houston Gaines of Athens will remain vice chair and Rep. Bruce Williamson III of Monroe will remain caucus chair.
From the Capitol Beat News Service:
Rep. Chuck Efstration, R-Mulberry, will return as House majority leader, while Rep. James Burchett, R-Waycross, will continue as majority whip.
The rest of the reelected leadership team will include Reps. Bruce Williamson, R-Monroe, as majority caucus chairman; Houston Gaines, R-Athens, as caucus vice chairman; and Ginny Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, as caucus secretary and treasurer.
House Republicans also renominated Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, to retain the gavel, and chose Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, to continue in that role. The full House will elect a speaker and speaker pro tempore when the General Assembly convenes for the 2025 legislative session on Jan. 13.
“I am deeply grateful for the unwavering trust and support of my colleagues and friends,” Burns said Tuesday. “I’m more confident than ever that our caucus will continue to deliver meaningful results – whether it’s passing historic tax cuts, investing in education, expanding access to health care, or making our communities safer.”
While the House GOP lost two seats in last week’s election, Republicans still hold 100 seats to 80 seats controlled by Democrats.
The House Democratic Caucus will meet on Thursday to elect the minority leadership team.
As expected, Democrat-turned-Republican Mesha Mainor was ousted from a deep-blue Atlanta district and GOP incumbent Ken Vance lost a redrawn Milledgeville-based seat. Democrats also picked up an open middle Georgia district overhauled by the court’s order.
But Republicans defeated Democratic state Rep. Farooq Mughal in Gwinnett County and GOP incumbents held off tough Democratic challenges in the Atlanta suburbs. Even some Democratic lawmakers off the GOP target list barely held on.
The results were a byproduct of an alliance with Gov. Brian Kemp, whose political machine spent more than $2 million in six House swing districts. A pro-Burns PAC spent $1 million and the House GOP caucus spent another $3 million.
Separately, Kemp’s political network spent another $250,000 to help defeat Democratic District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez in Athens-Clarke County, a frequent target of the governor’s criticism.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is pressuring U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams to step down as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, though he has not issued a public call for her to resign, according to a half-dozen party officials.
The first-term Democrat’s aides would not say on the record whether Ossoff is joining other party figures in demanding a leadership change after former President Donald Trump recaptured Georgia. But the officials say he called Williams after the election and urged her to step down ahead of his 2026 reelection fight.
Greg Bluestein of the AJC has a great story on how Baldwin County was flipped from the blue column to the red.
A collision of college students, agriculture heartland and lakefront living, Baldwin County is also a recipe for divided politics that has tilted narrowly to Democrats in presidential races since George W. Bush was in office.
That is, until last week when Republican Donald Trump’s dominant comeback victory shattered the 20-year Democratic winning streak in Baldwin and flipped two nearby Georgia counties.
The GOP path to victory here was no fluke. It was the product of painstaking grassroots work against a determined Democratic opposition. And it offers a window into an unconventional approach to winning voters.
Sitting in a quiet real estate office not far from downtown Milledgeville a few days after the vote, Baldwin County GOP Chair Janice Westmoreland put it simply: “We figured out if we can just get the known Republicans out to vote, we’ll win.”
That’s easier said than done. For years, campaigns have struggled to both appeal to their base and win over undecided and independent voters. This cycle, Baldwin Republicans focused almost exclusively on driving out Trump voters — including scores of conservative locals who don’t often vote.
This high-risk, high-reward approach of reaching these so-called “irregular voters” is labor-intensive. A group of local volunteers set out to not just contact those scattered residents once or twice, but a half-dozen times starting in the summer. Some said it felt like a full-time job.
It paid off. While Vice President Kamala Harris gained 19 more votes in Baldwin County over Joe Biden’s total in 2020, Trump netted about 700 more ballots here than he captured four years ago.
Houston County District Attorney-elect Eric Edwards is preparing to take office in January, according to 13WMAZ.
Now, as Houston County’s newly-elected District Attorney, he is preparing to address case backlogs and meet the demands of one of Georgia’s fastest-growing counties when he takes office in January 2025.
“The biggest change that’s gonna take place in this office isn’t me taking over as DA,” Edwards said. “The biggest change is that our judicial circuit is going from three superior court judges to four.”
Edwards, 37, sees this additional judicial position as crucial for tackling the office’s caseload. The fourth judge position will allow for eight additional trial weeks per year.
“We want to be able to get these cases to trial faster than we ever had before,” Edwards said, “so that we can ensure we get that measure of justice for victims.”
After graduating law school in 2012, Edwards began his career in 2013 as a staff attorney for the circuit’s three superior court judges. He joined the District Attorney’s office in 2015, where he quickly found his calling; prosecuting crimes against children, domestic violence cases, and human trafficking.
Edwards has served as Chief Assistant District Attorney since September 2021, working alongside current DA William Kendall. Despite both having previously sought the DA position during an earlier appointment process, Edwards describes their working relationship as “fantastic.”
“We were both seeking the same job, we both knew that,” Edwards said. “But we both knew we were gonna work together to get the mission of this office done.”
One of their joint accomplishments has been fully staffing the office with experienced prosecutors – a rarity among Georgia’s district attorney offices. However, Edwards notes that state funding hasn’t kept pace with Houston County’s growth.
“We still have fewer prosecutors allotted to us in this office than some neighboring jurisdictions with counties that are smaller than ours,” Edwards said. “That’ll catch up over time.”
The addition of the fourth superior court judge position marks the first expansion of the circuit’s judiciary in close to 25 years, according to Edwards. The governor’s office is currently in the process of selecting who will fill this new position.
Former State Rep. Melvin Everson (R-Snellville) was appointed Vice President of Community and Government Affairs, according to a Press Release.
Gwinnett Technical College is excited to announce the appointment of Melvin Everson as the new Vice President of Community and Government Affairs. Previously serving as Vice President of Economic Development, Everson will now bring his extensive expertise and leadership to this pivotal role. This strategic transition underscores our commitment to strengthening community relations and enhancing government partnerships.
In Everson’s new role as Vice President of Community and Government Affairs, he will be responsible for:
• Community Engagement: Leading initiatives to foster strong relationships with local communities, including outreach programs, community development projects, and partnerships with local organizations.
• Government Relations: Managing interactions with government officials and agencies to advocate for policies that support the College’s mission and objectives.
• Public Affairs: Overseeing public affairs strategies to enhance the College’s reputation and influence within the community and government sectors.
Everson brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in economic development, making him uniquely qualified to lead our community and government affairs efforts. His leadership will be instrumental in advancing our goals and positively impacting the communities we serve.
“We are excited about Melvin’s transition to this critical role,” said Dr. Glen Cannon, President. “His expertise and dedication will be invaluable as we continue to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with our community and government partners.”
Prior to joining the College, he served as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and the Georgia Commission of Equal Opportunity. Everson also served as a Georgia State Representative for House District 106, on the Snellville City Council, and in the United States Army. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from Albany State University.
A nationwide search for the Vice President of economic development will be conducted to continue our economic development growth initiatives and support our community’s needs.
Columbia County residents turned out to a Library Board meeting, according to WJBF.
The advisory board held its first meeting Tuesday since new guidelines were put in place a few months ago.
Many library patrons showed up at the meeting, with a total of six people speaking for or against the age-appropriateness guidelines for shelving books.
The guidelines address topics like sexuality, profanity, and violence.
Since they were established, multiple books previously in the children’s or young adult section have been moved to the adult section.
Those in favor of the guidelines argue children and young adults should not be exposed to certain materials in those books.
“It’s not appropriate for a child to discover something that’s not appropriate, something that has to do with incest, or sex, or pictures of activities of like that. And it can happen, and it has happened. So we protect our children,” said library patron Brenda Heidman.
Opponents argue the guidelines are too vague, target books with LGBTQ+ material and infringe upon the right to information.
“It’s not just LGBTQ books that are being removed. These are different award winning books covering different subjects, race, religion – it’s not just this one subject,” said library patron Karin Parham. “So I just feel it really needs to be the parents that make that choice and decision rather than this one small group of people.”
County commissioner Alison Couch confirmed that Columbia County leaders and library board members received a letter from Georgia’s State Librarian after the guidelines were adopted.
The letter stated the guidelines were out of compliance with state law, and could result in loss of funding for the region’s libraries.
“We did have a follow-up call with her and she just advised that we work with the regional board to take a vote on the particular issue, so that’s the path the we are going down,” Couch said. “Going forward, we feel certain that the guidelines that we have in place will work now that the appropriate policies and procedures are in place.”
The Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library Board will vote on the guidelines at its meeting on December 10th. Five of the nine regional board members are on the Columbia County Library Advisory Board.
Georgia’s post-secondary public institutions are seeing higher enrollment this year, according to Atlanta News First via WTOC.
Enrollment rose 6% statewide from fall 2023. That increase of nearly 20,000 students set a new record of nearly 365,000, surpassing last year’s previous high of 344,000.
During a Tuesday meeting in Atlanta, University System of Georgia officials told regents they believed the system had benefitted from the Georgia Match program that sends letters to high school seniors urging them to apply for admission. Also continuing to power the surge were the online master’s degree programs offered by Georgia Tech. The Atlanta university saw enrollment grow by another 11% and is now Georgia’s largest university, with more than 53,000 students.
The University System of Georgia again saw its growth outstrip students nationwide. The National Student Clearinghouse reported last month that student enrollment nationwide grew by 3%.
“That’s something that you all, all of our campuses ought to be really, really proud of,” Chancellor Sonny Perdue told regents.
The University of West Georgia, based in Carrollton, saw enrollment rise nearly 13%, the most of any school in the system.
Georgia Tech increased its student headcount by 11% and Augusta University by 10%. Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus and the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick each saw student numbers grow by nearly 9%.
Gwinnett County Commission Chair Nicole Love Hendrickson presented her proposed FY 2025 county budget, according to AccessWDUN.
The proposed budget for 2025 totals $2.65-billion. That consists of a $2.1-billion operating budget and $542-million for capital improvements.
“Our proposed 2025 budget is a strategic investment in our County’s future and reflects our commitment to providing top-tier services to those who live, work and play in Gwinnett,” Hendrickson said. “By investing in public safety, infrastructure and economic opportunities, we’re prioritizing a safe, thriving and prosperous future for everyone.”
Some initiatives in the proposed budget include enhancing E-911 communications, introducing community service aides to support the police department, and improving water and sewer services.
The county will also look to enhance transportation efficiency, even in light of the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) being shot down by voters on Nov. 5.
Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Dec. 3 and residents can offer their input on the county’s website through Dec. 31.
Commissioners will consider the 2025 budget at their first meeting of the new year on Jan. 7.
Augusta Commissioners voted to adopt a policy on credit card spending for the Mayor and other elected officials, according to WRDW.
After months of back and forth, Augusta commissioners agreed to move forward with a plan regarding city credit card expenses on Tuesday.
This comes after Mayor Garnett Johnson asked commissioners for reimbursements to his personal credit card he used for city purchases.
The policy the administrator presented to commissioners laid out the credit card policy for all elected officials, including the mayor.
There are two other elected officials that use a city credit card, the sheriff who has a monthly limit of $5,000, and the marshal who has a monthly limit of $20,000.
Commissioners decided to give the mayor a monthly limit of $15,000 with no daily limit and if any other elected official decides to use a city credit card, their limit will also be $15,000.
“It better reflects our budget in that oftentimes the mayor has to make either travel plans or plans to receive guests,” said Johnson. “Sometimes at the very last moment, we shouldn’t have the hurdles of calling authorizers to approve us with having the ability to entertain guests, having approvals to travel as we need.”
Dalton City Council members switched from recommending a property tax hike to adopting the full rollback, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
The Dalton mayor and council will meet this evening at 5 in the council chamber of City Hall to set the millage rate for 2024 property taxes. After initially considering holding the millage rate at its 2023 level which would have created a 5.1% property tax increase, the mayor and council now intend to consider a vote to adopt the full rollback rate of 1.841 mills. By adopting the rollback rate, the city will not increase property taxes.
The council members initially considered holding the millage rate at its 2023 level due to a lack of confidence in the temporary tax digest in Whitfield County that may or may not reflect fair market values. After issuance of an initial digest, the county tax commissioner refused to certify the tax digest. Whitfield County Superior Court issued a collection order based on the temporary tax digest. Due to the lack of confidence in the temporary tax digest, the mayor and council studied keeping the millage rate the same. The city held two public hearings on the tax increase on Nov. 5. After further consideration, city leaders have canceled the third public hearing on the tax increase that was scheduled for tonight at 5 and will instead use that meeting to consider a vote to adopt the rollback rate.
Projections show that if the rollback rate is adopted the city will bring in $121,828 less in property tax revenue for 2024 than if the millage rate was kept the same as 2023.
The Houston County Board of Education voted to confirm Richard Rogers as their new Superintendent, according to 13WMAZ.
Columbus City Council voted to add paid time off to maternity and paternity leave for some employees, according to WTVM.
Mothers are eligible for six weeks off, while fathers will receive two weeks. Previously, employees could take leave but had to use their sick or vacation time to receive pay; that requirement has now been eliminated.
District 10 citywide council member Travis Chambers emphasized the importance of this change, noting that it arose from feedback from city employees. “This is something we are excited about when trying to take care of our team,” he stated.
The council voted unanimously in favor of providing paid maternity and paternity leave for city employees.
“We wanted to make sure we stayed on the cutting edge to make sure we take good care of our team members,” Chambers explained. “It’s a good retention strategy so that mom can be home taking care of her child, her newborn for up to six weeks without having to use sick time or vacation time, and that father being able to be home for two weeks on paid time.”
Chambers noted that such initiatives have proven effective in attracting and retaining talent. He also mentioned that they will continue to seek ways to support city employees further.
The Glynn County Board of Education voted to buy a portable weapon detection system, according to The Brunswick News.
A quote from A3 Communications, based in Duluth, Georgia, placed the cost at $858,359, Operations Superintendent Mike Blackerby told the board at last week’s work session. The cost includes 45 detection pylons, 90 batteries, 45 battery chargers and training on how to use the equipment.
Blackerby said at the work session that the 45 Opengate Weapons Detection System can detect firearms and bladed weapons but is not tripped by items like wheelchairs and mobility canes used by those with vision impairments.
“They’re very portable, and in a situation like Glynn Academy, where we have the street entrance and students getting off the buses, we feel like we have a plan with (Schools Police Chief Johnny Davis) that we can move them to the Mansfield Street entrances and set up a corral for the buses and then also have them at the front,” Blackerby told the board at the work session.
“They’re so portable that during the day when they’re not needed at a particular location, we can move them where they are needed.”
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