On October 24, 1733, the Georgia trustees ordered a ship to Rotterdam to pick up a group of Lutherans expelled from Salzburg, Austria, and then send the Salzburgers to Georgia.
Colonists in Georgia signed a letter allowing the beginning of the slave trade in Georgia on October 26, 1749.
Georgia Sons of Liberty protested against the British Stamp Act on October 26, 1765.
On October 25, 1774, the First Continental Congress addressed a petition to King George III raising concerns about the Coercive Acts passed by Parliament and asserting its loyalty to the monarch.
On October 24, 1775, Lord John Murray Dunmore, British Governor of Virginia, ordered the British fleet to attack Norfolk, VA.
On October 24, 1790, the Rev. John Wesley wrote the last entry in his journal, which he began keeping on October 14, 1735.
The wooden keel of USS Monitor was laid at Continental Iron Works at Greenpoint, New York on October 25, 1861.
A state Constitutional Convention at Milledgeville, Georgia repealed the state’s Ordinance of Secession on October 26, 1865.
The first American “Unknown Soldier” was chosen on October 24, 1921 in Chalons-sur-Marne, France.
Bearing the inscription “An Unknown American who gave his life in the World War,” the chosen casket traveled to Paris and then to Le Havre, France, where it would board the cruiser Olympia for the voyage across the Atlantic. Once back in the United States, the Unknown Soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.
The Charter of the United Nations took effect on October 24, 1945.
On October 24, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged the United States’ support for the South Vietnam government led by President Ngo Dinh Diem.
On October 24, 1976, Newsweek released a poll showing Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter leading President Gerald Ford in 24 states, with a combined 308 electoral voters.
On October 25, 1980, “You Shook Me All Night Long” became AC/DC’s first top 40 hit.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Floyd County voters may cast ballots early this weekend for the November 4, 2025 Special Elections, according to WRGA News.
Early voting continues until October 31 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Floyd County Elections Office on East 12th Street.
You can also vote this Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Not only are there races for the Rome City Commission, the Rome School Board, and the Cave Spring City Council on the ballot, but voters will also be deciding the implementation of a one-penny sales tax to offset property taxes.
If approved, the sales tax would be collected for five years and used exclusively for property tax relief.
The revenue must be used to directly reduce the property tax millage rate.
Also on the November ballot is a referendum to allow liquor by the drink and Sunday liquor sales in unincorporated Floyd County.
City of Rome voters will choose between five candidates seeking three seats in Ward Two on the city commission.
The candidates are Elaina Beeman, Jamie Doss, Jill Fisher, Vic Hixon, and Randy Quick.
Nine candidates are vying for seven seats on the Rome City School Board.
They are Toni Blanchard, Brenda Boyd, Pascha Burge, Will Byington, Faith Collins, Marquita Davis, Karl Gyden, Alvin Jackson, and Ron Roach.
In Cave Spring, there are three contested city council races.
Kristi Reed and Nancy Fricks are running in Post 3.
Incumbent Charles Jackson and Greg Webb are vying for Post 4.
In Post 5, the contest is between Warren Baker Harbin and Tom Lindsey.
In Cave Spring, early voting is taking place at the city hall between the hours of 8:00 am to 4:30 pm each day.
Voters in Cave Spring can also cast their ballots this Saturday from 9 to 5.
Cave Spring voters are reminded that the municipal election is separate from the Floyd County General Election.
To vote in the countywide referendums, voters who reside in Cave Spring must cast their ballots at the elections office in Rome during advance voting or at their designated precinct on Election Day.
You can find early voting locations and hours by signing in to the Secretary of State’s MVP webpage.
Rincon voters will decide in a referendum whether to allow liquor stores, according to WTOC.
A potential liquor law is on the ballot in Effingham County this November.
Rincon leaders proposed a referendum that if passed would allow liquor stores to operate within city limits.
It’s not the first time a liquor referendum has been on the ballot in Effingham, but it is the first major measure since Springfield approved a similar law over two years ago.
Now, Rincon voters get to decide if bottles of booze belong on store shelves in their city.
“For a long time, we held out, and we did the right thing,” said Kevin Exley, Mayor, City of Rincon. “But now, I think the right thing is to move forward with this.”
City leaders said local liquor stores will collect more money from alcohol taxes that surrounding cities like Port Wentworth and Springfield are receiving instead.
“We want you to spend your money here,” said Exley. “We want our citizens to have a direct route, and we don’t want people driving through to go get something to go back to another area.”
Some residents believe easy access to hard liquor isn’t worth the headache.
Stanley Grant, the pastor at Bryant Temple Church in Rincon, said he would prefer not to see the referendum pass, but if it does, his sermons will stay the same.
“The world is changing,” said Grant. “Things is being introduced. You can’t stop it, but you have to be true and strong within your own self not to participate.”
Addiction and recovery counselor Anisa Grantham with Rincon Recovery said more liquor stores could cause suffering alcoholics to relapse.
If liquor stores start running in Rincon, Grantham hopes city leaders will pour money in recovery resources as well.
“Take the same amount of money and invest it in education, invest it in prevention, invest it in access to care,” said Grantham.
Mayor Exley said just like with drinking, the city’s plan for the number of liquor stores will be kept in moderation.
Three stores selected in a lottery system will be allowed to operate in Rincon.
The lucky liquor business owners must be qualified and here to stay.
Liberal groups are targeting the two Republican incumbent Public Service Commission members on the November 4, 2025 ballot, according to the Albany Herald.
Complaints about high utility bills in Georgia stretch across the board from lower, to middle to upper class customers.
So, energy justice groups want Georgian voters to pay attention to a normally low-profile state board, the Public Service Commission (PSC), which has two commissioner seats up for election in the Nov. 4 race. This commission sets rates for electricity, natural gas and telephone services.
Incumbent Tim Echols is facing off against Alicia Johnson, a Savannah native and health care consultant, in District 2. Echols has been a member of the commission since 2011. Whoever wins this district will secure a spot on the commission for the next five years as opposed to the full six-year term.
In District 3, green energy advocate Peter Hubbard is facing off Fitz Johnson, the incumbent who was appointed to the commission in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp and has never faced voters. The winner of this special election will only serve one year before being back on the ballot.
“We have to make sure this area understands where their utilities lie … and the power and influence that the PSC can have on those entities to create different solutions … to begin to make chips at decreasing bills or providing more energy affordability options,” Corey Morgan, the climate and energy justice manager for 9to5 Georgia, an economic justice nonprofit, said.
The PSC approve[d] six Georgia Power rate increases in the last two years. In July, the PSC approved a plan to freeze Georgia Power base rates through at least 2028.
Patty Durand, a former PSC candidate and founder of Georgians for Affordable Energy, a non-profit seeking utility reform, said while Georgia Power customers were impacted the most, municipality utilities and EMCs were partners in the Plant Vogtle expansion and saw rate increases as well.
“All three utilities are impacted by Plant Vogtle, which is the most expensive power plant ever built on Earth, totaling $36 billion for one power plant, which is insane,” Durand said. “It’s abusive and exploitative.”
The Albany Herald spoke to Durand Monday, one day before she was arrested for the alleged theft of a Georgia Power document containing trade secrets during a commission meeting, Tuesday.
Morgan and the nonpartisan 9to5 team is focused on educating voters about the PSC election and empowering utilities customers in general. He said utilities became a hot topic for 9to5 once they saw Georgians, especially those in Morgan’s focus area of southwest Georgia, were struggling to pay their bills.
“It’s becoming a high burden for families in this region who are already living in poverty and even folks who are working middle class,” Morgan said. “They have to decide or come up with various ways of paying bills. Families will find a way to pay that $700 bill just to keep lights on, it just might mean they do not have a cell phone for a few weeks.”
Morgan has spent the weeks leading up to the election knocking on doors and educating voters on municipal races as well as how the PSC might impact them.
Incumbent Republican Public Service Commissioner Fitz Johnson rallied voters at a handful of campaign events Wednesday across Georgia, ending the day with a gathering at a Warner Robins Steak n Shake.
Johnson’s District 3 seat on the Public Service Commission is up for grabs in the General Election next month. He’ll square off against Democrat Peter Hubbard. Campaign talking points in the race have centered around the cost of power bills and whether renewable energy sources are reliable.
Johnson urged voters to hit the polls early, saying a Democrat win would give the party “hope” in future elections and open the door for what he described as Green New Deal-style energy policies that he said would raise costs and reduce reliability.
“My opponent wants to take away your coal. He wants to take away your natural gas,” Johnson said. “He wants to bring in this Green New Deal energy policy that they have in California. And I already told them, don’t California my Georgia.”
The five-member PSC, which regulates power companies and has sway in how Georgia sources its energy and the cost for consumers, is made up entirely of Republicans. Johnson said Wednesday that the all-Republican PSC is a key reason why Georgia has maintained affordable, reliable energy and strong economic growth, tying the commission’s work to the state’s 12-year streak at the number one state for business.
He said large companies choose Georgia because they can count on its power supply.
“We’re the number one state to do business the last 12 years in a row,” Johnson said. “And one of the reasons, we’re doing our part at the commission, is because when folks want to bring their businesses here, they want to make sure their power is available, it’s reliable, it’s dependable and it’s affordable. And they know they get all four when they come to the state of Georgia.”
Johnson also credited the Republican-led PSC with putting rules in place that protect residential customers from having to back the bill for large data centers and allow a three-year base rate freeze for Georgia Power customers. Data centers have become a major talking point for the state, as experts have assessed Georgia as the fastest-growing data center area.
“We put a rule in place down at the commission (that when) data centers come to your town, your city, they will, for one, pay for their infrastructure up front, when they arrive,” Johnson said. “They will pay for upstream generation and transmission up front. They will sign long term deals … (and) they’ll also have a minimum spend. So the combination of what that all does, is it puts downward pressure on our rates, and it also it strengthens our grid.”
“We are very proud to have five conservative Republicans serving on Georgia Public Service Commission, and we want to continue to have that,” Johnson said “It’s all of us running this state the way it should be run, with good conservative values. Let’s not let them get a chance to steal one of these seats.”
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who’s running against Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026, joined Johnson at the event and urged voters to cast their ballots early for the Republicans on the ticket.
[Atlanta] Mayor Andre Dickens joined gubernatorial contender Jason Esteves to urge voters to translate their outrage at President Donald Trump’s administration into action at the ballot box that could set the tempo for the 2026 midterm.
“We want muscle memory for next year,” said Dickens, who is seeking a second term in November. “It’s important for us to get that energy around voting now so it carries over until next year.”
Their message to Democratic voters: Don’t overlook this November’s tone-setting elections, including the low-profile races for two seats held by Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson on the all-Republican Public Service Commission.
Democrats are cautiously optimistic that Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson could become the party’s first statewide winners since 2006 in any race not involving Joe Biden or U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff or Raphael Warnock.
Victories won’t give Democrats control of the five-member panel. But they would give the party their first non-federal statewide wins in nearly 20 years — and momentum heading into 2026, when Ossoff is on the ballot and other statewide offices are up for grabs.
It helps explain why national Democrats are pouring in resources. Democratic National Committee vice chair Jane Kleeb is headed to Georgia next week to help rally voters, and party officials say hundreds of volunteers are being dispatched for a final push.
Republicans see the contests as a two-front battle: against Democrats mobilized by rising utility rates and against the surge of municipal elections in left-leaning cities, like Atlanta, that are helping drive turnout.
Early voting numbers in Democratic strongholds are far outpacing those in GOP-friendly counties, and some Republicans worry about closing the gap by Election Day on Nov. 4.
Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #10.22.25.01, calling a Special Election in House District 23 after the death of State Rep. Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton). The Special Election will be held December 9, 2025.
Governor Brian P. Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and Economic Development officials will host a reception in South Korea, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp are leading an international economic development mission that will begin in the Republic of Korea. The time in Korea will focus on reinforcing strategic economic development partnerships in recognition of the 40th anniversary of Georgia’s representation in Seoul.
“Georgia has enjoyed a strong and friendly relationship with the Republic of Korea for 40 years,” said Governor Kemp. “This visit reflects our commitment to deepening those ties even further, through the creation of opportunities that benefit both our people and our economies.”
Governor and First Lady Kemp will be accompanied by Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson and other senior officials, along with private sector partners. The delegation will visit with existing industries and host a commemorative reception honoring four decades of partnership.
“Georgia is home to an incredible Korean community that is driving innovation in key industries, shaping the next generation of growth, and contributing to Georgia’s thriving international culture,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Korean companies that call Georgia home are more than businesses – they are partners, job creators, friends, and good neighbors.”
This marks the third time Governor Kemp has visited the Republic of Korea since being elected in 2019.
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. Korea was Georgia’s third largest partner for total trade in calendar year 2024, exceeding $17.5 billion in merchandise value. Atlanta is one of the top 10 cities in the U.S. by Korean population.
Gov. Brian Kemp landed in South Korea on Thursday for a business trip and to strengthen ties with the country.
The trip comes nearly one month after ICE raided a Hyundai Motor Group battery plant close to Savannah.
Kemp posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter that expressed his gratitude for the country and touched on the expanded partnership between the country and the State of Georgia.
“We are honored to celebrate 40 years of economic partnership with the Republic of Korea. This partnership has expanded opportunity in both our state and Korea, and has contributed to Georgia being voted the top state for business for 12 years in a row. We are excited to extend these partnerships for decades to come as we continue to grow together.”
The raid had raised concerns in Georgia, where a South Korean company recently committed to building a $223 million facility and employing more than 500 people in Columbus.
The raids were felt globally and led to many being confused, including Dr. Daewoo Lee, interim chair of the Policy, Justice, and Public Safety Department at Columbus State University.
“In one word, it’s unfortunate,” Lee said. “There’s a little bit of confusion between both sides — U.S. as well as South Korea. And there are many positive, mutually beneficial activities going on between South Korea and Georgia. But because of some confusion, this happened. And it is just unfortunate. But I think things are getting cleared up and moving in the right direction.”
South Korea’s partnership with Georgia dates back to 2005, when Kia opened its manufacturing plant in West Point. That partnership expanded with Hyundai’s new $7.6 billion facility near Savannah.
The Georgia State House Special Committee on Resource Management Water Subcommittee heard a report on water usage and the Hyundai metaplant in Bryan County, according to the Savannah Morning News.
On Oct. 22, representatives of engineering firm Thomas & Hutton and the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) presented a groundwater update to the Georgia House of Representatives’ Resource Management Water Subcommittee, regarding the well system permitted to withdraw more than 6 million gallons per day for the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) and HL-GA plants on the 2,500-acre complex in Bryan County.
In the update, Thomas & Hutton Vice President of Infrastructure Trent Thompson presented the results of a 24-hour test of groundwater wells pulling from the Floridan Aquifer. According to the firm, the tests went well.
“I think we… forget how lucky we are to be in an area that has the Floridan Aquifer,” said Thompson, “which is a vast and pristine source of water.”
Hyundai’s water use and discharge process has undergone a series of trials and tribulations, including sparsely attended public meetings, a smattering of violations, and a stream of largely dissastisfied public comments. Still, the four-county water plan chugs along as Hyundai’s plants turn on the tap, laying pipes, building out a $129 million water treatment plant, and putting the finishing touches on its first of four groundwater wells, expected to come online later this month. Even after the wells go offline, Thomas & Hutton’s tests demonstrate the Floridan aquifer will remain a viable source.
“When wells stop operating, it’ll rebound right back,” said Thompson.
While strain on the aquifer in these zones have been drained by paper and pulp companies, most notably International Paper’s mill in Savannah, the city’s aquifer water level has risen by about 2 feet since the mill ceased its operations last month, as reported by The Current with data from the U.S. Geological Service (USGS). That would, it seems, leave more room for other users such as HMGMA and HL-GA to withdraw from it for cooling, sanitation, vehicle washes, metal finishing processes and more.
“With International Paper going and changing its business there, there could be even further improvements to that,” said Thompson. “That’s kind of a wait-and-see.”
U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop (D-Albany) held a press conference on healthcare issues, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
As the federal government shutdown drags into a fourth week, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr. (GA-02), visited Columbus, along with other Georgia cities, to voice the Democrats’ case about protecting healthcare.
The shutdown began Oct. 1, affecting federal government workers’ paychecks, public services and putting assistance programs, including recipients of SNAP benefits, at risk.
Congress has failed multiple times to pass a funding bill as Republicans refuse to give in to Democrats’ demands to extend enhanced tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.
Bishop took time in Thursday’s news conference at the Veterans Memorial in Woodruff Riverfront Park to lambaste Republicans for their part in failed negotiations in funding the federal government.
“Today is Day 23 of the government shutdown,” Bishop said during the news conference. “Once again, House and Senate Republicans would rather shut down the federal government than protect affordable healthcare coverage for the American people.”
Republicans have attempted to repeal or weaken the ACA 70 times since 2013, he said, and the ending the enhanced tax credits would hurt 24 million people who don’t get healthcare benefits from their employers.
Dr. Karen Kinsell, a primary care physician in Clay County, joined Bishop during the news conference to speak in support of the Democratic Party’s efforts to protect the ACA’s tax credits.
Her experience in Clay County, which she describes as one of the poorest counties in Georgia, encouraged her to speak out on this issue.
“For many years, I was the only doctor in the county,” Kinsell said. “I’ve seen what happens when people can’t afford to go to the doctor. The tax credits and the Affordable Care Act have literally been a lifeline for many of my patients in the past.”
Liz Ernst, the Georgia director for Protect Our Care, also was in attendance, speaking about how not funding the tax credits could negatively impact Georgia residents.
By not extending the tax credits, Ernst said, people in the Chattahoochee Valley may have to pay more a year or lose their coverage altogether.
“It means fewer options, longer drives and local clinics closing,” Ernst said. “This isn’t abstract. This isn’t just happening somewhere else. This is happening here.”
The Professional Association of Georgia Educators filed a lawsuit against Dublin public schools and the Deblin Board of Education, contesting a teacher firing, according to 13WMAZ.
The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Dublin City Schools and the Dublin City Board of Education after they laid off several teachers, according to a release.
The release said that specifically, PAGE is representing Ashley White, an art teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School.
“Though Dublin City Schools is seeking to address an extreme budget shortfall, it is essential that no action be taken that violates the legal rights of its staff,” PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper said. “As the termination of Ms. White’s employment prior to the end of her contract term is a violation of her legal rights, PAGE has taken this action on her behalf.”
According to the release, the complaint, which was filed on Tuesday, is asking the courts to declare that the Dublin City Board of Education has no authority or right to fire White.
The release said that the complaint referenced that since Dublin City Schools is a charter school, they have a blanket waiver that exempts them from most of the powers that the Fair Dismissal Act of Title 20 gives them.
For this reason, the release said that the district doesn’t have the ability to use that act to fire its employees, including White, without just cause.
The release said that the lawsuit was filed in Atlanta and that Ellen Schoolar, a PAGE Network attorney, will be representing White.
“PAGE Legal is diligently working to protect the rights of all our Dublin City members during this difficult and uncertain time,” PAGE General Counsel Jill Hay said in the release. “It is unfortunate that the district is in this position and that the students and staff are the ones suffering the consequences.”
The Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of a teacher who was suspended after online comments, according to Atlanta News First via WALB.
A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Georgia teacher who was put on an indefinite suspension and urged to resign after posting comments following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On Monday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) filed the lawsuit on Michelle Mickens’ behalf against her employer, the Oglethorpe County School System.
SPLC said Mickens was “exercising her First Amendment rights” by posting a quote from the slain political activist on her personal Facebook page and participating in an online discussion with her friends who commented on it.
She criticized Kirk’s opinion on gun control but condemned political violence and “articulated her hope for a safer world,” SPLC said in a press release.
“This case is about resisting the growing attempts to exert ideological control over public education,” Michael Tafelski, interim deputy legal director for SPLC, said. “Ms. Mickens is being targeted not because she violated any policy or harmed students, but because her personal views — expressed outside of the classroom — don’t align with those in power.”
The SPLC claimed the Oglethorpe County School System is trying to terminate “solely for engaging in constitutionally protected speech” that did not disrupt the school.
“We know that the attacks on public education are unrelenting, and we must stand together to speak for our students, colleagues and our profession. GAE supports and defends educators’ right to off-duty expressive activity without fear of retaliation,” Mike McGonigle, GAE’s General Counsel/Legal Services Director, said. “GAE is the only organization that continues to stand up and speak for students, educators, and public education.”
Both SPLC and GAE said they are looking to have Mickens’ job restored and “protect the rights of all educators against censorship and intimidation.”
The lawsuit states another teacher was hired to take over Mickens’ class, despite her termination not being official.
In a statement, Oglethorpe County School System Superintendent Beverley Levine said the district is aware of the lawsuit.
“While many of the facts stated in the suit and the press statements on plaintiff’s behalf are inaccurate or incomplete, having been sued in federal court, the district prefers to litigate the issues in that forum and not in the press or in the public,” Levine said. “The district is confident that it will prevail in defending against this litigation.”
Twiggs County Public Schools face financial difficulties, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Twiggs County Public Schools is tightening spending and working to rebuild its financial reserves after experiencing a short-term cash flow strain brought on by delayed federal reimbursements, rising costs and declining enrollment, officials say. During an Oct. 21 board meeting, the district reviewed its monthly financial status report following the fiscal year through September.
Superintendent Mack Bullard acknowledged the district has faced “financial challenges,” but stressed that the situation is not a crisis and that the district is already reducing “outstanding balances” through stricter spending discipline and incoming tax revenues.
“We are in a season with many unprecedented challenges and mandates have created the perfect storm for financial strength, and I take responsibility as superintendent and want to address where we go from here,” Bullard said at the meeting. “The moment is not a crisis — it’s a call,” Bullard said. “A call to be more disciplined, a call to be better stewards, and a call to lead with unity and accountability.”
Bullard attributed the district’s tight cash position to what he called a “perfect storm” of challenges, including a $660,000 delay in federal funding disbursements following the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, a 60% increase in state health benefit premiums without state offsets for non-certified staff, declining student enrollment that reduced state Quality Basic Education funding, and rising operational costs due to post-pandemic inflation.
The superintendent noted that most Georgia districts experience a “cash-poor” period from July through October before local tax revenues are received but said Twiggs County’s fund balance — about $400,000 at the start of the fiscal year — has fallen below recommended levels.
To stabilize finances, TCPS has reduced non-essential purchases, aligned staffing levels with enrollment through attrition, begun weekly cash flow monitoring meetings, and set a goal to rebuild its fund balance to 10% of the general fund by fiscal year 2026, Bullard said.
Toward the end of the meeting, after returning from executive session, board member Teresa Blackshear moved to suspend expenditures immediately unless prior approval is granted by a majority vote of the board. Board member Rhonda King seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
“Transparency builds trust, but clarity builds understanding,” Bullard said in a statement. “We want our board, staff and community to have both. By providing clear explanations of financial language and processes, we are strengthening our commitment to responsible stewardship of public funds.”
Augusta Commissioners are holding workshops to discuss reducing a $21 million dollar budget shortfall, according to WRDW.
Augusta leaders held the first of four workshops Thursday to address the city’s $21 million budget deficit.
The deficit became known about a week ago, and city leaders are now considering several options to close the gap.
Property tax increase proposed
One proposed solution from the city administrator is a 2-mill property tax increase. The city administrator said that for a $100,000 home, that would mean an extra $70 per year. For a $200,000 home, the increase would be $150 annually.
If commissioners approve the property tax increase, the administrator said it would bring in roughly $16 million.
Service cuts also considered
Commissioners are also discussing across-the-board cuts to nearly all city departments and other nonprofits.
Another proposal includes reductions to public transit, including cutting services on three bus routes and eliminating Saturday services.
How the deficit developed
The city no longer has American Rescue Plan funds, and years of rolling back the millage rate have contributed to the budget gap.
The city also had to repay more than $6 million in unspent grant money that was supposed to help people pay their rent if they faced eviction.
The Sheriff’s Office hired 125 new deputies in the last year, which increased expenses for salaries, uniforms, gas and vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office had been understaffed for several years, but when they hired the new deputies, the budget for the year was already approved, so the city budget took a hit.
Employee healthcare costs have also contributed to the deficit. In the last eight years, the administrator said the city’s healthcare costs have increased by 41 percent.
Next steps
Commissioners did not find solutions during their recent workshop, focusing instead on addressing the problems and figuring out the path forward.
Three more budget workshops are scheduled before the budget is finalized. The next workshop is Monday at 9 a.m., where commissioners are expected to discuss a new ground maintenance department and water rates, which could mean further adjustments for taxpayers.
Hall County sent a letter to the Attorney General’s office claiming that Planning meetings did not violate the Open Meetings Act, according to AccessWDUN.
Hall County attorneys have sent a letter to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office in response to allegations that members of its Planning Commission violated the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
Hall County resident Jodi White had filed a complaint, alleging that multiple planning commissioners had met on Sept. 15 and conducted county business. The complaint alleged that at least three planning commissioners were at the meeting, which would constitute a quorum. A quorum cannot meet to conduct county business without issuing a public notice, agenda and meeting minutes according to state law.
In response to that complaint, the Georgia Attorney General’s Office sent a letter to Hall County on Oct. 6, requesting a response to the allegations within 10 days. The next day, the Hall County Board of Commissioners voted to suspend the Planning Commission and conduct a third-party investigation into the alleged improper meetings.
In the letter, sent by newly-appointed Hall County Attorney Justin Lawhon, said that through interviews and review of surveillance footage of the Hall County Government Center, officials determined that the meeting on Sept. 15 did not violate the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
The letter was provided to AccessWDUN by White. In response to requests for verification of the letter, Hall County officials declined to comment.
“Given this is an active investigation…the County will not provide any documentation at this time,” officials said Thursday morning.
Hall County Commissioners tabled a proposal for a new data center, according to AccessWDUN.
Within five minutes of the Hall County Board of Commissioners meeting starting on Thursday, multiple residents filed out after the Project Turbo, LLC data center was tabled.
Despite that, nearly 100 residents stayed with only Hall County resident Jodi White giving comments since she was the only one signed up for public comment.
“Since we’re adjourned and we didn’t get to speak, how many people here are opposed to Project Turbo, say I,” one resident said shortly after the meeting ended.
It was met with a resound[ing] “I” from the dozens of residents that stayed.
District 3 Commissioner Gregg Poole made the motion to table it, with District 4 Commissioner Jeff Stowe giving a second with a unanimous vote to table until the Dec. 11 meeting.
“So that we can get a site visit set up,” Poole told AccessWDUN after the meeting adjourned. “We’re trying to find one that is similar size, similar type facilities, similar type with the closed-loop cooling system and all, something that will consume the same resources that we’re dealing with here.”
The proposed data center is 900,000-square-feet data center on roughly 119-acres of land off of O’Kelly Road.
The centers would actually be three buildings at roughly 300,000-square-feet each. There is no word yet on who would occupy the centers once completed.
The vote comes one day after a town hall was held by developers Chris Hoag and Cameron Grogan, where residents raised concerns about power and water usage.
Hoag told citizens that the expected power capacity of the project is between 400 and 500 megawatts, while the project is allocated for 225,000 gallons of water per-day.
“That’s a zero water use design,” Hoag said. “It’s a closed-loop marginal evaporative loss.”
AccessWDUN spoke to multiple residents prior to the town hall about their concerns.
“I think it’s going to mess with the water supply and create pollution,” a concerned citizen told AccessWDUN before the town hall. “I don’t even know who’s profiting off of this or how it will benefit the City of Gainesville.”
AccessWDUN was also able to speak with Executive Director of non-profit Science for Georgia Amy Sharma as well as Georgia 12th District Congressional candidate and social media advocate Bri Woodson, or “The Controversial Blonde” about the data center before the meeting.
“In general, data centers take up an enormous amount of power and water,” Sharma said. “AI is not going anywhere and the internet is not going anywhere … what we’re really pushing for is making them be good neighbors.”
Sharma mentioned that although the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a rule earlier this year that allows Georgia Power to charge new data centers for any upgrades to infrastructure that they need to protect ratepayers, there are still a lot of unknowns.
“Who’s the arbiter … it’s too unknown and too nebulous to be of any comfort to anyone,” Sharma said.
Woodson said that the data center would be harmful to the Hall County community.
“We are an area with a lot of livestock, this is harmful to livestock,” Woodson said. “If something was truly good for the public … why do we have to be so secretive about it?”
Sharma added that the water usage of the proposed data center would be the equivalent of 2,000 to 11,000 people depending on the scale.
“Tabling isn’t a ‘no,’ it’s just ‘we’ll put this on the backburner until it calms down,’” Woodson added.
Columbia County Commissioners are fighting back to support a data center, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Columbia County leaders this week said critics of a proposed data center in Appling are misrepresenting the project by spreading “outright falsehoods.”
Reading from prepared remarks, Columbia County Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Duncan delivered point-by-point responses during the board’s meeting to public accusations about plans to bring a data center to White Oak Business Park near the Interstate 20 exit at Appling-Harlem Road.
Local opponents of the project have claimed through social media and at public hearings that the data center is a bureaucratic fait accompli that would disproportionately affect water and energy resources and mar the quiet, rural character of that part of the growing suburban county.
“Far from being a ‘behemoth’ burden, the data centers that have been developed, in a similar thoughtful manner, have proven to be valuable assets in communities across Georgia and the nation,” according to the county’s statement that seemed to indirectly refer to The Chronicle’s story.
“Claims that meetings were structured to ‘evade’ transparency ignore the legal allowances for executive sessions and non-quorum gatherings, which are common and necessary to advance projects without exposing competitive details,” the statement read.
The data center deal, the county said, is far from done. There has been no official word on who would operate the center. “No construction has begun, and key elements, including the identification of a final end user, are not yet finalized,” according to the statement.
Mentioning critics’ fears that private wells could be tapped to feed the center’s anticipated water consumption, the county said that county water supplies from the Savannah River and Thormond Lake would be used “to avoid impacts on local farms or homes,” as was noted by The Chronicle.
Savannah Police have cited more than 100 people for violating their urban camping ordinance, according to WTOC.
Since Savannah leaders passed an ordinance that prohibits sleeping or storing items in public spaces, Savannah police have arrested more than 100 people.
They say they’re also working to make resources available to those without homes.
It’s been about 90 days since Savannah leaders passed the Urban Camping Ordinance. Since then, they’ve given 179 citations.
Eight precent of them led to arrests.
The ordinance made it illegal to sleep or store personal belongings in public spaces.
This includes parks and public property— defined as streets, sidewalks, and other right-of-way, within city limits.
When it passed unanimously by city council back in June.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the only stipulation would be that they receive an update in about 90 days.
“The homeless authority works very closely to make sure that we are not just moving our problem to another community.”
They say the partnership between Savannah Police and service providers like the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless is supposed to provide support for unhoused individuals who may not otherwise have a place to go.
“We were able to see that 75% were interacting with our care.”
They say of the 179 people cited so far 135 of them are in the Homeless Management Information System.
That support includes things like getting confirmed housing in shelters and bus tickets to help relocate them there.
“47 bus tickets have been purchased through the homeless authority help individuals to relocate to confirmed housing since this ordinance has passed. That shows us that when we don’t know that those induvial are directly cited, they did look at this as an opportunity to perhaps make a choice that would allow them to get back to more stable housing opportunities.”
They’re now proposing more programs to help get people into shelters easier. One of them, “Dignity Depot”, which would give them a secure place to store personal belongings.
And a funded pet shelter program at Renegade Paws for those with pets.
Leaders say this isn’t a perfect system but their main goal is to find balance between community safety and helping the unhoused.
A forensic audit of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office was not promising, according to The Brunswick News.
A lack of institutional controls within the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office during the last four years allowed potentially fraudulent activity to occur via cash withdrawals, travel expenses and other means that led to a nearly $1 million budget shortfall, a forensic audit of the office shows.
But the auditors were unable to complete the full scope of the audit due to unorganized record keeping and lack of documentation, the audit said.
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