Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Politics for April 9, 2025

Button Gwinnett, one of Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence, was born on April 10, 1735 in Gloucester, England, though some authorities say it was his baptism that was recorded that day. Gwinnett also served in the Georgia legislature, where he wrote the first draft of the state Constitution and served as Speaker.

After two days of exchanging letters with his Union counterpart, Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee agreed to meet and make arrangements for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. At 2 PM on April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant met in a private home owned by Wilmer McLean at Appomattox Court House, Virginia and Lee agreed to the surrender of his army.

Lee was resplendent in his dress uniform and a fine sword at his side. Grant arrived wearing a simple soldier’s coat that was muddy from his long ride. The great generals spoke of their service in the Mexican War, and then set about the business at hand. Grant offered generous terms. Officers could keep their side arms, and all men would be immediately released to return home. Any officers and enlisted men who owned horses could take them home, Grant said, to help put crops in the field and carry their families through the next winter. These terms, said Lee, would have “the best possible effect upon the men,” and “will do much toward conciliating our people.” The papers were signed and Lee prepared to return to his men.

From the account by Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain:

“At such a time and under such conditions I thought it eminently fitting to show some token of our feeling, and I therefore instructed my subordinate officers to come to the position of ‘salute’ in the manual of arms as each body of the Confederates passed before us.”

“When General Gordon came opposite me I had the bugle blown and the entire line came to ‘attention,’ preparatory to executing this movement of the manual successively and by regiments as Gordon’s columns should pass before our front, each in turn.”

“The General was riding in advance of his troops, his chin drooped to his breast, downhearted and dejected in appearance almost beyond description. At the sound of that machine like snap of arms, however, General Gordon started, caught in a moment its significance, and instantly assumed the finest attitude of a soldier. He wheeled his horse facing me, touching him gently with the spur, so that the animal slightly reared, and as he wheeled, horse and rider made one motion, the horse’s head swung down with a graceful bow, and General Gordon dropped his swordpoint to his toe in salutation.”

“By word of mouth General Gordon sent back orders to the rear that his own troops take the same position of the manual in the march past as did our line. That was done, and a truly imposing sight was the mutual salutation and farewell.”

General Robert E. Lee gave his last address to the Army of Northern Virginia on April 10, 1865.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded on April 10, 1866.

On April 9, 1968, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta held the funeral for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 100,000 mourners reportedly showed up for the funeral, which could accomodate only 800; 200,000 mourners followed the mule-drawn hearse to Morehouse College.

The Masters Tournament was won on April 9th by Gene Sarazen (1935), Jack Burke, Jr. (1956), Nick Faldo (2nd win – 1990), Tiger Woods (2nd win – 2001), and former University of Georgia player Bubba Watson in 2012. Winners of the Masters Tournament on April 10 include Sam Snead (1949), Gary Player (1961), Tom Watson (1977) and Tiger Woods (4th – 2005).

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

President Donald Trump recognized Georgia Congressman Brian Jack (R-Trumpland) at a White House event, according to the AJC.

U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, the newest member of Georgia’s congressional delegation, has been working behind-the-scenes with President Donald Trump since 2016. And it’s paying off now that Jack’s career as an elected official coincides with Trump’s return to the White House.

Trump recognized the Peachtree City Republican during a White House event on Monday when he celebrated the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series victory. The president and Jack, his former political director and campaign aide, have bonded over their love of sports.

Just a day later, Trump gave Jack another shout out during his remarks to a room full of Republicans at a fundraising dinner for the House GOP campaign arm. Trump talked about their longstanding friendship and noted that Jack won his central and west Georgia congressional seat in November largely because he had the president’s endorsement.

“He’s a fantastic guy and a great political leader, a great politician,” Trump told the crowd on Tuesday night. “Hi, Brian. Great job, proud of you.”

Governor Brian Kemp’s Office released March 2025 state revenue numbers, according to a Press Release.

The State of Georgia’s net tax revenue collections in March totaled $2.5 billion, for an increase of $163.3 million, or 7 percent, compared to March 2024 when net tax collections totaled nearly $2.34 billion. Year-to-date, net tax revenue collections totaled almost $24.04 billion, for an increase of $543.1 million that was driven largely by the collection of the state’s motor fuel excise tax, which was suspended by Executive Order for a period of two and a half months during FY 2024. Adjusting for the year-over-year motor fuel tax changes, year-to-date net tax revenue collections for the period ending March 31 were up $82.8 million, or 0.4 percent.

The changes within the following tax categories account for March’s overall net tax revenue increase:

Individual Income Tax:  Individual Income Tax collections for the month totaled $1.13 billion, for an increase of $131.3 million, or 13.2 percent, compared to last year when net Individual Tax revenue totaled $998.3 million.

The following notable components within Individual Income Tax combine for the net increase:

Individual Income Tax refunds issued (net of voided checks) increased by $67.3 million or 10.6 percent
Income Tax Withholding payments increased by $149.7 million, or 10.5 percent, over March FY 2024
Individual Income Tax Return payments were up by $27.2 million, or 28.5 percent, compared to FY 2024

All other Individual Tax categories, including Estimated Tax payments, were up a combined $21.7 million
Sales and Use Tax: Gross Sales and Use Tax collections during March totaled $1.44 billion, for an increase of $18.2 million, or 1.3 percent, from FY 2024. Net Sales and Use Tax increased by $61.2 million or 9.7 percent compared to last year when net Sales Tax totaled $630.7 million. The adjusted Sales Tax distribution to local governments totaled almost $728 million, for a decrease of $2.8 million, while Sales Tax refunds fell by $40.2 million, or 66.2 percent.

Corporate Income Tax: Corporate Income Tax collections for March decreased by $29.7 million, or 8.3 percent, compared to March 2024 when net Corporate Tax revenues totaled $356.7 million for the month.

The following notable components within Corporate Income Tax make up the net decrease:

Corporate Income Tax refunds issued (net of voids) were down $34.2 million or 38.5 percent from FY 2024
Corporate Income Tax Estimated payments increased by $54.9 million, or 972.4 percent, compared to last year
Corporate Income Tax Return payments decreased by $70.1 million, or 31.2 percent, from March FY 2024
All other Corporate Tax payments, including S-Corporation payments, were down a combined $48.6 million
Motor Fuel Taxes:  Motor Fuel Tax collections during the month decreased by $2.1 million, or 1.2 percent, from last year when motor fuel tax collections totaled $178.2 million in March.

Motor Vehicle – Tag, Title & Fees:  Motor Vehicle Tag & Title Fee collections for the month increased by $7.8 million, or 25.5 percent, while Title ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) collections decreased by $0.3 million or 0.4 percent.

Governor Kemp’s Office will be assessing newly-passed legislation as he decides what to sign and whether to veto legislation, according to Georgia Recorder.

The Georgia General Assembly concluded its 2025 legislative session on Friday with the passage of roughly 400 bills and resolutions combined.

The abrupt end of the session gave way to a 40-day window that runs through May 14 when Gov. Brian Kemp can veto or sign legislation, or do nothing and automatically let it become law.

In previous years, the Republican governor has vetoed about 10 bills each year, signed hundreds of pieces of legislation into law, and hosted a few ceremonies to ink some noteworthy bills with a keepsake pen. Last year, Kemp vetoed a dozen bills.

Kemp signed six bills before the General Assembly’s final gavel of fell, including a controversial so-called religious freedom bill.

Kemp is expected to hold a public ceremony prior to May 14 to sign his priority legislation for 2025 that is intended to limit the amount of damages juries award in civil lawsuits.

Kemp successfully fought off robust opposition to the civil litigation overhaul outlined in Senate Bill 68 and the more narrowly written Senate Bill 69 that requires transparency when third-party groups finance civil suits.

Kemp will also have the opportunity to publicly sign off on a school safety plan in the wake of September’s deadly shooting at Barrow County’s Apalachee High School. That high-profile measure creates deadlines to transfer student records to new school districts, establishes a statewide school threat alert system and requires Georgia schools to install panic buttons.

Kemp will also decide how he will handle a slate of culture war bills, including a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports in K-12 and college and another measure banning gender-affirming care in the state’s prisons.

Georgia’s legislative smorgasbord awaiting Kemp includes next year’s nearly $38 billion budget as well as the accelerated income tax cut he championed and one-time income tax refunds set to be distributed to Georgia taxpayers later this year.

Senate Bill 163 by State Sen. Colton Moore (R-Extreme NW GA) failed on Sine Die, according to WTOC.

Senate Bill 163 passed in the Senate but did not pass in the House.

The legislation would allow anyone who received a fine from the City of Savannah for leaving their car unlocked with a weapon inside to sue the city up to $50,000.

The mayor addressed the legislation in his weekly address today.

“Savannah found a way to be able to protect their citizens and hopefully drive down the number of guns in unlocked cars,” said Mayor Van Johnson, City of Savannah. “And because it could not be achieved to get at us constitutionally, they had to do it legislatively to outlaw our law and then allow people to sue us for trying to protect them in our city. So, again, we live to fight another year.”

Mayor Johnson believes this will come up next legislative session.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr voiced his opinion on the Savannah ordinance as well.

Note that a similar fate befell Senate Bill 204, originally by State Sen. Harold Jones, II, but Frankensteined in the House, according to State Affairs.

The amended measure — Senate Bill 204, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II, D-Augusta — cleared the House in a 99-74 vote. Supporters called it a safeguard for gun owners against intrusion from local officials.

“Ultimately, this is in affirmation of our strong and unwavering support in the Second Amendment,” House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Mulberry, said on the House floor. “And it ensures that Georgians will remain protected from government overreach.”

Without the Senate’s approval, the gun storage measure must wait until next year. Another measure expected to draw fierce debate Friday would have created a sales tax holiday for gun purchases. House Bill 79, sponsored by Rep. Mark Newton, R-Augusta, did not receive a vote in the Senate.

Senate Bill 99 by State Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) passed and is headed to Gov. Kemp for his signature or veto, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Senate Bill 99 was authored by state Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, but carried in the Georgia House of Representatives by state Rep. Matt Reeves, R-Duluth. The bill, also known as the Law Enforcement Partners Act, grants law enforcement the jurisdictional basis needed to request help from federal law enforcement agencies when needed.

The Senate initially passed the bill on Feb. 13 and the House of Representatives then passed an amended version on March 31. The Senate then signed off on House’s amended version on Friday, which was the last day of the 2025 legislative session.

“When fighting drug dealers or managing a disaster, our state and local law enforcement, should have clear legal authority to partner with federal law enforcement and, the Law Enforcement Partners Act will keep Georgians safe from dangerous criminals and during emergencies such as during a hurricane or the tragedy in the streets of New Orleans on January 1,” Reeves said in a statement on Monday.

The legislation is actually restoring an authority that state and local law enforcement previously had until Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law went into effect in 2020. Legislative officials called the removal of those powers five years ago was an inadvertent side effect of the citizen’s arrest law.

Senate Bill 99 authorizes law enforcement in Georgia to request assistance from federal law enforcement when they need help with disaster management or to work on joint task forces which investigate criminal activity issues such as human trafficking, gang activity and drug dealers.

The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) will distribute annual bonuses to some childcare teachers and staff, according to WJBF.

As part of its continuing dedication to improving quality early child care, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is launching a new initiative – Quality Rated Workforce Bonuses (QRWB) – to distribute an annual bonus to eligible staff members at Quality Rated Child Care providers.

The initiative begins this month and is among the first of its kind in the nation.

The payments are a commitment by DECAL to reward and recognize full-time teachers and support staff who help their programs deliver care and education that exceed minimum standards and earn 1, 2 or 3 stars under Quality Rated, the state’s quality rating and improvement system.

Georgia’s agriculture industry will be affected by tariffs, according to the AJC.

China on Friday blocked business from six American agriculture companies, including two Georgia-based poultry firms, citing the detection of bacteria or banned chemicals within imported processed chicken products. The restrictions on those companies were announced alongside 34% retaliatory tariffs on all American goods, mirroring the tariffs President Donald Trump levied on the Asian global power days earlier.

Trump on Monday threatened to slap China with an additional 50% tariff punishment on all its American exports if the international adversary didn’t back down. The White House said Tuesday afternoon the higher tariffs would take effect at midnight.

On Wednesday, China raised its tariffs to 84% on goods coming from the U.S. in an additional countermeasure, the Associated Press reported.

Tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods, are being used as the fiscal policy equivalent of a game of chicken, with countries raising the stakes and calling each other’s bluff on whether to capitulate or endure higher prices. Raising tariffs — or issuing blanket bans — on American agriculture has emerged as an easy target for foreign powers, and it’s a tactic that leaves some segments of Georgia vulnerable.

“Where Georgia is most exposed on tariffs is agribusiness,” Christopher Fagan, a partner with accounting firm Moore Colson in Cobb County, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “… On reciprocal tariffs, China is more punitive than most. They just quit buying.”

Despite its reputation as the Peach State, poultry rules the roost in Georgia. It’s the most valuable segment of the state’s agriculture sector and is worth an estimated $6.7 billion, according to a University of Georgia analysis based on 2022 data, the most recent year available.

Tariffs could serve as a double whammy for the poultry industry, which is already grappling with widespread disruption brought by bird flu.

Egg prices — an oft-quoted economic indicator used to represent staple groceries — have starkly risen since 2023, largely because of outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. It’s a virus that has ravaged wild birds, commercial poultry and some mammal species across the U.S. during the outbreak.

China issued a blanket ban on nearly all American raw poultry imports in late 2023 in response to early bird flu outbreaks, roughly around the same time a commercial duck farm in Georgia detected the state’s first confirmed H5N1 infection. Early this year, two commercial chicken flocks had positive bird flu cases.

As a result of the ban, Georgia’s poultry exports to China decreased 66% in 2024 compared to the prior year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While China is the third-largest buyer of U.S. agricultural products, it is Georgia’s top foreign poultry importer, followed by Canada and Mexico.

The two Georgia-based companies are Coastal Processing LLC, which is based in the small Jefferson County city of Louisville, and American Proteins Inc., the former name of a Cumming-based subsidiary of poultry giant Tyson Foods. Neither company responded to requests for comment.

Greg Tyler, president and CEO of the metro Atlanta-based USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, has warned that escalating tariffs and retaliation could ripple through America’s agrarian supply chain, a sentiment he reiterated Monday.

“We are concerned that the escalation of trade tensions will shut down, temporarily at least, our ability to trade with a key trade partner (in China) through increased tariffs and announced facility suspensions,” Tyler said in a written statement. “… Any deescalation of the current tensions will also hopefully see these long-standing barriers removed for this key market.”

Delta could also be impacted by rising tariffs, according to the AJC.

What a difference three months makes.

In early January, days after marking the company’s centennial in Las Vegas, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian ebulliently predicted 2025 would be its best financial year in history with 7% revenue growth.

But the Trump administration’s wide-ranging, unprecedented tariffs seem to have upended those plans.

In its first quarter earnings release Wednesday, Atlanta-based Delta backpedaled that forecast. While it still expects “solid profitability,” the airline said its 2025 revenue could range somewhere between 2% growth and a 2% decline year over year.

Like other airlines, Delta sounded early warnings about 2025 last month when it cut its projected quarterly revenue in half because of effects from recent plane crashes and macro “uncertainty.”

Bastian told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview the tariffs and “overall trade uncertainty” have continued to dampen consumer and corporate demand.

“It’s clear that the current climate cannot sustain itself very long, and we need to get to a more stable and balanced trade outcome,” Bastian told the AJC.

“I’m confident we will. I’m just not confident how long it’s going to take.”

Bastian pointed out that Delta itself successfully sought help from the first Trump administration to deal with what American carriers called unfair competition between subsidized Middle Eastern carriers.

There is “no question that there are areas where the U.S. has been taken advantage of in trade,” he said.

“To the extent there’s inequities, we would encourage our government to seek remedies. But trying to do it all at once is, candidly, a bit chaotic.”

While the company still expects to be profitable for the year, “2025 is playing out differently than we expected at the start of the year,” as Hauenstein acknowledged in an earnings release.

The airline was originally expecting 10% growth in corporate customers this year, but that has flattened, Bastian told the AJC.

Plus, the company is seeing its most “price sensitive” customers — the type that fly domestic in the main cabin on nonpeak flights — pull back, too.

Regarding the potential impacts tariffs might have on the cost of new planes, Bastian insisted Delta has “no intention of paying” them.

Coca-Cola might be affected by tariffs, according to the AJC.

As Americans wait to see what impact tariffs have on everyday goods, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola has been thinking for months about how it may navigate the increased import taxes implemented by President Donald Trump.

The trade policies may lead Coca-Cola to increase prices for U.S. buyers and could affect its progress on sustainability goals.

Back in February, when Trump had only announced initial import tax rates against China, Mexico and Canada, Coca-Cola was already aware of the risks, according to its 2024 annual report.

The company wrote that “new, expanded or retaliatory tariffs” could impact its profitability because they could raise the cost of key raw materials and other supplies, or affect their availability.

Coca-Cola gets sucralose, a sweetener it considers a critical raw material for its drinks, from suppliers mainly in the U.S. and China, though it’s unclear where the sweetener sourced from each country is used.

But the company’s operations aren’t wholly reliant on international trade, according to James Quincey, Coca-Cola’s CEO.

“The vast majority of everything that’s consumed in the U.S. is made in the U.S.” Quincey said during an earnings call in February.

“Similarly, we’ve merged every country around the world. And so while it’s a global business, it’s very local. So yes, every bottler will be importing something from somewhere as a piece of the puzzle, but the economics are more predominantly local than they are global,” he added.

The 25% tariffs on aluminum imports implemented in March will increase the cost of cans in the U.S., but Quincey said the company has a series of strategies to adapt. The company can shift to making more plastic bottles and raising prices.

It can also make changes in its supply chain and use price hedging on key materials — such as aluminum — to manage costs and supply, according to Quincey.

But the decreased availability and increased cost of alternative packaging materials could lead Coca-Cola “to rely more on plastic packaging than desired,” according to its annual report, which could impact its progress on sustainability goals.

Additionally, if Coke products go up in price, consumers may stop buying it because soda is considered an “affordable luxury,” according to Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of trade publication Beverage Digest.

Stanford told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that if a certain part of the consumer base is feeling anxious “or they’re feeling financially insecure, so they’re pulling back on discretionary purchases, I mean, those are the kinds of things that could have an impact.”

Coca-Cola also acknowledges that price increases could hurt its bottom line.

“Consumers may be less willing to pay a price differential for our branded products and may increasingly purchase lower-priced offerings, or may forgo some purchases altogether,” the beverage giant wrote in its annual report.

Though it is an iconic American brand, the U.S. does not account for even a quarter of its sales. Coca-Cola measures sales by unit case, which is a unit of measurement equal to 192 U.S. fluid ounces of finished beverage, the equivalent of 16 regular-size cans of Coke.

Last year, the U.S. represented 16% of Coke’s unit case volume, meaning the vast majority of its sales were overseas. The top countries for sales outside of the U.S. were Mexico, China, Brazil and India, which together accounted for one-third of all of Coca-Cola’s unit case volume in 2024.

The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in the Bainbridge monkey case, according to the Albany Herald.

In a fight to stop the facility, Decatur County District Attorney Joe Mulholland has been challenging the legalities of the project for months, but now the state’s highest court has come to a final ruling. This latest ruling comes after the Court of Appeals also sided with the monkey facility last November.

This new decision essentially gives the green light to Safer Human Medicine (SHM) to move forward with construction. This means the trial court’s approval for the project will not be reversed, and the Validation Order for the project will not be vacated.

“With the Supreme Court’s denial of this challenge, we can begin preparing for construction on our state of-the-art facility that will advance American medical research, provide good-paying jobs, and increase economic opportunities for Bainbridge, Georgia. We look forward to breaking ground and earning the people’s trust in this community as we build our business and meaningful relationships. We will do that by operating with the highest standards and supporting American medical research to develop new life-saving medicines.” [said] Jim Harkness, CEO of Safer Human Medicine

Savannah may lose a $30 million dollar federal grant from FEMA, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced last Friday an end to its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program in an announcement that hits Savannah.

The city of Savannah received a $30 million BRIC grant in fall of 2024 for drainage improvements along the Springfield Canal, a project aimed at mitigating decades of flooding in some of Savannah’s historically Black neighborhoods west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. FEMA said in a release Friday the program’s cancellation cut a “wasteful” and “politicized” initiative.

The city has not yet received an official grant cancellation letter from FEMA, but said in a statement city staff is “reviewing the implications of this notice” and arranging meetings with its federal elected officials to discuss the grant’s status. That statement from the city was first reported by the Savannah Agenda.

“Savannah will still prioritize the stormwater infrastructure needs of our neighborhoods and our communities, but it’s our expectation that the federal government will do the right thing,” said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson at his Tuesday press conference, “that they will honor their word and their commitment to our citizens, and that they will deliver the grant as promised.”

The law allocated $1 billion to the BRIC program over five years, and $133 million had already been allocated, according to the press release. Grant funds not yet distributed to awarded entities will be “immediately returned either to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury,” according to the FEMA release.

The program’s end is meant to align with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, including one administered March 25 titled “Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.”

“The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters,” said a FEMA spokesperson in the press release.

For Savannah, the grant support was slated to come in phases. Phase one was to consist of $2.8 million from the program, with a $1 million local match, for design work.

The city incurred $110,720 in administrative costs for early phase one work, but the city has not yet executed its engineering services for project design.

Savannah City Council approved a $4.8 million contract in early February for engineering services, and City Manager Jay Melder said at the time the city needed more clarity on potential funding freezes before executing the contract.

Dalton City Council voted to support HB 843 by State Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Members of the Dalton City Council moved Monday night to support an effort by state Rep. Kasey Carpenter, R-Dalton, to limit property taxes on the elderly.

The council members voted 3-0 to support House Bill 843, which would place a referendum on the November ballot to increase the homestead exemption on homes owned by those 70 and older in the city to $325,000 from $250,000. Mayor Annalee Sams typically votes only when there is a tie, and council member Dennis Mock was absent.

The bill is one of several Carpenter has introduced that would put referendums on the ballot to increase the homestead exemption to $325,000 for property taxes from Dalton, Whitfield County, the other cities in the county as well as Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools. The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners voted last month to support the increase.

Tunnel Hill currently has no property tax, and City Manager Blake Griffin said council members don’t plan to create one.

But he said they support the measure. “If we ever do decide to have a property tax, we want to make sure our elderly are protected,” he said.

Voters in Dalton, Whitfield County and other municipalities voted in 2023 to increase homestead exemptions, which had varied by jurisdiction, to $250,000. Carpenter has said he is concerned that increasing assessments will cancel out the effect of that increase.

Dalton City Council members said having local officials show support for the bills could encourage Kemp to sign them.

The bills were co-sponsored by the other members of Whitfield County’s delegation to the state House: Rep. Jason Ridley, R-Chatsworth, and Rep. Steve Tarvin, R-Chickamauga.

Long County Commissioners announced the county received funding to complete a new jail, according to WSAV.

County Manager Chuck Scragg Chuck confirmed that the loan is being provided by Ludowici Bank. Long County will receive $815,487 for the jail bond.

All this comes just a week after officials for Long County confirmed the state of the current finances and the issues they were facing. Earlier this year an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) revealed several people stole money from Long County through a variety of schemes for personal gain. A Long County Commissioner was arrested as a result of the investigation.

It was also confirmed last night that Long County signed a resolution to accept the potential loan from the Long County Development Authority at the amount of $325,000 to cover the buildout or completion of the jail.

The loan consists of 0% interest on two payments. One payment will take place a year from now and the other two years down the road. Money from the development authority would be coming from the sale of land.

Fort Gaines is consolidating their police department into the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Albany Herald.

About 30 residents crowded into the small city hall building here Tuesday evening to hear the mayor and councilmen discuss the dismantling of the department. The council voted to move forward with negotiations to combine the city’s law enforcement coverage with the Clay’s Sheriff’s Office because the city cannot fund a police department. The negotiations with the sheriff’s department would provide a six-month “trial” coverage period.

“We can’t afford our police department, and that is a major concern,” Fort Gaines resident Mary Ann Parham said. “I think everybody here is concerned that we’re going bankrupt like Edison did and like Georgetown did. We deserve answers.”

Short-staffed law enforcement agencies are not uncommon in this part of the state. Many of Fort Gaines’ neighboring towns operate with fewer than five officers and a mix of full- and part-time staff. Edison, which borders Fort Gaines, has been recovering from a financial crisis for more than a year and had only one full-time officer for about a year.

Edison has since been able to hire more officers but not without imposing a monthly law enforcement fee on citizens in order to pay officers and operate police cars and communication services. Last year, another nearby town, Arlington, had to cancel its historic May Day Parade due to a lack of law enforcement. Many of these towns are reliant on their county sheriff’s departments for support.

The Fort Gaines City Council and mayor discussed Tuesday that the city had been going over budget on the police department for several years. Mayor Kenneth Sumpter said this was due to the city’s inability to hire enough officers. Fort Gaines had two full-time officers and a police chief. However, in order to provide adequate law enforcement coverage to the city, they were consistently working overtime, extending beyond the city’s budget.

The council began working to consolidate the department with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in October. Between then and now, its two officers and chief quit their positions.

Not everyone was in agreement about abandoning the local police department. Councilwoman Susie Rhodes said she was interested in keeping the local department.

“Even if it’s something like ⅔ of the time, I mean we have the cars, we have the equipment, we have facilities in place,” she said. “I would like to see us advertise for a new chief and at a greatly discounted pay scale.”

“We’re in a different time now,” Councilwoman Karen Kinsell said. “It’s just difficult to find officers willing to work in these very rural areas. I know that the county struggles with that as well as the sheriff.”

A couple of councilmen brought up the potential for re-establishing a local police department years down the road.

“It is going to be very sad,” Kinsell said. “Nobody wants change. It kind of feels like this was a sudden event. It really wasn’t. It had been developing for years.”

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue is recommending the consolidation of two institutions, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue has called for reducing its institutions to 25 with a recommended consolidation of Georgia Southern University (GSU) with East Georgia State College (EGSC). The recommendation was announced in an April 8 press release.

Since USG’s consolidation initiative launched in 2011, it has dropped from 35 colleges and universities to 26, with the pending EGSC set to reduce the system’s total by one more.

The consolidation marks GSU’s fifth consolidation or partnership with other state system institutions since 2017: Armstrong State University, Augusta University, the Medical College of Georgia, the Dental College of Georgia and now EGSC.

The system’s Board of Regents will act upon Perdue’s recommendation during an April 15-16 meeting.

If the Board of Regents approves Perdue’s recommendation, the system would develop an implementation team consisting of members from each institution. The system has planned an initial listening session on April 16 at the EGSC Swainsboro campus before holding additional campus and community listening sessions over the next few months “to seek input on ways to best design the new institution to serve its region and the state.”

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which accredits programs at many Georgia public and private institutions, must also approve the consolidation.

The Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration voted to change a polling place location for the June 17, 2025 elections, according to The Brunswick News.

The new polling place for those voters will be at Christ Church Frederica, 6239 Frederica Road, officials with the Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration announced at Tuesday’s monthly meeting.

The board will send written notification to the affected voters in coming weeks.

Voters will have their first opportunity to cast a ballot at the new polling place in June for the Georgia Public Service Commission’s special election.

Early voters may cast ballots at the elections , 1709 Gloucester St. in Brunswick three weeks prior to the June 17 election.

Chris Channell, director of the board of elections, updated board members on legislation from the recently ended General Assembly session. Digital driver’s licenses will not be accepted when registering to vote.

Another bill moves non-partisan magistrate court judge elections to June and the cost of the city of Brunswick’s ad valorem tax referendum will be paid by the city, even though county elections will be happening at the same time.