Augusta, GA

Augusta leaders weigh the will of voters on tax exemption

Published

11 months ago

January 14, 2025

Augusta leaders weigh the will of voters on tax exemption

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta commissioners on Monday spent a lot of their meeting discussing the law allowing the city to opt out of a “floating” homestead exemption for property taxes.

A new Georgia law was approved by voters to cap property tax increases. But as part of that law, local communities can opt out of the plan – and several in the CSRA say they intend to do so after a required series of public hearings.

Whether Augusta will do so was a topic of discussion Monday.

At the Augusta Commission meeting, Bob Young reminded fellow commissioners that 60% of Augusta voters voted “yes” for the homestead exemption.

He says the question of opting out of the cap goes beyond the homestead exemption but rather casts doubt on whether referendums mean anything in Richmond County.

“The exemption is just another incentive for people to invest in homeownership in Augusta, Richmond County,” said Young. “So my message to you is that you don’t need to schedule any public hearings about opting out. The public hearing was held on Nov. 5, when 48,000 people in Richmond County said give us our tax break.”

He said he doesn’t understand why anyone would consider taking away the voices of more than 60% and “tossing it out” in a process he called voter nullification.

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Augusta Commission: More from the meeting

Leaders discussed the number of small signs advertising home repairs and other services in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Rice says she’s willing “to yank the signs up” if it helps speed up the process.
Shovon Burton discussed the Laurel Park subdivision. She said the storm drains are “polluted” with trees and other debris. Commissioner Catherine Rice recommended Burton discuss the matter with engineering and code enforcement administrator’s office to work something out
Commissioners approved the recommendation of the Daniel Field General Aviation Commission to award the airfield pavement rehab project to Reeves Construction under a state grant contract for $4.6 million.

He says the exemption “brings some control” to property taxes, and he doesn’t understand why officials didn’t voice concerns prior to the November vote.

Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle said the challenge for a lot of elected officials is that they don’t know what the impact of the cap would be.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” he said.

Guilfoyle also questioned what will happen to businesses and new construction in the community if commissioners take action on the homestead exemption

“We also are going to have to find funding to stay and keep our operations going, especially with our new sheriff’s department,” said Guilfoyle. “You got our judicial and you even got the marshal’s department that’s coming for us now looking for funding. Well, we are $8.7 million in the rear right now. Money’s got to come from somewhere and that’s something that we have to look at. That’s the elephant in the room for me.”

FILE - The gold dome of the Georgia Capitol gleams in the sunlight in Atlanta, Aug. 28, 2022....

Young said these questions should have been answered before the referendum went on the ballot.

Mayor Garnett Johnson read the resolution straight from the ballot and said the opt-out potential was included in the language of the resolution voters pondered in November.

Young, on the other hand, said the ballot measure was written in “word salad.”

Commissioner Francine Scott said people need to know the 62% who voted for the measure indicated the percentage of voters, not the percentage of homeowners.

At the meeting, Sue Parr spoke on behalf of her client the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce.

“Opting out of this measure is not a tax break for the business community,” said Parr. “It is simply a matter of assessing equitable, fair property tax value on property, whether it’s commercial or homestead. We need both.”

Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley promotes and appoints those in the sheriff’s office

She agreed with Young about not wanting to nullify the vote but advocated moving forward with public hearings – saying that would be a chance for commissioners to hear what the community has to say and for business owners to explain what the tax hike would do to customers.

She said 50% of homes in Augusta-Richmond County are not owner-occupied, and that there’s a lot of new housing on the way.

“This shouldn’t be a debate,” she said. “It should be a coming together.”

City Administrator Tameka Allen said officials will meet Wednesday to discuss public hearings so officials can decide what to do before the March 1 deadline.

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Augusta, GA

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

Published

16 minutes ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Another section of the Augusta Canal towpath is reopening after being closed since Hurricane Helene.

The storm on Sept. 27, 2024, left the path strewn with debris as broken branches hung precarously overhead.

On Friday, the path will reopen between the raw water pump station and the Interstate 20 bridge.

In preparation, crews have made safety improvements along the previously closed section of the trail.

Visitors are asked to observe all posted signs and stay behind safety barriers.

Embankment repairs have been delayed, but will take place in the future.

Once repair work begins, portions of the towpath will be temporarily closed at various times. Advance notice will be shared with the public before any closures.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta budget approved, but battle could rage on

Published

12 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Augusta budget approved, but battle could rage on

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Greg Costello is getting his steps in at Diamond Lakes, and he thinks Augusta took the right step on the budget.

“I like that, that’s good. That was probably something that was needed right,” said Greg Costello.

Commissioners approved the 2026 budget without a tax increase. Instead, there’s a 5 percent cut to city departments and the elimination of funding for some non-government organizations.

“For this budget and we went through line item by line item through the budget we had to make some difficult decisions to make cuts,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne Guilfoyle.

At Diamond Lakes, those cuts will likely be felt.

MACH Academy Inc., the nationally recognized tennis mentoring program, is losing $200,000 in funding, and a 5 percent cut to Recreation that maintains it, creates worries.

“Yes, I am, because I think parks are very well needed,” said Costello.

Commissioners can make changes to the budget at any time, and some would like that instead of the cuts.

“We have a responsibility to support programs that help our kids stay out of trouble to help our community stay healthy and strong, to help add quality of life and museums and things of that nature,” said Commissioner Jordan Johnson.

“The only other option we have is to raise taxes to fund the NGOs. As a steward of the taxpayers, I can not do that,” said Guilfoyle.

It was a battle getting next year’s budget approved. Expect another one if there’s a move to amend it.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta nonprofits unite to raise $200K for medical supply center

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Augusta nonprofits unite to raise 0K for medical supply center

AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Two local nonprofit groups are teaming up to expand their mission to provide medical equipment to those in need.

Cutter’s Resource Closet and Sons of Consolation Ministries collect, refurbish and distribute used medical equipment to people who can’t afford it.

“We see roughly around anywhere around about 100 people. And we only operate for 4 hours one day a week,” explained Cutter Mitchell of Cutter’s Resource Closet. “Through that time, we’ve given out about $1,000,000 worth of equipment and supplies. And these are just growing. I mean, we’re at capacity. We literally can’t do more without more.”

The two organizations have been working together for some time. Now they are partnering to raise a total of $200,000 to buy, renovate and operate a full-time community medical resource center in Augusta.

“Really what we’re trying to do is have a central location to be able to distribute the medical supplies and equipment. But more than that, connect people with resources,” said Mitchell.

They told NewsChannel 6 the new center will help them do even more for the community.

“Here, we also are looking at adding a couple of things that we’re not presently doing, like some exam rooms to do, just basic health screening and maybe some minor wound care,” said Don Cummings, Sons of Consolation Ministries. “Because a lot of people, they’re just not being taken care of because they won’t or don’t go to the doctor or can’t afford it or whatever. So we’re really looking for this to be a supplement to what we started.”

So far, they’ve raised about $60,000. Now they’re asking for the community’s help and generosity to get the center up and running.

“I’ve often thought the right thing to do, right, is not what you could do, not what you want to do, but it’s what you should do. And it often isn’t easy, often comes at a cost to you personally. But that’s why it’s called the right thing to do,” said Mitchell.

“You know, every little bit helps. You know, a lot of times people, they feel like they don’t have enough to make a difference or they just don’t know where to send it. And I believe that this is a good cause,” Cummings added.

If you are in need of medical equipment or have equipment you would like to donate, just go to the websites for either Sons of Consolation Ministries or Cutter’s Resource Closet to find out how they can help.

If you are interested in contributing financially to the capital campaign, the organizations have a GoFundMe set up.

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