Augusta, GA
Augusta moving forward with hearings on property tax law
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – In addition to discussing the need for an emergency management director, several other issues were discussed at Thursday’s Augusta Commission meeting.
Among them:
Floating homestead exemption
The city staff requested that commissioners discuss and approve a path forward on House Bill 581, the state measure to allow the city to opt out of a cap on property tax hikes.
The staff recommended moving forward with public hearing dates on the matter, but said commissioners need to discuss the possibility of opting out. The staff also said there’s an opportunity for an additional sales tax if commissioners opt in. And if the city opts in, some of the tax burden will shift to commercial properties and those who don’t fall under the homestead exemption, according to the interim finance director.
The city administrator said commissioners need to advertise that they intend to opt out in order to hold public meetings to gauge citizens’ views. Making the motion would not mean the city is opting out.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson said he was concerned with advertising the meetings in that way.
Mayor Garnett Johnson reminded commissioners that on the ballot, the measure had language that said “local governments will have the chance to opt out.”
The goal is to decide whether to opt in or out by the last commission meeting in February, which is ahead of the March 1 deadline to decide.
Commissioners decided to advertise the public hearings, although the dates haven’t been set.
Beautification
Commissioners discussed maintenance of beautification and other projects in the city.
Commissioner Tina Slendak raised concerns about recently completed brick crosswalks on 13th Street that have already started coming up.
She said people have complained to her about it.
She said there needs to be more accountability for workers who do jobs like this.
Slendak asked what the process is to deal with situations like this.
Engineering Director Hameed Malik said to contact his department.
Mayor Garnett Johnson questioned why money doesn’t go toward maintenance once projects are completed.
Malik says these projects are under the city’s maintenance plan
“That’s one complaint we get as elected officials,” Johnson said. “We do a good job of beautifying, but then it goes to hell with lack of maintenance.”
City Administrator Tameka Allen said her office is looking at a holistic approach to maintenance in the city, and she hopes to have a plan to commissioners within the next 60 days.
Discuss 600 Broad improvement
Margaret Woodard discussed improvements at 600 Broad, which is supposed to be the home of Accelerate Augusta.
She said the work is almost done, but carpet, tile and other work can’t be done because the roof was damaged by Hurricane Helene. He says the roof work will cost $375,000, of which $175,000 is available.
Allen said there is money allocated in SPLOST 8 to go toward this.
Mayor Garnett Johnson asked if the $200,000 the city pays can get reimbursed, and City Administrator Tameka Allen said she’d work with the central services director on that.
Commissioners decided to grant $200,000 coming out of SPLOST 8 to go toward Accelerate Augusta.
Charter review
There was a motion to amend the charter review resolution to include adding proposed charter changes to a referendum.
Commissioner Tony Lewis said he had someone from his district approach him about speaking on the charter review.
A Virginia Cody spoke about her concerns of citizens not having a say in any changes that come with changing the charter.
“Any changes to this charter will go to the voters, period,” Commissioner Alvin Mason said.
“Everyone is entitled to a voice here and everyone will receive a voice,” Commissioner Don Clark said.
The motion passed unanimously after 30 minutes of discussion.
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An Augusta biomanufacturer will start making ammunition in the global fight against malaria.
Manus last week broke ground at its local plant on Lovers Lane on a production facility to produce artemisinin. The chemical is a key starting component in drug treatments to treat the deadly mosquito-borne illness. Malaria killed more than 600,000 people worldwide in 2024, according to the World Health Organization
“This groundbreaking reflects a shift from dependence to capability,” said Ajikumar Parayil, Manus’ founder and CEO. “For decades, the U.S. has relied heavily on overseas supply chains for the building blocks of essential medicines. What we’re establishing in Augusta is a new model – one that restores control, strengthens resilience, and proves that advanced biomanufacturing can be deployed at scale, here at home.”
About 80% of key ingredients for essential U.S. medicines are made or sourced overseas, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
That has led companies such as Manus to pursue biomanufacturing production models capable of making medical compounds domestically, efficiently and on a large scale.
Earlier in 2026, Manus won federal funding to expand production to make shikimic acid, a key compound in the antiviral medication oseltamivir, better known by its brand name Tamiflu.
On April 30, Manus announced a partnership with the University of Georgia to start a structured biomanufacturing apprenticeship program in Augusta. With a UGA “academic blueprint,” according to Manus, apprentices would receive extensive training on live production equipment to produce more experienced professionals for bio-industrial manufacturers nationwide.
Manus reopened Augusta’s old NutraSweet plant in 2019. In 2021, it introduced NutraSweet Natural, a zero-calorie stevia sweetener made using a smaller environmental footprint.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Brent McMillian is being appointed as the new director of athletics at Augusta University, President Russell Keen announced Monday.
McMillian will begin the role on June 8, 2026.
According to AU, McMillian brings 13 years of athletics experience to the position. He previously served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Engagement and Revenue Generation at Lipscomb University at Nashville.
“His vision aligns seamlessly with our goals for Jaguar Athletics: to champion student-athlete wellbeing, strengthen our competitive success, deepen community engagement, and build a vibrant, spirited campus culture,” Keen said. “His experience, combined with his personal connection to Augusta University, positions him to hit the ground running in a meaningful way.”
McMillian is a graduate of Greenbrier High School and attended Augusta University before completing his degree at the University of Tennessee.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Local restaurants hosted brunches for Mother’s Day, allowing neighbors to celebrate the day with the special women in their lives.
The Brunch House of Augusta on Greene Street hosted a brunch. The restaurant served berry pancakes and French toast, waffles, ham and cheese breakfast sliders and more breakfast foods.
One of the owners said the holidays are a great time for them to make connections with the community.
“We just had a group here come here that’s been coming here every year Mother’s Day for three years, every year basically since we’ve been open, they come in every year for Mother’s Day. We have people from out of town come and travel and visit us, so it’s definitely building that connection,” said Ashley Brown, co-owner of The Brunch House of Augusta.
Brown said they will be offering some specials for the upcoming Juneteenth holiday next month.
The Frog and the Hen also hosted a Mother’s Day brunch. The restaurant had about 350 people come in as of around 3 p.m.
They served foods like fried chicken, cheddar biscuits, French toast casserole and more.
The general manager said she enjoys seeing families come in for holidays like Mother’s Day.
“I feel like these are all my children here, so I feel like this day just in general, like I get to be the mother here, and so this is like I’m mother hen, so I get to take care of all this. I love supporting all the people as well and just being able to get the best food possible, the best chicken everywhere,” said Sheridan Roberts, general manager of Frog and the Hen.
Roberts said they often have to stop making reservations a few weeks ahead of the holiday due to the amount they receive.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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