UPDATE Friday, April 3, 2026, 11:14 a.m.: The routine local legislation for the annexation passed the Georgia Senate on the last day of the session April 2 and is headed to the governor’s desk.
The City of Riceboro could get bigger if Georgia legislators sign off on the city’s request to annex nearly 810 acres stretching from Retreat Road to the South Newport River. The city also is in the process of holding public hearings on whether to impose property taxes. If both efforts pass, Riceboro could see a desperately-needed economic boost following the sudden closure of International Paper last fall – but not for a few years.
Still reeling from the sudden closure of International Paper last October, Riceboro’s elected leaders met with county and regional officials Saturday to chart a new course for the city. Plans include creating a recognizable downtown, most likely on the south side of the South Coastal Highway overpass.
Adding land to the city
The annexation is a big part of that change. House Bill 1594, sponsored by State Reps. Al Williams (D-168) and Buddy DeLoach (R-167), would add about 809.33 acres to the city, starting at Retreat Road, south along both sides of U.S. 17, across I-95, behind the gas stations, fast food restaurants, and convenience store at South Newport Village, to the South Newport River next to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources public boat ramp and dock.
Riceboro annexation
Riceboro proposes annexing 700 feet on either side of S. Coastal Highway plus a commercial area on Interstate 95 in Liberty County.
Some of those properties near I-95 are woods and wetlands now but have been targeted for development since about 2008. They are part of the larger 10,413-acre Jelks Pasture Tract, which includes zoning for three mixed-use villages, a possible boat launch on the North Newport River, and new neighborhoods yet to be built.
Riceboro Mayor Chris Stacy said the new residential area should make a big difference when the U.S. Census rolls around again in 2030. Census figures matter because they help determine who represents Riceboro in Congress and at the Gold Dome, as well as how much federal money would go to local needs like roads, bridges, education, school lunches, healthcare, and Medicaid. Companies and governments also use the numbers to decide where to put new businesses.
Stacy said that existing homeowners in the annexation area want to know whether they will still have dry trash service, which the county provides right now; Atlantic Waste serves city residents.
The city also is pondering which annexed roads, including Briar Bay Road, Ways Temple Road, and Shell Road, to prioritize for maintenance.
“If we annex them into the city, they become our roads,” Stacy said. “Shell Road is in horrible shape. Briar Bay ain’t much better. And we know Ways Temple Road is, also. So in order to repair those roads, we have to figure out where to get the money from to do it, if we annex those into the city. And the question would be right now, as we’re trying to create a new millage, an inaugural millage, we don’t want to put that at the top of the ladder.”
Stacy said the city assessed and ranked roads in the city from worst to best and created a budget for fixing them. The question, he said, was whether Shell Road, for example, would be bumped to the top of the city’s list even if other roads already in the city limits are in worse shape.
At publication, the bill has passed in the Georgia House and is expected to pass the state Senate before the session ends this week.
Millage rate would be city’s first
Meanwhile, Riceboro city leaders are also planning for what would be the city’s first-ever millage rate – a property tax charged on each $1,000 of a home’s fair market value. That money would go directly to the city.
No specific amount for the millage rate has been set yet, although Riceboro held a town hall about it on March 9. Once city leaders propose an amount, the law requires three public hearings. After the last hearing, the council would vote on whether to pass the millage rate and how much it would be.
Stacy said those hearing dates won’t be set until the Liberty County Tax Assessor makes a tax digest for the city. A tax digest is a list of all the properties in the city and how much those properties are worth for tax purposes. The state has to sign off on the list before local officials can use it.
Stacy added it’s too soon to say exactly how much the proposed millage rate would be. While the city knows how much it needs to bring in to cover the budget, he said, real numbers for the millage rate depend on what the tax digest values show. He added that an unofficial working number is about 8 mils, which would be an $8 tax on every $1,000 of a property’s taxable (assessed) value.
The annexation will add more properties that the city can then tax — but those developments are at least a few years down the road, Stacy said.
How to figure a possible city tax
Say someone owns their own home in Riceboro. The Liberty County Tax Assessor sets a “fair market value” of $100,000 for that property. That home might sell for more than $100,000, but the value for tax purposes is $100,000. But the owner will only need to pay taxes on the “assessed value,” which is 40% of the fair market value. In this case, that’s $40,000.
So if the city were to pass an 8 mil property tax, that would be $8 x 40 (because 40,000/1000 = 40), or $320 that the owner would have to pay to the City of Riceboro each year.
This tax would be separate from taxes that Riceboro property owners already pay the county and school system.
Creating a city center
One thing Riceboro lacks is a recognizable downtown area. To change that, the city will need to create a downtown development district board. The board would work to bring new businesses to the city, as well as seek out grants to upgrade existing downtown businesses, for example.
The new downtown could be on the south side of the Coastal Highway overpass, where more government buildings are concentrated.
Safer homes
While developers make plans for new homes in the annexation area, many existing homes in Riceboro need major repairs and safety upgrades. The community nonprofit JCVision and Associates has been working on ways to get more of those needs covered.
The problem some applicants have had is that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will only pay to fix certain hazards. However, Executive Director Dana Ingram said that state funds may cover other necessary repairs.
Ingram said the agency also has had trouble with licensed, bonded contractors reluctant to bid on jobs because each job required them to file new paperwork. Now, potential contractors apply to be in the nonprofit’s pool, meaning they only have to file one time to be eligible for future jobs.
Those two changes, she said, are helping more homeowners get the repairs they need.
Tiny homes closer to reality
Tiny homes also are part of Riceboro’s effort to meet the need for affordable housing.
Mayor Pro Tem Louise Brown was instrumental in getting Liberty County’s first tiny homes ordinance passed in October 2025. Brown’s family built one tiny house on their property but ran into complications when they tried to build three more to sell separately.
Some of the issues had to do with road requirements allowing access to two tiny homes on the rear of the property.
During the meeting, Brown said her family had followed all the steps and pressed Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission Executive Director Jeff Ricketson for clarification.
After some discussion, Ricketson said the problem could be solved with an amendment to the city’s new ordinance and promised to have something ready for the next City Council meeting. That meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, April 7, at City Hall, 4614 S Coastal Hwy.
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