– Jan. 3, 2024 –
Good morning and happy new year! It’s our first newsletter of 2024. Today we’re going to catch up first on some non-environmental news. Over the holidays, The Current published an analysis of who gets property tax breaks in Chatham County and just how big those breaks are. It’s eye-opening, and we don’t want you to miss it. We also have tips on how to recycle your Christmas tree, news on new whale calves and on resiliency funding for overlooked neighborhoods in Savannah.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send us a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
Who pays property tax in Chatham
Savannah residents know that the art college that bears the city’s name, the Savannah College of Art and Design, pays little in the way of property taxes. But they don’t know how little. So The Current’s Maggie Lee tallied up just how much tax the county forfeits to SCAD’s real estate empire. “Of its 106 parcels of land, 85% have no property tax bill,” she wrote. As a nonprofit educational institution, SCAD doesn’t have to pony up, even though it relies on vital city services like fire protection. Still, other universities, including Harvard and the Rhode Island School of Design, pay a voluntary fee in lieu of taxes to make up for some of the lost revenue, a solution that’s been floated unsuccessfully so far in Savannah.
While researching SCAD’s tax advantages, Lee also mapped out the savings bestowed on other tax-exempt entities. One surprisingly large beneficiary is the Savannah Economic Development Authority. “Gulfstream, Tanger Outlet, the owners of more than 1,300 acres of warehouse land and other corporations saved $33.1 million in property taxes in 2022 because the properties are legally held by the Savannah Economic Development Authority, a public business-promotion agency. SEDA doesn’t pay property taxes because it’s a public body,” Lee wrote. Here again, not everybody does it this way. In nearby Bulloch County, the economic development authority keeps school tax abatement off the table.
Read “On the record: Which entities pay — and don’t pay — Chatham County property taxes.”
Tree-cycling
If you’re anything like me, your Christmas tree is still standing in your living room, looking a little sad. If it’s a real tree, there’s still time to recycle it. You can put it in your own compost pile, of course. I do and though my compost is by no means a well managed operation, our tree is generally toast by summer. If that’s not an option for you, consider a community recycling program.
The City of Savannah is partnering with SavATree, Code of Return Compost, and the Savannah Tree Foundation to help residents dispose of Christmas trees. Savannah residents can bring their Christmas trees to the Savannah Civic Center parking lot, 301 W. Oglethorpe Ave., on Sat., Jan. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to be composted. The trees will be chipped by SavATree before being brought to COR Compost to decompose naturally.
In Glynn County, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful organizes the community’s annual Christmas tree recycling effort. Eight community drop-off locations in Brunswick, St. Simons, unincorporated Glynn and Jekyll Island are available to drop your live Christmas tree (lights, decorations or artificial trees are prohibited) for free through Jan. 7. Click here for drop off locations and times. You can also drop old holiday string lights to be recycled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 8-12 at the Old City Hall in Brunswick, 1229 Newcastle Street. While you’re there, pick up free seedlings available to Glynn County residents while supplies last. For more information email info.kbgib@gmail.com or call 912-279-1490.
Liberty County also participates in the “Bring One for the Chipper” program with eight recycling sites open through Jan. 6. Times and addresses are available here.
Savanah builds flood resilience
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded Savannah a $30 million grant to improve stormwater drainage around the Springfield Canal in the historic Black neighborhoods of Carver Village and Cloverdale.
FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program aims to “shift the federal focus away from reactive disaster spending and toward research-supported, proactive investment in community resilience,” the FEMA website reports.
The total project cost in Savannah is estimated at $42 million, with the city kicking in the portion not covered by the grant. “We have done a lot over the years to address historic flooding around the Springfield Canal but with this federal assistance we will be able to initiate mitigation of flooding issues that will benefit these neighborhoods and the entire Westside of Savannah for generations to come,” Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson, II said in a press release.
The improvements are also a Justice40 Initiative project. The initiative provides federal investments to secure environmental justice and spur economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.
Also noted:
• The Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, an annual week-long bicycling marathon that crosses the state, announced its 2024 route. BRAG, as it’s affectionately known, will take cyclists from Atlanta to Savannah from June 1-7, averaging 55 miles per day. More information is available here.
• North Atlantic right whales didn’t take a holiday from giving birth. The calving count for the season increased to 8 on New Year’s Eve, when researchers documented two new mother/calf pairs. Check out a description of season’s whale moms and babies here. Another 19 right whales got new names in December. Swipe through our slideshow to see how names like Jagger, Martini, Maple and Marilyn Monroe help researchers identify these whales at a glance.
• A lawsuit brought by the horses of Cumberland Island continues. During oral arguments Dec. 19, state and federal representatives explained why they want the case dismissed, citing “the definition of livestock, discrete and/or mandatory duties, ownership of feral animals, sovereign immunity, mandamus, and more,” as the latest Wild Cumberland newsletter explains. Wild Cumberland laments the government’s defense as “a disgrace, and inconsistent with federal priorities related to conservation.” Defendants have until Jan. 16 to respond to plaintiffs’ motion to amend the complaint.
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On the record: Which entities pay — and don’t pay — Chatham County property taxes
Under state law, properties owned by public agencies, schools and nonprofits are generally tax exempt. A three-month investigation breaks down which ones pay and which ones do not.
19 right whales get new names for new year
The New England Aquarium announced nicknames for 19 north Atlantic right whales.
Brunswick chemical plant to be dismantled in 2024
A monthslong decommissioning of the 300-acre Pinova chemical plant site will soon occur, with plans to eventually sell the property.
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