Tax Battle in Legislature, Hand-Count Mandate

Sunday Solutions — June 21, 2026

Good morning! It’s the first day of summer, and it’s already stormy. We find out what the Georgia General Assembly did over the weekend and what it will do about our voting process and local sales taxes. Plus, the elections really aren’t over — there’s a recount. But for now, let’s enjoy the sun and holidays as the Juneteenth spirit brings out the best in our communities. Also, don’t forget to call your dad, and if you can’t do that, do something he’d be proud of.

---

NEWS: GOVERNING

Legislature: A taxing session

Let’s catch up: The Georgia General Assembly went into a special called session on Wednesday to consider fixing their own deadline for ballot process changes, redrawing voter districts, considering local legislation and a few other things. Here’s how it started: In a preemptive move, state House leaders sent Governor Brian Kemp a letter Wednesday before the opening of the session he called to say they weren’t going to redraw voter districts this year. They didn’t rule it out for the next general session in January.

From there, legislators opened the already contentious session to consider 80+ local bills to lower homeowner property taxes by allowing votes on new local sales taxes. Republicans argued the tax opportunities would help homeowners while Democrats argued the move would unfairly add taxes to people who can’t afford to own homes. In Coastal Georgia, only Glynn County and Brunswick have filed to do that so far; the Senate versions didn’t muster enough votes Saturday to pass. Georgia Recorder explains the fundamental Saturday arguments here.

Both chambers must finish what they didn’t do last session: Deal with the soon-to-be-illegal QR codes on ballots before the next election. Lawmakers have options on the ballot problem. They can simply extend their own July 1 deadline, or they can set up a study group for recommendations, and/or accept a new process and fund it. Senate Bill 3EX passed on Saturday and heads to the House with a mandate to require some hand counts before certification. It would set up a combination of those options by moving the effective date to January 2028, establish a committee to recommend specifics, standards and requirements. Read Georgia Recorder‘s recap of the Saturday ballot discussion here.

There’s a lot or not much — depending on your point of view — work ahead, and both chambers will return to their duties on your behalf on Monday. You can watch the House at 2 p.m. and the Senate starting at 1 p.m. Want to weigh in before that? Find and contact your representative here and your senator here.

And if you’re wondering exactly what the chambers are allowed to do during a special session, here’s an explainer from The Current‘s Maggie Lee.

---

---

FEATURE: COMMUNITY

Joy in freedom, lessons from history

Friday was the federal holiday and local celebrations for Juneteenth, the day honoring the final word of freedom reaching enslaved people in Texas more than 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Coastal Georgians took the weekend to honor generations before by participating in walks, wade-ins, festivals and other gatherings. The Current‘s staff was there capturing voices and scenes. We’ve compiled a collection here and you’ll find more on our social media pages now and through the week.

We’d also like to share this terrific look by WABE at the Original 33, the first Black legislators sent by voters to the Georgia General Assembly. The history here has been lost to many. This piece reminds us all that we all have differing perspectives shaped by the very divergent life experiences of our ancestors.

---

NEWS: VOTING

It ain’t over…

That May 19 primary we thought was over? It’s not. The statewide Public Service Commission vote for District 3 — or as we prefer to say Seat 3 — is still going. This week, counties will work on a recount requested June 5 by Brandon Martin, who lost by 2,947 votes to Fitz Johnson. A recount is allowed if the margin is 0.5% or less. County elections staffs will be recounting through June 24. And why do we like to call it a “seat” instead of a “district”? Because the term “district” is confusing. In Georgia’s PSC setup, it only refers to where the candidate may live — all seats on the commission are chosen by all voters statewide. And, as careful readers will note, even the residency description has some mushiness.

---

---

Garden City’s 2-page data-center speed bump

Garden City won’t consider any permits, zoning, business licenses or other actions related to data centers in its 14 square miles of Chatham County for at least six months, after the city council voted for a pause while they consider permanent regulation.

While the noisy, water- and power-guzzling developments are setting off public anger, public officials are divided.  In April, Camden County enacted its own six-month moratorium on data centers, while Glynn County rejected a similar pause.  Read Garden City’s 2-page moratorium or skip straight to Mary Landers’ coverage.

---

EDITORS CHOICE: LEARNING

☕ Your second cup: Hurry up!

Today we bring another view of artificial intelligence: It’s changing our expectations for answers, and we’re losing a virtue that’s key to learning skills and our abilities to get along with each other. We’re losing our patience. Apparently our ability to find answers quickly online is eroding our capacity to wait for other things. Read the research here.

Enjoy.

---

---

---

Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.