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The ADVANCE, December 15, 2021/Page 9A
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PEOPLE
RTCA WHITE CHRISTMAS — In an effort to instill in the students a servant's heart, each year Robert Toombs Christian
Academy asks their students to participate in a "White Christmas" where they collect items for those less fortunate.
This year students were asked to bring in canned goods to donate to local needy families. Boxes wrapped in white
paper were placed in each classroom, and students brought in their donations. Filled boxes were displayed at the
All-School Chapel, where students sang carols and learned about the greatest gift, Jesus, the Light of the World. The
students collected 20 large boxes filled with a variety of canned goods. Thanks to all who participated and helped
to make this project a major success.
50th Anniversary
Johnny and Valerie Gillis will celebrate their
golden anniversary on December 20, 2021. The
couple was wed in 1971, raised 4 children, now have
grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The family
prays for many more years of love, life, health, and
strength.
Your children,
John, Jeremy, Isaac, and April
‘Right to Farm’ debate to be
renewed in General Assembly
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
After a year in limbo,
“Right to Farm” legislation
being pushed by groups
representing the farming
and livestock industries
will be back before the
General Assembly this
winter.
“There’s no bigger is
sue to our organization
than right to farm,” Will
Bentley, president of the
Georgia Agribusiness
Council, told members of
the Georgia House Ru
ral Development Coun
cil Dec. 8. “It’s becoming
more and more of an issue
around the state.”
The Right to Farm Act
would make it harder for
property owners living in
areas zoned for agricultur
al use to file nuisance law
suits against nearby farms
or livestock operations.
The Georgia Senate passed
the bill during the 2020
legislative session but it
fizzled in the state House
of Representatives.
After staying quiet
during this year’s ses
sion, groups including the
agribusiness council, the
Georgia Farm Bureau, the
Georgia Forestry Associa
tion and the Georgia Poul
try Federation are vowing
to renew their campaign
in support of the measure
during the 2022 session.
The need to protect
farms and livestock op
erators from nuisance suits
has grown increasingly ur
gent over time, said Mike
Giles, president of the
poultry federation.
Year after year, more
and more urban and sub
urban residents move to
the country to enjoy the
rural lifestyle, Giles said.
Once they get there, some
are bothered by the smells,
dust and noise associated
with nearby farms and
livestock operations and
file nuisance suits, he said.
Giles pointed to $100
million awards in nuisance
suits in North Carolina
that have crippled farmers.
“Trial attorneys can
put farms and agribusiness
out of business,” said state
Rep. Robert Dickey, R-
Musella, chairman of the
House Agriculture & Con
sumer Affairs Committee.
“That’s what we’re trying
to prevent.”
Opponents say an
earlier Right to Farm law
Georgia lawmakers passed
during the 1980s contains
adequate protections for
farmers.
“Existing farmers are
protected,” said Gordon
Rogers, executive direc
tor of Albany-based Flint
Riverkeeper.
But supporters of up
dating the Right to Farm
Act say new farming oper
ations are most in need of
protection from nuisance
suits because Georgia is
running out of sparsely
populated areas where res
idential encroachment has
not occurred.
“There’s just no part
of the state where you
can put agriculture where
there’s not already people
there,” Bentley said.
Jacob Matthews, a
governmental affairs spe
cialist with the Georgia
Farm Bureau, said Right to
Farm protection is an eco
nomic issue.
“If we’re trying to
boost rural Georgia’s
economy, it’s important to
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make sure the opportunity
is there for people to come
in and start new farms,” he
said.
Rogers said environ
mental organizations that
oppose the updated Right
to Farm Act don’t object to
row crop farming or tim
ber operations.
But he said the bill’s
real intention is to protect
giant livestock operations
like the industrial hog farm
operated in North Caro
lina by Smithfield Foods
that was sued successfully
by neighbors late last year.
“Nobody wants to be
next to them,” Rogers said.
The Senate amended
the 2020 bill to require
that lawsuits challenging
farms or livestock opera
tions must be filed within
two years of when a nui
sance occurs. More re
strictive language in the
original legislation would
have required suits to be
brought within two years
of an applicant obtaining a
permit to start or change a
farm operation.
While environmental
groups working the issue
accepted the new statute
of limitations as a com
promise, it didn’t go over
well with the original bill’s
backers. Supporters in the
House sought to strip the
amendment from the mea
sure, but when that effort
failed, the legislation died.
It’s unclear whether
the two-year statute of lim
itations will be in the 2022
bill because it is not among
the measures that have
been pre-filed in advance
of the legislative session.
“The question is, ‘Do
they want to have that
same fight, or are they
coming up with something
more creative?’ ” Rogers
said.
The bill isn’t expected
to be introduced until after
the General Assembly con
venes next month.
This story available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News
Service, a project of the
Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.
State audit criticizes
rural jobs, tax
credits program
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
A rural jobs and tax
credits program the state
created in 2017 isn’t com
ing close to paying for
itself, a new audit has
found.
The Georgia Agribusi
ness and Rural Jobs Act
provides access to capital
for small businesses locat
ed in rural areas as well as
tax credits to companies
that invest in rural com
munities.
From 2018 through
last year, 33 businesses in
23 Georgia counties —
most in South Georgia
— received an average of
$3.1 million through the
program, according to the
Georgia Department of
Audits & Accounts. More
than half of that money
went to small manufactur
ers.
The program’s annual
economic impact during
those years ranged from
$42.6 million to $60.4
million, according to the
Fiscal Research Center at
Georgia State University,
which partnered with the
audits agency on the re
port.
However, the pro
gram is expected to cost
$60 million in lost state
tax revenue. Given the
estimated $580,000 to
$630,000 the program
is expected to generate
in state tax revenue each
year, it would take at least
72 years for the state to
see a positive payback on
its investment in terms of
additional tax revenue,
the audit concluded.
“This analysis con
firms that the program
has wholly failed to meet
lofty promises,” the Geor
gia Budget and Policy In
stitute, an Atlanta-based
think tank and frequent
critic of the state’s tax
credit programs, wrote
in response to the audit.
“The findings released
today should motivate
Georgians to demand
greater transparency and
accountability for the bil
lions in tax credits the
state of Georgia awards
each year.
“Wasteful corporate
giveaways and special-
interest tax breaks not
only put great pressure on
low- and middle-income
Georgians to pay a higher
share of this earnings in
taxes, but also deprive our
state of needed revenue
for core programs and ser
vices like education and
health care.”
The audit was the first
conducted under legis
lation the General As
sembly passed this year
requiring the state to con
duct periodic audits of tax
credit initiatives.
“This program clearly
does not provide a return
on investment from the
state,” said Georgia Sen.
John Albers, R-Roswell,
the bill’s chief sponsor.
“I do not believe this is a
proper use of state tax dol
lars.”
The audit also re
ported that eight other
states have launched simi
lar programs - known as
certified capital company
(CAPCO) investment
programs - only to aban
don them later. Some
states reported significant
portions of the funds were
not going to qualified
businesses, while in other
cases, companies received
the funds only to go out of
business.
The General Assem
bly considered a CAPCO
proposal during this year’s
legislative session as part
of a broader tax-break
package, but the CAPCO
component was pulled
from the final version of
the bill Gov. Brian Kemp
signed into law.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News
Service, a project of the
Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.