Criminal Defense Attorney in Vernonburg, GA.

In a Tweet, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson stated that Chatham County has, once again, walked away from the cities' latest offer during a contentious round of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) negotiations that began in July of this year.

Johnson Tweeted shortly after 1 p.m.: "Chatham County walks away from an offer that would net the County an additional $102 million in additional tax revenue. For #Savannah this is not a 'plot or a ploy.' This is real life - involving real dollars & real people. #WeAreAllLOST."

The latest mediation session between the county's eight municipal governments — Savannah, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Garden City, Bloomingdale, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island and Vernonburg — and the county government began at 11 a.m. this morning behind closed doors at the Oliver Maner LLP offices in Savannah.

Previous story:Cities' new strategy on LOST: Start at 23% share for county, increase incrementally to 31%

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About three hours later, the mediation ended with still no consensus on how to distribute around $1 billion in tax revenue generated by the 1% tax levy over the next 10 years. If the parties do not reach an agreement by year's end, the LOST certificate will expire and so will the ability to collect millions in annual funds that are used to offset property taxes for residents and business owners throughout the county.

To bring back the tax levy, a referendum will have to be voted on by residents.

The latest offer from the municipalities presented the county with two options: the county takes 26% of the funding, an immediate 3% increase from their current share, and the cities take 74%. Or, the county starts with its current share (23%) with incremental increases to 31% throughout the 10-year funding cycle.

The county rejected both offers.

"They want us to wait 10 years to get to 31% and that’s not workable," said Chester A. Ellis, chairman of the Chatham County Commission. "Everybody agrees to the 31. It's just how you get to the 31% — it needs to be there sooner rather than later."

The city of Savannah, which is the lead on negotiations for the municipalities, offered another compromise: that the county share starts at 26% and increases to 31% within five years. The proposal would have netted the county an additional $102 million over ten years compared to their current LOST breakdown (23%).

According to city leaders, Savannah also stipulated that Chatham County give an annual $300,000 stipend for Tybee Island's beach renourishment efforts, a costly project that protects the barrier island's shoreline.

"We’re supposed to be negotiating percentages, not beach renourishment," said Ellis, "They're not negotiating in good faith."

The county's push for a larger cut stems from growing costs to provide 31 essential services to all residents, according to Ellis. Over the last decade, costs to provide services such as the court system and emergency services increased by $54 million, according to the county's accounting.

“When you look at what it’s costing the county to provide those essential services … the prices keep going up,” said Ellis to the Savannah Morning News in a previous article.

Ellis said that the county, instead, proposed that its share start at 26% next year, increase to 28% in 2024 and increase again to 31% in 2025. Municipal leaders rejected the counterproposal.

Public negotiations on how much LOST funding each party deserves began in July of this year. Ellis had requested the county's LOST share increase to 50% (with the eight cities splitting the remaining 50% largely based on population). The proposal was a 27% increase from its current 23% share. According to 2021 numbers, the county received about $22.4 million from LOST funds.

The eight cities collectively received around $75 million in 2021. Some city officials have stated that LOST funding makes up a significant portion of the city's overall budget. For Pooler, the second largest city in the county after Savannah, LOST is the second-largest revenue source that funds basic services in the city, according to Mayor Rebecca Benton.

Municipalities refused the 50/50 offer, citing exorbitant property tax increases should the county suddenly hike its share to half of all LOST proceeds. The parties stalled at an impasse, leading to closed-door mediation sessions that ultimately did not result in an agreement in the fall.

In the last two weeks, news of continuing LOST negotiations re-emerged with the county and cities exchanging proposals and counterproposals, as pressure to reach a consensus mounts with only 23 days left in the year.

On Nov. 22, the county rejected the municipalities’ Nov. 17 proposal to keep the breakdown at its current status: 23% for the county and 77% for municipalities.

Instead, Ellis proposed a 31/69 divide with the county share growing 2% annually during the decade-long cycle, eventually resulting in a 49% share for the county, which was close to the 50/50 split initially suggested during public negotiation sessions in July. Ellis cited the growing cost of county-funded essential services such as the court system and emergency services for the increase in funding.

Johnson countered that the “county’s poorest neighborhoods” will bear the brunt of a tax increase." He, along with other city officials, stated that increased funds for the county would come at a cost to the municipalities -- where about 70% of the county population lives.

A week later, the mayors of eight municipalities sent a new proposal, stating that they would be willing to negotiate up to a 31%-69% divide, in order to avoid property takes hikes for incorporated city residents, and to prevent the LOST certificate from expiring without an agreement.

During a Dec. 2 Chatham Commission meeting, commissioners voted to support a 31/69 divide. However, on Dec. 5, Johnson responded with a letter stating that they would only support an incremental increase to 31% for the county, rather than an immediate change.

Wednesday's mediation session was prompted by the letter which offered the county the two options, which was rejected.

“The Municipalities cannot agree to anything other than a gradual increase to 31%. The choice between these options is yours to make,” wrote Johnson.

City officials are planning a press conference Thursday morning at 9 a.m. at Wright Square in downtown Savannah.

Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at NGuan@gannett.com.

The United States Trade and Development Agency will provide a grant to an internet service provider to conduct a feasibility study to take broadband connectivity to over 30 million people in rural and peri-urban communities across India, an official release said. The amount of the grant, however, was not disclosed.

The USTDA on Wednesday said projects such as this can transform communities and stimulate more inclusive economic growth.

It said the grant would be used to conduct a feasibility study to help expand broadband connectivity to more than 30 million people in rural and peri-urban communities across India.

The internet service provider, AirJaldi, selected Georgia-based Vernonburg Group LLC to conduct the study, the release said.

"Projects such as this can transform communities and stimulate more inclusive economic growth. AirJaldi's vision to provide reliable and affordable internet access to the underserved is one that USTDA is proud to share," said USTDA director Enoh T. Ebong.

"This project also reflects USTDA's commitment to bridge India's digital divide through partnerships with the US industry," he said.

According to USTDA, the study will evaluate the technical and economic viability of expanding AirJaldi's broadband network to new rural and peri-urban areas, as well as modelling sustainable business cases and scenarios for delivering affordable connectivity and value-added digital services for customers in these markets.

The study will identify and prioritise infrastructure investments for AirJaldi to expand broadband connectivity across 16 Indian states, design network architecture, evaluate technology options, provide a financing plan and assess other critical areas that will be necessary for the project's implementation.

"The provision of fast and reliable connectivity to underserved yet well-deserving communities in rural and semi-rural areas in India remains a challenge despite the great progress made in the past few years by multiple providers and partners across India, us included," said AirJaldi director Michael Ginguld.

"Maintaining the drive to realise universal access to fast, stable and economically and socially beneficial connectivity throughout the country requires considerable financial and human resources," he said.

The project advances the priorities of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework with the goal of developing, expanding, and deploying secure digital infrastructure to power economic growth and facilitate open digital societies, the release said.

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SAVANNAH, Ga. —

Putting the spotlight on Savannah, Marvel Studios' "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier" is now streaming on Disney+, and you might see a familiar face.

Sheila Jackson, a Savannah native, can be seen making an appearance in the new series. She is following her dream of becoming an actress, a new interest for the 64 year old.

"It's very exciting, you know, to know that I was even called to be in this movie and not only that but to be in an episode with a famous person as Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan," said Jackson.

The show stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. Scenes set in Louisiana at the family home of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) were actually filmed at a private home in the Vernonburg community, off of White Bluff Road.

Jackson shared part of her big moment in the series.

“Well yes I had no idea what was going to happen but when he eventually pulled up in his truck and I was in a stall really cooking and there were some French fries. He was to come up and get one to eat, so I was right there where the fries were, which he did come up, got the fry, and touched me-- it’s like 'oh my goodness I’m going to be in the scene--' at least I was hoping I was going to be in the scene, and sure enough I was," Jackson added.

Kara Jackson

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Some other notable filming locations for the show include Dobbins Air Base in Marietta, Newnan, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Duluth High School football field.

The movie industry has long brought a major impact to the Savannah area, which helps bring attention to the hostess city and draws people in to visit. This means an economic boost to local businesses.

COVID-19 brought filming to a halt last year but over the last several weeks more film crews have been seen around the area; a sign that the local film industry is moving full steam ahead.

Billy Wooten, Chatham County Supervisor of Elections, said around 11 a.m. that 6,381 people have voted in the City of Savannah's municipal elections as of 11: 44 a.m. today.

And according to Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, a lot of other people who live outside the city limits in unincorporated Chatham County have tried to vote today.

At his weekly media briefing, Johnson said, "I think the challenge is that I have been getting a lot of calls that people don't have the realization that if they live in unincorporated Chatham County, they can't vote in a City of Savannah elections."

Every municipal election in which there is no countywide question or candidates, voters in unincorporated Chatham County still show up at the polls, expecting to cast a vote for the mayor and aldermen. But if you do not live within the colored areas on the map above, you cannot vote in a city election. The same is true for the other municipalities of Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island and Vernonburg.

Check your voter registration at mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/. If you don't have a city polling precinct, you can't vote today.

Holly Pace's backyard is sunken. In a low-lying area of Windsor Forest, the canal behind her house regularly fills and overflows with water, eroding her fence line and bite by bite swallowing chunks of the yard. She's far from the only Savannah resident worried about flooding, but Pace has an extra problem to consider: the water behind her house has more than 20 times the legal limit of E. coli.

What is E. coli?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Division, E. coli is a fecal coliform bacteria that is specific to feces from humans and other warm-blooded animals.

While it may seem obvious that humans don't want to come into contact with feces, the EPA says that E. coli itself isn't likely to be all that harmful to humans who come into contact with it through swimming. However, it is an indicator that the waterway may have other disease-causing bacteria or viruses that live alongside E. coli in human and animal digestive systems.

Common symptoms of exposure to water with high E. coli levels are vomiting and diarrhea.

Casey Canal runs alongside Harry S. Truman Parkway before it connects to the Vernon River, a central line threading the city. But throughout its course, the small waterway is picking up pollution from a spate of sources before it reaches the Vernon River, and along that route is Pace's house behind the LaVida Golf Club.

Her yard stays saturated, Pace said, and she's worried about the health impacts of long term E. coli exposure. When it rains, the skinny canal quickly overflows onto her property. Moreover, the flooding has created mold in areas such her garage, another source of potential environmental health problems.

"We could at least have decent, clean recreational rivers," Pace said. "It's not fair to have that type of quality of water."

She knows that this issue has been long-lived. For her, the flooding started in 2008 with a canal improvement project she claims has caused more flooding in her yard, and even back then the water was known to have high E. coli counts. She's frustrated the situation hasn't seemed to improve much over the years.

"When they tested (the water) about a week ago, the E. coli levels were 2620. (Environmental Protection Agency) standards are 100, or really, zero," Pace said. The numbers Pace refers to are measured in MPN, a statistical estimate of the number of coliform-group organisms per 100 milliliter sample of water.

Her water was tested along with other portions of the waterway by the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, which has been working on an overarching project to clean up the Vernon River.

Ogeechee Riverkeeper Damon Mullis said in mid-2020 his organization launched the Vernon River Project, where "the whole idea was to get all the stakeholders involved and everybody worked together to identify bacterial contamination and sources and try to get it fixed and limit water quality issues."

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According to the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, the Vernon River drains approximately 40% of the city via urban and suburban runoff, all parts of the Ogeechee River watershed. Back in 2001, the Vernon River was declared "impaired" by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division due to contamination, and since then it's been a long and slow battle to track down and remedy the sources.

"Over the 20 years we've had this issue, we haven't really seen an improvement so whatever has been done has been insufficient," Mullis said. His group tests for E. coli as well as Enterococcus, a similar bacteria. Human waste can carry viruses and other harmful bacteria, Mullis said, and so the ongoing pollution is a real health concern — accidentally drinking the water, particularly while swimming, or exposing cuts or sores to the water can have health implications.

But figuring out where the contamination is coming from is half the battle according to Ron Feldner, Savannah's new senior director of Water Resources.

"Our goal is to efficiently convey sanitary sewage to the system and minimize any interaction with that sewage and the environment around the system," Feldner said. "We don't want our manholes overflowing. We don't want our sewer lines leaking. But we have a lot of sewer lines, and we have a lot of manholes."

To make it more challenging, a lot of those systems have years of wear and tear. Feldner said the city "triages" this system as trouble arises, re-lining all the sewer lines at and around leaks to make sure the system is well supported for the coming decades. He said there's been some substantive wins on the river in the past decades, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s with overall stricter water quality regulations and some city system upgrades in the mid-2000s.

But even with this effort, there's other sources of contamination outside of the city's reach, such as lateral lines — those that are on private property, privately owned and connect homeowner's systems to the city's sewage grid. Beyond lateral lines there are leaking septic tanks, and non-point pollution like what runs off of parking lots or feces from livestock or wild animals.

Shawn Rosenquist, a civil engineer in Feldner's department, is also a new hire looking forward to chipping away at the E. coli problem. He's one of the city's representatives working with Mullis and other community stakeholders on a new and improved watershed management plan that is almost complete.

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The plan will have several recommendations for additional things the city can do — ordinances, policies, enforcement — and strategies for working with private property owners. The plan also helps prioritize the most critical areas and highlight the most effective possible solutions.

To better understand where the problem lies, Rosenquist said the city is working with other groups, such as Georgia Southern University, to conduct bacterial tracking to identify what the contaminants are and where exactly they're coming from.

Both Feldner and Rosenquist agree that it'll be many years before the city gets closer to a satisfactory outcome. But, with new staff at the city and a new, collaborative watershed management plan in the works, they're feeling confident that after many years the city is ready to turn a corner and make big improvements in the Casey Canal and Vernon River's water quality.

Marisa Mecke is an environmental journalist. She can be reached at mmecke@gannett.com or by phone at (912) 328-4411.