Unpacking the Amazon Deal - A Commentary by Larry McSwain

A very good write-up by Mr. Larry McSwain w/ Citizens for a Better Newton 

(Covington, GA - Newton Co, GA)

 UNPACKING THE AMAZON DEAL- The "amazing" details that reveal why the City of Covington may consider cutting property tax ! But, don't expect one by the county or school board!

Recently, local newspapers have described the agreements with Amazon negotiated by the Newton Industrial Development Authority (IDA) on behalf of local governments. Amazon plans to construct a reported 1.4‑million-square-foot data center on a 430‑acre site on Alcovy Road within Covington’s city limits. Most reporting has emphasized the positive economic impacts of the project. The mayor of Covington has even suggested that city property taxes could be reduced because of the anticipated new revenue. In addition, Amazon has committed $100 million up front for new water‑reuse infrastructure to mitigate the project’s impact on our local water supply.

At first glance, the project appears to offer substantial benefits. However, it is difficult for citizens to fully evaluate the deal because the agreements are complex and not easily understood. To its credit, the IDA provided detailed documentation, including charts and verbal explanations, that allow a closer look at the numbers. What follows is one citizen’s assessment of that information.

Over a 16‑year period, the IDA will collect $301 million in lieu of taxes (PILOT fees) in addition to the $100 million water infrastructure investment. The water funding supports local conservation goals through water reuse while also enabling Amazon to obtain the 1.9 million gallons per day it will need for cooling. Thus, Amazon’s water investment is mutually beneficial.

The $301 million in PILOT payments, while significant, replaces traditional property taxes that would otherwise go directly to the city, county and school system. Under Georgia law, the IDA must legally own the facility and lease it back to Amazon for this arrangement to apply. If Amazon were paying full property taxes, the IDA estimates that $530 million would be collected over the 16-year period. That means Amazon will save about $229 million in taxes, or roughly $129 million if the $100 million water investment is considered.

The IDA will distribute the $301 million according to its own formula. The city of Covington and Newton County will each receive $99.5 million (45% each), the Board of Education (BOE) $13.3 million (6%), the IDA $6.6 million (3%), and the Newton Water and Sewerage Authority $2.2 million (1%).

Although these amounts are sizable, they are well short of full payment of property taxes over the 16 years. Covington benefits the most, as its projected property tax revenue would be only slightly higher at about $111 million. In addition, the city will receive $215 million more in franchise fees from the electric utility serving Amazon. No wonder the mayor is so optimistic about a possible tax reduction for city residents!

Newton County and especially the BOE fare much worse under the PILOT distribution formula so don’t expect any tax reductions from them. Based on normal property tax distributions, the county is estimated to forfeit approximately $49 million, while the BOE stands to forego an estimated $257 million (my estimates). Obviously, the IDA did not think Amazon’s creation of only 285 new jobs would have much impact our school system. However, from a broader perspective, any time new industries do not pay appropriate property taxes, the deficit falls on private property owners. With such decisions by development authorities, senior citizens have little hope of seeing a reduction in school taxes.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect is the decision‑making process itself. The five‑member IDA board apparently determined the distribution of PILOT funds without formal representation from the BOE and without a public vote by it or our county commission. While the IDA likely had good intentions, decisions that so directly affect taxpayers should, in my view, be made or at least formally approved by duly elected officials. Even if negotiations must be confidential, final approval should take place through public votes by elected representatives of all affected government entities.

Citizens who share these concerns should communicate them to local officials if they want greater transparency and accountability in future development decisions.

Larry McSwain

Covington

A Quick Check-in: GA General Assembly; Data Centers in the Home City; Odds & Ends

 Greetings, Fantabulous Friends, and we hope it's as lovely as Moët Bubbly out there. 

Well, it's almost that time. When all the critters, serpents & varmints - more commonly known as the Georgia General Assembly - descend upon the Gold Dome to see how many bad decisions & how much havoc they can wreak on our beloved home state. 

I think I'll defer to the immortal words of  Antoine Dodson: 

 

[They] snatchin' yo people up, tryin' to rape 'em. So y'all need to hide yo kids, hide yo wife, and hide yo husband cause they rapin' err'body out here

Indeed.

And you can add your wallet, your freedoms & your sanity to that list as well. 

Never doubt the ability of that crowd to go full-on Mo-Ron. Hopefully we can get through these 40 legislative days w/out too much carnage being inflicted. Hope springs eternal & all. 


DATA CENTERS in the COV 


So more than anything, I believe the recent consternation, gnashing of teeth & wringing of hands regarding annexations & data centers has to do w/ a fundamental misunderstanding of things. 

For starters - as I've written in this space a few times - I, like many others, do not want any more data centers anywhere in the home county, and especially in the home city. The concerns about the inordinate amounts of water & power needed for these things are huge, but no less important to me are the environmental concerns. 

With that said, there are two parcels in Newton Co where the property owners have petitioned for annexation into the City of Covington - the big Elks Club Rd tract & the old Falconwood piece on Hwy 278 (though as I understand it they're not looking to do a data center on the 278 property).

The county has denied these annexation requests & now, as I'm told,  there will be an arbitration process where the arbitrator may uphold the county's denial, or may allow the petition to move forward to the city government. 

-Important Note-

The city is NOT involved w/ anything related to either of these properties right now.  Eventually, they may. And based on the word on the street, if either or both does come before the city, it would likely be voted down unanimously 6-0. 

But based on rhetoric we're seeing on social media, you'd think the City of Covington was the driving force behind all of this. 

That is a total & absolute falsehood and anybody telling you otherwise is either misinformed, ignorant, or simply lying for whatever reason. 

There is a process for these things & it has to be followed properly. There's this whole thing called Due Process. That's not just a thing for criminal court proceedings. It applies to property owners & their real property rights as well. Local governments have to do the right things & do things right. Failure to do so can lead to unintended & unwanted consequences. 

A final thought. The current data center being developed on Alcovy Rd is getting thrown into a lot of these discussions. That was approved years ago, FYI. 


Odds & Ends 


Enjoyed my extended holiday break. Looking forward to getting back to looking for the REAL story in Covington, Newton Co., the Glorious GA Piedmont, the Great State of Georgia & beyond. 

'Til next time, 

- MBM 

A Thought, and a Question

 A thought, and a question. from men much smarter than yours truly. 

A Thought: 

"The U.S. Constitution is the most unique & best contract ever drawn up between a people & their government in history. Though flawed from the beginning, because all men are flawed, it nevertheless has served us well & set an example for the entire world..."

Dr. Ron Paul
OB/GYN, former US Congressman & Presidential Candidate


And, a question:

"Can a nation rise above the injustices of its origins and, by its moral purpose & performance, atone for them? All nations are born in war, conquest & crime, usually concealed by the obscurity of a distant past. The United States, from its earliest colonial times, won its title deeds in the full blaze of recorded history, and the stains on them are there for all to see & censure: the dispossession of an indigenous people, and the securing of self-sufficiency through the sweat & pain of an enslaved races. In the judgmental scales of history, such grievous wrongs must be balanced by the erection of a society dedicated to justice & fairness. Has the United States done this? Has it expiated its organic sins?"

Paul Johnson
Famed Historian (not the former techie head coach) & the author of "A History of the American People"

###

To Dr Paul's statement:

Absolutely 

The answer to Johnson's question:

Yes, I truly believe, though we're always striving for that More Perfect Union 

- MBM 

Wednesday Check-in: Talkin' Home City & Dwayne Turner; Trump; The Epstein Files

 Shalom & Peteetong, Fearless Readers! 


So C-Town is starting to settle into its New Normal. 

It's looking as if Dwayne Turner is starting to realize the old adage of:

Be Careful What You Wish For

Some of the old-guard COV types who actually voted for him are fully expecting him to live up to his uber-Conservative campaign hype & rhetoric. 

(I know, they're dumb; the usual suspects...)

When he doesn't, it's gonna get real ugly, real fast. 

Case in point: 

The Stormwater fees.

As anyone who has just a basic understanding of the situation could tell you, this involves federal government mandates. The previous city councils for years have been kicking this can down the road but now we're about to get to the point where the Feds are going to start fining us & withholding grant monies if we don't comply. And a significant portion of the city's funding does come from the Evil Empire. 

Pretty sure Dwayne wasn't aware of that. 

But, if he doesn't get done what he's promised to get done, he's going to quickly become Persona Non Grata w/ those east ward types who put their faith in him. 

I think it's gonna be quite interesting to see how things start to unfold beginning in January. 

I'll just say this:

I'm glad I'm not Dwayne Turner. 



TRUMP!!1! 


That shambolic buffoon. 

SMH. 

He needs to keep Rand Paul & Thomas Massie out his damn mouth! 

It's as if he's making all the wrong decisions. 

At this point, I think it's probably intentional. 

Maybe it's some of that patented 4-D Chess? 


The Epstein Files 


And I think of my George Carlin: 

There's a club - and you ain't in it! 

Are a majority of our federal politicians caught up in a Mossad blackmail/leverage operation (and are possibly kid-diddlers)? 

What do you think? 

And do you think that a 427-1 vote means we're actually going to learn the truth? 

If so, I've got some Iowa &/or Kansas beachfront property for you to take a look at. 

###

Okay for now, 

- MBM 

Sunday Check-in: Recapping the Election

 What's the good word, GA Piedmont? Hope it's good out there. 

So we had an election this here past Tuesday. 

First off, on the national level, I really don't care.

So a socialist won the New York City mayoral race. So what? What is interesting, though, is this: based on polling data approx 8% of his votes came from folks who voted for Trump last year. That kind of makes sense as Mamdani ran a true populist campaign. 

Plus, it's New York. 

And then Dems winning in Dem states. Not much of surprise there. 

State of GA 

Hate to rain on the parade of some of the partisans who are hailing the two PSC races as proof of a fundamental, transformative sea change of Georgia politics. That, this was not. 

What is was, though, was this: two statewide races being held in an off-year due to the lawsuit which caused them to push this election back a year (which also cost the Libertarian Party of GA its ballot status as a political body meaning they've lost access for statewide elections for the time being). 

It was also an instance of the Democratic Party of GA treating these races as vital, and really getting out the vote, while I think both GOP campaigns as well as the state party apparatus figured these were given wins (a theme we will revisit) & didn't put in the necessary work. 

Well, that obviously wasn't the case & should've been figured as such. Strong anti-incumbent sentiment out there w/ the ever-increasing utility rates we've been seeing combined w/ the aforementioned lack of urgency made both of the races foregone conclusions in my opinion. 

So now let's get to the good stuff. 

The Home City of Covington 

The two west ward races were not at all surprising. If this had been four or two years ago, Scotty, definitely, and maybe even Johnson, could've had an outside shot. But times have changed. 

When the westside Henderson Machine saw a seat slip away two years ago, they were already planning for last Tuesday. 

There would be no overlooking anything this time around. The machine mobilized and they got out the vote. Bigly. 

Furthermore, I believe the plan of attack was:  

Oh, y'all gonna steal a seat from us? We'll return in kind. 

Which leads us to...

East Ward, Post 1 

My, my, my. What can you say? 

At first glance this was a real shocker. Dwayne Turner besting Donny Cook 52% to 48%. 

But in actuality, it was not a shocker. 

As I just mentioned, there was a coordinated effort for the JC crew to pick up an east ward seat.

They found a very solid candidate. Turner has a good resume & apparently knew a good number of folks in town who were very much impressed w/ him. 

Add that to the fact that Mr. Turner seemed to've had a complete political transformation where all of the sudden he was - at least based on his rhetoric - the most fiscally conservative candidate who's ever run for office in the history of Covington. Then, running a strong, grassroots-driven campaign, and he was able to kind of steal one here. 

Gotta tip your hat. No doubt. 

With all of that said, there was no good reason for Donny Cook to have not won this race, other than the following. 

And look, let me just say this, up until a few months ago I had never met Donny & did not know who he was. He reached out & I got to know him pretty good. We've had multiple conversations. 

I think he's a good fella w/ a good heart who had good intentions & is definitely a fiscal conservative. I think he would've been a good councilman. 

Now, was he the ideal candidate?

Well, no. The ideal candidate was Lee Mayfield who, even w/ all of the circumstances & dynamics in play, would've won by probably at least 10 percentage points. 

However, for a particular reason, he didn't run. 

Donny stepped up. And that's a big deal. And I thank him & salute him for having done so. 

So how did a race that should've been won by 10 points get lost by 4 points. 

Well, remember what I talked about w/ the PSC races? 

In my opinion, it was assumed by the Cook camp that this election was a given. That a basic campaign was all that was needed. 

That simply wasn't the case. 

So an early lack of urgency kind of set the stage for things.  About a month ago is when some started sounding the alarm & actions were taken accordingly. 

Cook did win election day, but the early voting sealed his fate. 

W/ local races, there is no substitute for old-school, real-deal REAL Politick. Specifically canvassing - door-to-door. A better job w/ that would've probably netted the 2+ percentage points needed for the W. 

And there were other things that could've made the difference. One direct mail piece might've done it. Two definitely would've, in my opinion. An endorsement from the current office holder. Ditto. Any one or especially a combination of the aforementioned probably gives a different result. 

Oh well. Would've, could've, should've. 

Once we get to January it'll certainly be a different dynamic on the council. Think we'll probably see a fair number of tied 3-3 votes. If such is the case, then Fleeta's the tie-breaker. 

Is what it is. We shall see. 

'til next time, 

- MBM 

Election Eve in the COV! Checking In on What's Going On

 Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to the Fun House! 

***IMPORTANT INFORMATION: to vote for the city election on Tuesday Nov 4th, you will vote at the City of Covington Council Chambers, 2116 Stallings Street Covington GA 30014 ***

Well, it's almost that time. The first Tuesday in November in an odd year so that means it's municipal election time & everybody's real excited, though, for those running, they might be equal parts excited & exhausted.

No rest for the weary & all. 

There are several city elections going on all throughout the GA Piedmont but I'm only concerned w/ one - the home city. The COV. 

This is the year when it's two open seats in the west ward & just one in the east. I'll start w/ where I stay at, the eastside. 

East Ward Post 1 

I'll be doing the rare TPC endorsement here, and this is the man I'll be voting for tomorrow (I always only vote on Election Day), and recommend you do the same. 

Donny Cook 

I've gotten to know Donny over the last few months & I've been impressed. This is a guy who has roots in the community, and really cares about our future. Pretty much all of his main policy positions are in line w/ mine, and I think he's the ideal addition to the City of Covington Council. 

*****

Over in the west ward we have two contested races. I don't have a vote over there but if I did I'd definitely be voting for Scotty Scoggins & Amy Johnson. 

They both have uphill climbs but I think both are in the realm of possibility. Scotty surprised everyone four years ago w/ his showing & there's no limit to what can happen in a municipal campaign if you really pound the pavement & do the REAL Politick, especially when the entrenched incumbent is assuming that the seat is a given. 

We shall see... 

Best, 

- MBM 

***IMPORTANT INFORMATION: to vote for the city election on Tuesday Nov 4th, you will vote at the City of Covington Council Chambers, 2116 Stallings Street Covington GA 30014 ***

P.S. to vote for the PSC races, you will need to go to your regular polling precinct 

Unnecessary Drama in the COV : A Tempest in a Teapot; Madam Mayor & Conduct Unbecoming

 So the big thing in terms of politics local here recently in the home city has to do w/ ghost tours & cemeteries, manufactured indignation, gadflies, an opportunistic politician, as well as a long-running vendetta said politician has had for a particular Square merchant for several years. 

The initiation of this current chain of events began a week ago Saturday last when the aforementioned gadfly surreptitiously filmed a group of people (including children) who were taking one of the ghost tours as offered by Covington Ghost Tours as they were walking towards the privately-owned portion of the Covington cemetery.

Quick aside. These tours have been going on for 11 years now. 

But back to situation at hand. 

This video was put on social media w/ the caption of "wAkE uP cOvINgtOn!!1!" (okay, so maybe I took some artistic license w/ the capitalization & punctuation). 

It got shared by several of the usual suspects & then it became indignation time w/ the comments made on the original post & also on some of the shares. 

It became quite obvious that this was a concerted, coordinated & manufactured happening as the first reading of a new ordinance prohibiting ghost tours of the city-owned portion of the cemetery happened just two nights later at the City of Covington's general meeting.
 

But then, Madam Mayor Fleeta Baggett really cranked it up when she (or one of her fervent disciples) reached out to WSB TV for them to do a story on it.

And my word, it must've been a really slow news day that day as they actually sent out a van & crew to do a piece.

The irony was not lost on some.

Way to really respect the dead by having a news crew traipsing all over the cemetery, filming video in this sacred spot & just generally making a spectacle. 

Sad. 

So, to recap.

The original video hits social media.

Two days later - the council vote.

And then two days after that - WSB.

Astroturfing at its finest, I'd say. 

*****

Ghost tours happen all over America & Georgia. Several go through cemeteries. The majority of them are done in a very respectful manner & I know that this one is because I've been on it before. They make a point to tell everyone to stay on the road, not to walk on any of the graves & remain respectful. 

So, again, this is in my opinion simply A Tempest in a Teapot, to use the old idiom.




###



Madam Mayor & Conduct Unbecoming

Mayor Fleeta Baggett 

Apparently Fleeta should've had a TPO issued against her some time back related to her concerning & bizarre behavior directed towards one of the Covington Square merchants, to the point where she was told by the CPD if she entered the premises of said business, that she would be arrested. 

This has been confirmed to me by multiple direct sources.  

Even now, she goes out of her way to create an adverse impact against various business owners here in the home city, w/ one (the aforementioned) very much in particular. 

Let's take a step back here. 

Think about it.

The mayor of our city is expending time, energy & effort in order to hurt a local business that is paying taxes, providing jobs & bringing in visitors to Covington.  

Covington's Mayor is doing that. That is just so messed up. 

Fleeta's always had her band of followers, but apparently more & more are waking up. . 

On top of all of that. 

Madam Mayor has just had another official complaint lodged against her by a city employee (she's had a few over the past couple years). 

This has been standard operating procedure for her entire tenure as Mayor. 

To wit: 

Verbally abusing city employees. 

Harassing local business owners as well as elected & appointed city officials. 

Just generally being an unpleasant & seemingly vindictive  person. 

### 

Well, it's looking as if her "Jumping the Shark," and overplaying her hand, may be about to catch up w/ her.

Maybe. Possibly. 


And as this writer understands it, there could possibly be a vote of No Confidence in the offing. 

Regardless, something's gotta give. This isn't working anymore. 

We shall see. 

You know we'll be keeping an eye on it. 

Until next time, 

- MBM