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come into this role at the pace we were moving, and Josh has done an incredible job,” he added.

According to Roper, two of the biggest projects currently going on in the city are the construction of the Warmouth Sands Golf Course and the renovation of the Vidalia Regional Sports Complex on Ezra Taylor Road.

“We did not just want to get golf back; we wanted to see how we could use golf to boost economic growth in the city,” Roper emphasized. “We did not know that the opportunity would come to also renovate the Ezra Taylor Complex across the road.”

He informed the attendees that the Sweet Onion Golf Authority planned for the new golf course to be open next Fall, as irrigation is currently being installed. The facility will feature a full course, a unique driving range, and a 1,600 square foot clubhouse.

As for the sports complex, the city has received a grant to transform the facility to allow it to host soccer and football games. This renovation will include five multipurpose fields, which will alleviate the amount of wear on the current Ed Smith Complex, and will allow opportunities to host travel soccer and football tournaments.

Another large project the city is currently undertaking is the creation of a new Vidalia Onion Museum, which will be located at the old Vidalia City Hall on Jackson Street. “One of the things that was a positive shock to me when I became mayor was just how much traffic the Vidalia Onion Museum has. There are an incredible number of people that come here to visit just because of that museum,” he said.

The new museum is currently being designed by the Savannah College of Art and design. More information will be available on this facility in the future.

Toombs County

Toombs County Commission Vice Chairman Darriel Nobles and County Manager John Jones spoke at the event about the history of Toombs County, and services the county provides.

Nobles explained that Commission Chairman David Sikes was unable to attend the event because of being in Atlanta to work with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, as he is the organization’s current president. In his absence, Nobles provided facts about the history of the county.

County Manager John Jones spoke on the duties of the County government and facilities.

The Courthouse

He began by addressing the new courthouse, which was completed this year. “This courthouse was built because of cooperation between the county and cities, otherwise it never would have been able to be built,” Jones shared. “It is a testament to what has been occurring over the past decades.”

The surrounding park and parking lot of the facility is expected to be completed by the end of this month, as the picnic tables and benches have been installed, and landscaping is currently being completed.

Millage Rate

Jones spoke on the growth of the tax digest in the county and its effect on the millage rate and property taxes, as he informed the citizens that the tax digest had recently experienced 60% of inflationary growth and 4% of true growth.

“Why that is important is because as the digest grows, more money comes from the governments here to be able to do the things that we need to do. If that digest is not growing, then we will not have the money to accomplish what we need to do,” he stressed.

The county manager stated that the larger the digest remains, the more millage rates are able to go down, as sales tax and other revenues help to alleviate the responsibility of the taxpayer. “Creating sales tax creates money for capital projects and a rollback on your tax rates dollar-for-dollar,” he remarked. “When we see the government doing the things that they are doing, I assure you that it is to increase the digest and sales tax in some form or fashion.”

Current Operations

Jones shared that the county currently has 190 full-time employees and 50 part-time employees to help the government run smoothly.

According to Jones, the Toombs-Montgomery EMS service is overseen by the county and runs around 600 calls a month, which averages 20 calls per day.

The County runs two construction crews – the public works crew and the landfill crew – which use leased machinery to complete their jobs. These leases allow the county to trade out machinery on a regular basis and save costs on maintenance.

The landfill is run by nine employees, five of which are certified landfill operators. This is a rarity, as normally a landfill facility only has one to two certified operators, according to Jones.

Future Plans

The County plans to pave Hammonds Church Road and finish the paving and widening of Old Normantown and Cedar Crossing-Alston Roads. Aimwell Road and Extension is scheduled to be repaved in 2025.

The County also is seeking to expand space for the sheriff’s office and emergency management agency, as Jones explained they had outgrown current facilities.

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY – Toombs County Commission Vice Chairman Darriel Nobles provided the public with information on the history of Toombs County.Photo by Makaylee Randolph