Monroe County Board of Commissioners

09/14/2026

Monroe County Board of Commissioners Meeting on Sept. 15 Canceled; Next Board of Commissioners Meeting to be Held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 September 10, 2026

09/11/2026

Today, we remember the lives lost and the bravery displayed by our American people 25 years ago today. Thank you for the actions of all the heroic first responders and everyday New Yorkers on that horrific day. Never forget!

25 years ago, as a nation, we made a vow to never forget. If we forget them, we have failed them.
2,753 people at the World Trade Center
184 people at the Pentagon
40 people and Shanksville, PA
Since then, 600 firefighters have died from cancers and illnesses from working on 9/11. That number is included in the over 9000 people who have died from exposures. According to the 9/11 Memorial, 49,000 people have been diagnosed with cancers related to the World Trade Center.

If you remember where you were that day, the feelings will come back immediately. But we also want you to remember September 12th. Remember that no matter your political leanings, your socioeconomic place, or your religious beliefs that we are all Americans and we are all neighbors.
Take time today to honor the innocent civilians, take time to honor the civil servants who gave everything.

09/10/2026

Please be sure attend this Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27 if you want to express your opinions on the future of Monroe County!!!

This is your chance to be involved and voice your opinions. Everyone in the county is invited. From High Falls to Culloden! Let's all come together and discuss subdivisions, parks, apartments, data centers, farms, residential, commercial, industrial and agriculture. We hope to see you all from all over! Bolingbroke, Juliette, High Falls, Smarr, Culloden, River Forest, Glen Merry, Riata, River Walk, and Forsyth! All opinions, concerns and facts shall be shared.

09/10/2026

SCHEDULE CHANGE!!!

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15 has been canceled.

Commissioners will hold their next regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

09/09/2026

Monroe County Commissioners Lamarcus Davis and Eddie Rowland led on Wednesday, Sept. 9 Oglethorpe Power representatives Vanessa Barnes and Taylor Walden and Google representative Tara Combs on tours of Monroe County Hospital and the Monroe County Workforce Development Center.

While at MCH, the group included (from left to right): Aletheia Health Chief Administrative Officer Kerry Trapnell, Combs, Rowland, Barnes, Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Bridget Daniel, MCH CEO Casey Fleckenstein, MCH COO Megan Randall, Walden, and Davis.

While at the Workforce Development Center, the group included (from left to right): Hubbard Alumni Association President Herbert Gantt, Rowland, Daniel, Combs, Hubbard Alumni Association Treasurer Mary Frances Chambliss, Barnes, Walden, and Davis.

09/09/2026

Monroe County Commissioners unanimously approved on Tuesday, Sept. 8 a resolution to establish film permit fees for any for-profit, commercial filming occurring on county-maintained roads or county-owned facilities/buildings/parks.

Monroe County Public Information Officer Richard Dumas initially proposed on July 14 setting film permit fees for commercial movie productions that film in Monroe County. Dumas recommended the Board establish a one-time, non-refundable filming permit fee of $100 for all commercial filming taking place within Monroe County with an additional charge of $100 for a total fee of $200 for any permit request made within 10 days of the beginning of filming. Dumas said the permit application will be made available to the public on the county’s website with instructions on how to submit an application and make a payment.

In addition, Dumas recommended on July 14 the Board assess an additional non-refundable $125 per day fee for projects that require partial road closures, lane closures, or closures that require intermittent traffic control and/or an additional, non-refundable $250 per day fee for projects that require total road closures. He also recommended a non-refundable fee of $100 per day for projects using county-owned facilities/buildings/parks for filming that will not require the closure or disruption of normal business, and/or a non-refundable fee or $250 per day for projects using county-owned facilities/buildings/parks that will require the closure or disruption of normal business at the facility while in use.

Commissioners approved these proposed fees by general consensus on July 14 but asked County Attorney Jessica Haygood to draft the fees into the county’s permit application and to also draft a resolution approving the issuance of film permit fees. Dumas presented both the updated permit application and the resolution at Tuesday’s meeting.

Commission Chairman Alan Gibbs immediately motioned to approve the resolution to establish film permit fees for commercial filming companies, which was seconded by District 4 Commissioner Al Turner and approved 5-0.

09/09/2026

Monroe County Commissioners approved by a 3-2 vote in a special called meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8 an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Monroe County School District and the Development Authority of Monroe County to split proceeds that will be received from “Project Rumble,” which is the future Rumble Technology Campus.

The three entities entered Tuesday into an Intergovernmental Agreement for fixed and already agreed-upon PILOT (Payments In Lieu of Taxes) payments to be made by Google, LLC, who plans to locate its hyperscale data center campus off Rumble Road, to Monroe County, Monroe County Schools, and the Development Authority.

The PILOT payment amount received by Monroe County roughly equates to the amount that the county would have received in ad valorem taxes from the Google project. Ad valorem taxes have been waived for Google in exchange for establishing the PILOT program.

In total, Monroe County is projected to receive just over $464 million in PILOT payments from Google between 2027-2049 with annual payments increasing over the course of the bond. Between payments over the next 20 years to Monroe County, Monroe County Schools, and the Development Authority, Google is projected to pay a total of over $1.1 billion in PILOT payments.

After about five minutes of discussion, District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland motioned to approve the IGA that divides up the PILOT proceeds from the future data center. Commissioner Rowland’s motion was then seconded by District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis and approved 3-2. District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose and District 4 Commissioner Al Turner cast the dissenting votes. Commissioner Ambrose said he was displeased that the Development Authority of Monroe County is projected to receive just over $71 million in PILOT proceeds. Commissioner Ambrose said he fears that the Development Authority will use its portion of the funds to attract more commercial and industrial businesses that could accelerate growth in Monroe County.

The Development Authority of Monroe County also signed off on the PILOT program deal in a meeting preceding the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday. Following the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the IGA, the Monroe County Board of Education held a special called meeting on Tuesday afternoon in which it too gave approval for the deal. Because the Development Authority has issued up to $40 billion in bonds on Google’s behalf for the construction of the data center, Monroe County Superior Court Judge Tommy Wilson will have the final authorization on the deal later this month.

Upon passage of the IGA, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners said in a joint statement with the Development Authority of Monroe County and the Monroe County School District: “Project Rumble’s long-term, historic investment in Monroe County is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our community. This unique agreement first and foremost protects our citizens and their quality of life, while also leveraging the extraordinary benefits of partnership with a globally-recognized company like Google. From education, public safety, and infrastructure, to taxation and local government services, this project is a gamechanger for Monroe County decades to come. We look forward to working alongside our citizens to identify their priorities for this investment to ensure the benefits of Project Rumble are put to the best use for all of our community.”

09/08/2026

UPDATE: The person that was the subject of the BOLO from Sunday has been taken into custody.