By Doug Duncan
If there’s one thing that can be said about Columbia County, its “change has been a constant.”
As Columbia County has grown over the decades, opportunities to gain control over its future have proven successful. In other words, when change has happened, Columbia County excelled.
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The first “split” in our history occurred in December of 1790 when the Georgia General Assembly carved Columbia County out of Richmond County. Looking back over our rich 230-year history, this would be the first of many such actions.
In 1971, Columbia County partnered in a Regional Development Authority with Richmond County. In 2000, Columbia County formed its own. Fast forward to today; the recent Amazon development was awarded the “Deal of the Year” by the Georgia Economic Developers Association.
In 1985, Columbia County partnered with the Augusta Chamber of Commerce to start a branch of the chamber. Twenty years later in 2005, we split to form our own.
In 2014, the Accrediting Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce designated the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce with its highest rating, five stars.
In 2005, Columbia County split from the Augusta Sports Council to form our own Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since that time tourism has grown to a $166 million annual industry, adding many hotels and recurring special events to our county.
In 2013, Columbia County split from the Augusta Regional Library system to create our own. Richmond County became a single county system in that arrangement. Lincoln, Warren and Burke joined us and are now part of the Greater Clark’s Hill System. Columbia County has one of the highest circulation rates in the state of Georgia with more than 180,000 titles checked out last year.
Most recently in 2014 SPLOST, Columbia County voters approved $30 million to fund its own hospital. While there are several hospitals in neighboring counties, the state approved a certificate of need for Columbia County to have its own.
That brings us to the current opportunity on the table, the split of the Augusta Judicial Circuit. For the record, this discussion has been on-going for decades.
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In 2018 Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, from Richmond County requested a study to determine if the split was appropriate. At the time, it was noted that Columbia County had too many judges living within the county for the split to be justified. The 2020 retirement of Superior Court Judge Michael Annis, a Columbia County resident, opened the door for the split to be re-considered.
Over the years there seems to have been a lot of support for the split both locally and at the state level. This was manifested in recent legislative actions. Senate Bill 9 was proposed by Sen. Lee Anderson, R- Grovetown. By the time the bill reached the senate floor, it had tremendous bipartisan support. Specifically, Sen. Jones, now the Minority Whip, stated, “I rise in support of the bill as amended.”
Sen. Jones also stated this issue has been going on for over 16 years, and we have reached a “fair resolution.” The Senate then voted unanimously to pass the bill. Now, we wait for it to work its way through the House before going to the governor for signature.
This is a good bill that not only represents the wishes of the majority of Columbia County residents but good public policy as well.
Richmond County is the fiscal agent for the district. This practically means the Superior Court and district attorney negotiate their annual budgets with Richmond County. Columbia County gets a bill with no representation.
The citizens of Columbia County deserve a voice on how their tax dollars are spent. If the past is an indicator of the future, we are certain we can realize the necessary efficiencies not only to save significant money by becoming a stand-alone Judicial circuit but also to continue the level of public safety that Columbia County expects.
Doug Duncan is chair of the Columbia County Commission. Reach him at commissioners@columbiacountyga.gov
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