Ninety minutes of the June 4 meeting of the Henry County Board of Commissioners was devoted to a proposed moratorium on new industrial and warehouse projects. No official action came from it, as three separate motions failed, but there was plenty of spirited discussion before the official presentation by county staff even began.
Dee Clemmons kicked it off with a lengthy statement, pointing out that the county had repeatedly seen important transportation projects and funding delayed to the point that help in some areas would be years or decades away.
“We are looking at 2034 before we get any help with this traffic.” said Clemmons, who added that she thought this could be a way for the board to get a handle on traffic and infrastructure problems like their constituents want them to do – finding ways to fund it themselves rather than waiting for handouts from the state.
She asked board chair June Wood, who was recently appointed to the state’s economic development board, to recuse herself from the vote so there would be no question about whether Wood is voting for economic development at the expanse of the county residents’ quality of life. She added that the county needs to take a “pause” and get an infrastructure plan in place before allowing more development.
“People keep saying, ‘Dee is against warehouses.’ No, I’m just trying to help my citizens,” said Clemmons. “I live here, too. If I lose an election because I asked for a moratorium, so be it.”
Clemmons asked Wood once more to “let the five of us vote,” knowing already where all of them stood because a vote had already been taken on whether to allow the Henry County Development Authority to make a presentation and it failed 3-3. Bruce Holmes and Vivian Thomas voted with Clemmons to deny that motion.
As far as the suggestion concerning Wood’s vote, the chair spoke loudly and forcefully.
“I will not recuse myself. I will exercise my right as the citizens elected me to do,” she said. “I am against this moratorium because it sends a message to everyone that Henry County is closed for business.”
Wood repeated a mantra she has trumpeted often of late, which is that the entire board should work together to see the county get the help it needs. She cited a transportation plan that she called “piecemeal” and pointed out that the board recently put a halt to the process regarding the proposed I-75 interchange near Bethlehem Road. She said that the commissioners need to keep working to make sure the road projects in the pipeline continue to move forward, and that Henry County has a seat at the table to compete for high-tech industries that are coming to Georgia.
Holmes voiced his agreement with Clemmons, saying that Wood voting on the moratorium is a conflict of interest considering her position on the state board. He said there has never been an effort to diversify industry in Henry County over the past two decades, and he lamented the idea of an inland port in the county, which has been suggested of late.
“Who wants a huge shipyard in the middle of the county?” he asked. “That’s not going to do anything for the tax base or the type of progressive industries we want in Henry County.”
Holmes said too many Henry Countians work in Atlanta and farther north, while most of the county’s warehouse employees live across the county line in Spalding or Butts.
Wood reiterated that she would vote and she voiced her support for an inland port, saying it would bring jobs and be a benefit to the area. Clemmons came back and said if an inland port is created, she will move out of the county.
She went on to take a personal shot at Wood, saying, “The only ones who benefit from it will be the landowners. If you find out who owns the land, you’ll know who owns the chair.”
All of these comments were made before the presentation was even given. Gary Barham made a brief statement supporting Wood’s ability to vote on the issue, and Johnny Wilson asked several questions of county staff regarding truck traffic and other considerations. There was more discussion about the proposed interchange, how it might help and whether it would ever become a reality. Holmes said it won’t happen, and Clemmons repeated her assertions that other road projects should be moved forward instead. Thomas stressed that if the appropriate plans are put in place now, the same discussion will be taking place a year from now.
There was much more, and all of it can be seen and heard on the video of the meeting, which is archived on the county website.
Clemmons ultimately made a motion to approve the resolution for the moratorium as presented, but added the following language: “in order to have a comprehensive infrastructure plan in place for the improvement of roads.” That motion was seconded by Holmes and the vote was 3-3.
Wood then moved to deny the moratorium until the county performs due diligence regarding a comprehensive infrastructure plan to move forward. That motion died for lack of a second.
