Chatham County Commission denies Port Wentworth request to join transit tax district, asks for referendum

The Chatham County Commission voted on June 26 to deny a Port Wentworth request to be added to the Chatham Area Transit (CAT) special transit tax district and asked the city to pursue a referendum asking residents to decide the matter.

Chairman Chester A. Ellis moved the denial after staff and commissioners debated whether state rules require voter approval for municipal inclusion in a special transit taxing district. Ellis cited prior minutes and what he described as state constitutional provisions, saying the process requires voter approval and recommending the city ask the board of elections to place a referendum on the November ballot.

Mayor Saunders of Port Wentworth told the commission the city has been funding a minimal bus contract from city reserves — roughly $430,000 a year — and argued inclusion in the county tax district would transfer that cost to the broader tax base and enable service expansion. “By not putting us in this tax district, I believe that you’re putting an unfair burden on the people that we are all trying to help,” the mayor said, explaining that some residents rely on bus service for school, work and medical appointments.

Commissioners who opposed immediate inclusion said a citywide vote is the fairest way to add a tax. “We’re not going to tax an entire city without them voting for it,” Commissioner Kick Lighter told the mayor. Several commissioners said they would support the change if Port Wentworth’s voters approve it in a referendum.

County staff and the mayor discussed operational details during the debate. A county representative said the figure the city has been covering did not equate to the full cost of the route; the city manager indicated the city had been paying most of the route’s expenses from its reserves. Commissioners also discussed the timing of tax bills and practical options: the board can deny the request now and place a referendum on the November ballot so a favorable vote could be implemented the following year.

After debate and points of clarification about state law, the motion to deny the inclusion passed. The chair said the board will accept a letter requesting a referendum and work with the board of elections on ballot placement in November so voters can decide the issue.

The denial was procedural: the commission did not adopt a permanent policy blocking future inclusion. Commissioners framed the vote as directing the city to ask voters whether they want to join the county transit tax district rather than forcing an immediate tax increase without a local ballot measure.

Next steps: the city was invited to send a formal petition for the board to place a referendum on the November ballot; if voters approve, the commission said it would return with the procedural steps necessary for inclusion.