Homestead deadline is April 1

Special to the News

Updated: Mar 6, 2012, 3:01 PM

Published: Mar 5, 2012, 3:05 PM

Bryan County residents who wish to file a homestead exemption for the 2012 tax year have until April 1 to do so.
Applications are accepted year round, but those received after April 1 will be applied to 2013 taxes.
To file, visit either one of the two tax commissioners offices at 11 North College Street in Pembroke or 66 Captain Matthew Freeman Drive.
To apply for the homestead exemption, the applicant must own and occupy the home as of Jan. 1, 2012. It must be occupied as a permanent residence and place of abode. It must also be the legal residence of the applicant for all purposes. This exemption can only be claimed on one residence.
Once granted, the homestead exemption is automatically renewed each year. The taxpayer does not have to apply again unless there is a change of ownership or the taxpayer seeks to qualify for a different kind of exemption.
In Bryan County there are local exemptions that supersede the state exemptions:
The local regular homestead exemption is available to homeowners who are not yet 65-years-old and who otherwise qualify by ownership and residency requirements. It is a $2,000 exemption off the 40 percent assessed value on your state and school taxes, and $30,000 off the 40 percent assessed value on your county tax. The value of the property in excess of such exempted amounts shall remain subject to taxation.
The local elderly exemption is for taxpayers who are 65-years-old or older. The only requirements for this exemption are that the taxpayers must otherwise qualify by ownership and residency requirements and they must be 65-years-old or older on Jan. 1 of this tax year. There are no income requirements. Proof of age (copy of driver’s license or birth certificate) is required. This is a $50,000 exemption off the 40 percent assessed value on your county and school taxes. The value of the property in excess of such exempted amounts shall remain subject to taxation.
Other exemptions may be available for taxpayers such as the Disabled Veterans Homestead Exemption, unremarried surviving spouse of a disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a peace officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty.
For questions or more information, call the tax assessor’s office at 653-3880 or756-2434.

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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