Locust Grove to Host an Election 2024 Town Hall on Monday

Several items will be on the upcoming ballot for one Henry County city. Locust Grove has announced an election town hall ahead of the November 2024 vote. Ballot items include a special election for mayor and city council, as well as referendums on annexation and SPLOST VI.

Locust Grove has communicated the event on September 16 will not be a candidate forum. According to the city, they are looking to host a forum on October 7.

The election town hall will be on Monday, September 16. It will be from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. The event will be at the city public safety building. A second event will follow on Monday, September 30.

Locust Grove Election 2024 Town Hall

Mayor & City Council

First and foremost, the city has a special election for mayor and council. The mayor’s race is to fill the unexpired term of Mayor Robert Price. Three individuals, Carlos Greer, Bart Hammock and Vincent Williams, are running to lead the city. The winner will serve until December 2027.

Next, there are two separate elections for council. They are to fill the terms of Greer and Williams. Georgia law required their resignation off the council to run for mayor. The following candidates are running:

For a term ending in December 2027, the below candidates qualified:

• Stuart Kingsley,
• Olivia McCornell, and
• Weyman Price.

For a term ending in December 2025, the below candidates qualified:

• Lester Clark, and
• Cobra Knowles.

All voters who presently reside in the city limits are eligible to vote. They will see the city’s special election on the same ballot as President and other offices. This is thanks to the city and county elections board consolidating the city’s precincts with the county precincts. This move will eliminate city voters from having to visit two separate locations on Election Day.

Annexation

Next, about 2,300 residents will have a ballot question whether to annex into the city. Those residents reside primarily along Locust Road and Indian Creek Road. A couple other areas are also part of the vote. The area voting on the request is shown shaded in pink on the map. The dark-blue area joined the city in April. The yellow or gold area is the existing city limits.

The Locust Grove annexation vote is the result of local legislation in 2024. The city requested the annexation, and state lawmakers carried the measure on their behalf, in an attempt to ”fill-in” the city limits.

If voters pass the annexation referendum, then the pink area will become part of the city effective on December 31, 2024. Residents within the area would then start to receive city services, such as city police. They may also vote in city elections beginning in 2025.

Lastly, their property taxes would presumably decrease next year. Properties inside the city paid five mills less in taxes this year when compared to unincorporated Henry County. The five mills results in a difference of $500 in taxes per $250 thousand of appraised property value.

SPLOST VI

Finally, voters throughout Henry County will consider SPLOST VI. If voters approve the referendum, then SPLOST VI would pay for various capital projects and road improvements. The program would span six years from April 2025 to March 2031. Visit here for a look at the Henry County project list.

Some projects the city is looking to complete include improving Bill Gardner Pkwy at Tanger Blvd, and widening Georgia 42 between BGP and Marketplace.

Featured image shows Locust Grove city hall. Clayton Carte photo.