Bulloch County farmer Ray Davis' concerns about four publicly owned wells planned to supply water to Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America landed him on the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this year. But the wells aren't his only issue in running for a seat of the county Board of Commissioners.
Davis is campaigning as a Republican for Seat A in District 2, which makes him the challenger to incumbent Commissioner Curt Deal, also a Republican, in the May 21 primary. Early voting is underway. With no Democrat in this race, it will be decided in the primary.
"I've got nothing against Curt Deal personally," Davis said. "I just feel like the county needs some direction, and different than where they are now, because of the water, because of the taxes. The tax increase — there were three tax meetings, and there's people in this county that can't afford these taxes — and none of the commissioners represented those people. It was a 6-0 vote."
The tax increase was last August's millage rake hike after inflation in property valuations from the previous year. Together, these made for about a 28% increase in property tax on average, without subtracting for exemptions.
Bulloch and Bryan counties' applications to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for the planned wells, two to be owned by Bulloch County and two by Bryan County but both sited within Bulloch just north of the line, seek a combined, permitted capacity of 6.625 million gallons per day.
Davis remains concerned about the effects these high-volume wells will have on the water table and surrounding farm wells — such as his own — and residential wells. He also asserts that Georgia's state Constitution gives citizens a right to a referendum on the wells.
But he no longer advocates holding a referendum, since Bulloch County has already purchased well sites and the "EPD circumvented its own rules" to allow the wells for Bryan County, making it "a foregone conclusion at this point that Hyundai is going to get water," he said. Additionally, he notes, state legislation passed this year, House Bill 1146, would allow the EPD to grant well permits to private companies to provide the water if the counties do not follow through.
"This is strictly a business decision, not to run the referendum, because I don't think it would be fair to the taxpayers of Bulloch County to not allow this income to come into the general fund of Bulloch County," Davis said.
Who's Ray Davis?
A Bulloch native, Davis attended Stilson Elementary School and Southeast Bulloch High School and then went to South Georgia Junior College. Continuing his education at West Georgia College in Carrolton, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education, specifically physical education, and returned to Bulloch County, taking a job at Portal High School, where he was head basketball coach, head baseball coach and football offensive coordinator for three years.
In fact, he had returned home to work on his parents farm every summer while in college, and after three years he left coaching to farm-full time. Now 70, he continues as a sixth-generation farmer, working with his son Mitchell, to grow cotton, peanuts and timber.
Their farming operation is based in the Ivanhoe area near Stilson. Ray Davis' wife, Belinda Lee Davis, also grew up on a farm, in the Leefield area, where he also farms. She retired after 38 years as a school media specialist. He also has a daughter, Jincey, while his wife has two daughters, Blair and Alicia, and he has four grandchildren.
Davis served on the Statesboro-Bulloch Parks and Recreation Board from 1994 to 2002. During those years, the board and county government, with money dedicated to recreation from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, built modern facilities at the Mill Creek Park in Statesboro, built parks in Stilson and Nevils, and made improvements to the Brooklet and Portal parks.
Davis reports that he led in arrangements to acquire land through negotiations with donors and sellers for the Stilson and Nevils parks, also securing a site for the Emergency Medical Service communications tower at Stilson.
More recently, he directed a total of $5,000 in grants from the Bayer Fund through its America's Farmers Grow Communities program for projects at Stilson Elementary School, the Stilson Fire Station and the Leefield Fire Station.
Why is he running?
"The future of Bulloch County will be decided in this election," Davis said in prepared remarks. "I offer change in where this county is going. We need balanced growth and income, not spending more money than we have coming in. Incumbents in this election like to talk about what they will do. I think more about what they have done. I don't like where we are now, with the leadership we have, nor where they want to take us."
That was in answer to a general question asked all candidates: Why are they running and why should voters choose them?
"The voters, the taxpayers … need to vote if they care about … their neighborhoods, … their community, … their schools, … their water, … their taxes," he continued.
About those wells, Davis says that the state government should create an indemnity fund to compensate residents or farmers who have to lower their pumps or drill deeper wells as a result of a falling water table, not have Bulloch and Bryan counties supply the fund.
"I feel the state should be held accountable and responsible for anything, instead of putting it on the back of the taxpayers of Bulloch County," he said.
On another development issue, Davis pointed out to the commissioners then on the board back in 2017 that a residential subdivision proposed for rezoning would not produce enough property tax revenue to supply the services its residents needed. That has been the case with most of the zoning changes the county has approved since, producing a deficit, he said.
"Also the abatements, where industry doesn't have to pay any taxes, the Bulloch County taxpayers are subsidizing those industries," Davis said.
Tax question
➤ When would a tax increase be justified? And when should a reduction in taxes be possible?
"The only comment I can make on that is, to have a knowledgeable opinion, I would have to see the budget, I would have to know the ins and outs of it, how it works, with the income versus the expenses," Davis said. "You can't just make general decision, but I do know that the two topics that I've mentioned created a deficit to this county."
Growth question
➤ How should the county deal with population growth and industrial development versus protection of rural land, water resources and lifestyles?
"Statesboro is a hub of Bulloch County, the county seat, always has been, and always will be," Davis said. "Statesboro is where industry and the population should be based. I don't think Bulloch County — the southern part of Bulloch County — should become a bedroom for Hyundai. We should protect our agricultural investments.
"That's why the people in this election should come and vote and let their voices be heard," he continued. "I hope to be a voice for the people, let their voice be heard."