Chatham County considers bringing back defunded conservation board

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Chatham County commissioners heard requests Friday for how to allocate tax dollars, weighing challenges including homelessness and preserving green space.

The public hearing helps groups that rely on diminishing funds. Multiple groups focused on nonprofit initiatives like suicide prevention training.

“I want to help, you just make me want to help,” said Tanya Milton, district 5 county commissioner.

One topic dealt with a group that has not been funded or on an agenda in over a decade.

“Guess what? You’re part of the crowd cause I wasn’t familiar with it either,” said Chester Ellis, Chatham County commission chairman.

The Resource Protection Commission protects historic and cultural green spaces. Its funding halted in 2013, but Friday a conservationist asked for it to be brought back.

“We’re facing increasing pressures in Chatham county that require us to think more about conservation,” said Jeffrey Beauvais, One Hundred Miles north coast advocate.

“There’s a lot of things to weigh whether a property has conservation value,” Beauvais said.

The county expressed interest in bringing back the board. The county recently acquired Green Island, a marshland, and development around Tom Triplett could mean the county commission could use a dedicated conservation board.

“There is a need for us in Chatham county to keep green space,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the next step is research. This was the first time the resource protection commission has been brought up in a meeting since he has been there, so commissioners will need to find out where and how it was funded in the 2000s and early 2010s.

Beauvais said he was not there to make a change Friday, but to start the process.

“Even if it’s not something that can be addressed in this budget year, it’s laying the groundwork to address it in the future,” Beauvais said.

The county does not yet have all details about the budget. Commissioners are looking to pass the budget at their next meeting in two weeks.