The organization behind the effort to place two Hyundai Megasite-related issues on the ballot for voters has been suspended, according to an announcement made Wednesday.
The Bulloch Action Coalition (BAC) launched a campaign in August of 2024 to collect signatures of Bulloch County residents in hopes of overturning the intergovernmental agreement for Bulloch County to provide water and sewer services to Bryan County as well as the Well Mitigation Program approved by county commissioners in support of Hyundai. Joined by farmers, landowners, and concerned citizens, BAC announced a plan to collect 5,100 signatures and has continued that effort over the last several months.
Meanwhile, officials at the state level have worked to provide alternative solutions in light of the continued pressure from concerned citizens. Those alternatives, among other things, led to the suspension of the ballot referendum effort this week.
On Wednesday, the 501(c)4 entity released the following statement:
The Bulloch Action Coalition (BAC) is announcing the suspension of its efforts to gather signatures to petition for two referendums that sought to overturn the devastating decisions made June 27, 2024, by the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners regarding the adoption of the Memorandum of Understanding to establish the well-mitigation program and the intergovernmental agreement between Bulloch and Bryan Counties to provide water and sewer services. The purpose for pursuing the referendums was solely to allow the voters of Bulloch County the right to vote on the sale of water from four wells in Bulloch County to Bryan County, sewer services from Bryan County to Bulloch County, and to increase the amount of money funded for mitigation of wells that could be impacted by the Floridan aquifer withdrawals.
This action comes after assurances by several elected officials serving at the state level that Governor Brian Kemp’s plans to utilize surface water and the commitment of almost $502 million by the Georgia General Assembly to that cause would protect our precious Floridan aquifer from the poor decisions made by Commissioners in both Bulloch County and Bryan County. The decision to suspend the referendum efforts was based on the belief that no amount of money over the commitment of almost $502 million by the State could get us to surface water any quicker than the Governor’s plan to provide water to the Hyundai Megasite in three years from the Savannah River and two years later from Effingham County at Ebenezer Creek on the Savannah River.
It has been estimated that the costs of moving forward with referendums when filed in the Bulloch County Probate Court would be approximately $300,000:
- $100,000 for the filing and referendum campaign
- $150,000 for a possible Superior Court challenge
- $50,000 for a possible Georgia Supreme Court challenge
There were backers of the referendums who pledged to fund this battle in court who felt the negotiation of the Ogeechee Riverkeepers getting surface water changed from 25 years to 15 years, and later the concession of surface water in five years with almost $502 million in state funding, was a victory in itself. This effectively reduces the risk of withdrawal of millions of gallons of water from the Floridan aquifer.
Many concerned Bulloch County citizens were the catalysts for the fight for the protection of our water, and to educate citizens. Their efforts led many Bulloch County citizens to make the commitment to gather thousands of signatures, educate citizens, and use their voices to bring real change in the fight to protect the Floridan aquifer. The sacrifice of the time and resources of so many will provide great protection for generations to come.
We extend a thank you to all the Bulloch County citizens who supported the referendum efforts by signing the petitions, providing financial support, giving of their time, and placing signs. We especially want to thank those who committed to gathering signatures. The groundswell movement of public support for the citizens of Bulloch County spoke volumes. While we did not stop the wells, the efforts of so many were not in vain, as we made far more progress in protecting our Floridan aquifer than was expected.
The lawyers counseling the petition team with the referendums have been retained for further decisions concerning the four large Hyundai wells.
Lawton Sack, co-founder of BAC, shared: “We are still disappointed in the decision by the previous Bulloch County Board of Commissioners to proceed with making these terrible decisions despite the outcry by citizens. However, we are so thankful that the State of Georgia heard the voices of Bulloch County citizens and acted appropriately when the Board of Commissioners would not. We are staunchly committed to continuing our efforts to echo the voices of citizens and to be a watchdog of our local government.”
Cassandra Mikell, BAC co-founder, stated: “The State of Georgia heard the voices of the Bulloch Countycitizens and saw their dedication to fight for their aquifer. They stepped in to provide a real solution to the problems caused by the Commissioners, whose actions did not match the desire of their constituents. The citizens of Bulloch County deserve to have their ideals represented on the Board of Commissioners. We will work hard to bring continued change locally in 2026 and beyond.”
