Bullock County withdraws objection after DCA declines arbitration for Statesboro annexation

The Bullock County Board of Commissioners voted 3-1 to approve a resolution formally withdrawing the county’s objection to an intended annexation by the city of Statesboro after the Georgia Department of Community Affairs declined to appoint an arbitration panel.

County Attorney Jeff Akins recommended approval of the resolution, describing the action as a formality because DCA “declined to appoint an arbitration panel in the objection that we filed on Old Register Road.”

Akins told the commission that DCA’s stated reason was that “the application was not complete by the deadline,” and that while the county filed on time, DCA later said required supplemental information arrived after the deadline. He said there is no appeal from DCA’s refusal to appoint an arbitration panel.

The county discussed prior similar experiences, including an earlier Beasley Road matter where a panel was not appointed under DCA’s procedural interpretation. Commissioners asked whether the county had withdrawn objections in prior cases; the discussion noted the record was unclear for one prior filing and that another annexation dispute had been resolved by agreement.

A motion to approve the resolution was made, seconded and carried on a 3-1 vote; the board recorded the outcome as “motion carries.” The vote concluded the county’s formal objection process for the Old Register Road annexation.

The resolution ends the county’s active administrative objection; no appeal was filed after DCA’s refusal and no arbitration panel will be appointed, per statements by the county attorney.

No further action on the annexation was recorded at the meeting.