Appling County OKs $400,000 state loan for Baxley trailer-maker expansion
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Summary
The Appling County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the county to process a $400,000 revolving loan from a state fund for a Baxley trailer manufacturer’s expansion, a project county staff said will add about 15 jobs to a previous commitment of 50.
Appling County commissioners voted to approve a resolution authorizing the county to accept and process a $400,000 loan from the state revolving loan fund to support a manufacturing expansion in Baxley.
County staff said the loan is part of a state program intended to support capital investment and new job creation. The company involved, locally known as Down to Earth, was described in the packet as being purchased in recent years by Bridal Crown Trailers. Staff told the board the applicant previously committed to 50 jobs under an earlier expansion and is seeking an additional 15 jobs tied to this loan.
The development authority and its executive committee have already approved the request; the board was asked to adopt a resolution approving county processing of the state funds and the loan agreement. A county staff presenter explained the loan is state money and not county tax revenue, and described the administrative flow: state → county → development authority → borrower, with repayments routed back through the Heart of Georgia RDC to the county account.
Commissioners asked about terms and risk to county taxpayers. Staff said the county would hold collateral, an assignment of lease, a promissory note and a personal guaranty from the company’s principal, and reiterated that a loss would affect the state funds rather than local tax revenues.
The board made and seconded a motion to approve the resolution and the related loan agreement and voted to adopt it. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or an explicit interest rate; the packet and presentation identified the loan amount as $400,000 and described the larger project as about $10 million.
Why it matters: county officials said the loan supports a locally based manufacturing expansion, and staff emphasized the funds originate with the State of Georgia and are intended for gap financing, real-estate acquisition, and expansion of existing or new businesses.
The county packet and staff presentation contain the loan application and the development authority’s resolution; commissioners did not change the terms during the meeting and directed staff to proceed with the paperwork.