The Hart County Board of Commissioners took two annexation‑related steps during the meeting: it voted to authorize the county administrator to send a letter to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) stating the county’s intent to deny a pending Byersville annexation and to seek arbitration, and commissioners debated (but did not record a final vote on) asking the City of Hartwell to adopt a temporary moratorium on residential annexations to allow talks with the newly seated city council.

On the Byersville matter, Commissioner Brown (S8) moved that the board give the administrator authority to write the DCA a letter "on our intent to deny and seek arbitration," citing concerns about density and strain on services including EMS. County Administrator (S6) confirmed the annexation packet had been on the board’s packet and that the board was approaching the end of the 45‑day review window. The motion to authorize the administrator to send the letter passed by voice vote, 5–0.

Commissioner Dorsey (S5) separately moved that the administrator draft a letter to the City of Hartwell asking it to enact a moratorium on residential annexations at its December meeting so county officials could meet with the new city council and discuss shared concerns. Commissioners debated the request at length. Dorsey framed the request as "a simple courtesy" and said the concern was residential annexations that could increase calls for county EMS and other services. Several commissioners cautioned that the city has its own ordinances and that a moratorium could trigger legal challenges; one commissioner said city residents have the right to seek annexation of their property.

During public comment, Bill Lear (S7)—describing his family’s long ownership of property near Hartwell—urged the county not to block annexation efforts and argued the city should decide whether to accept annexations. He told the board the family had previously sold land to Walmart and said he did not want measures that would reduce property value. The board’s discussion also included repeated concern about EMS staffing, with Commissioner Dorsey saying, "we don't even have enough people to staff our substations," and the county acknowledging the need for additional space to station personnel.

No formal county‑initiated moratorium on annexations was enacted during the meeting; the record shows the Byersville letter was authorized and that the moratorium request remained a debated policy ask rather than a board directive with a recorded vote.

Next steps: administrator to prepare the letter to DCA for the Byersville matter and the board to pursue meetings with the City of Hartwell; the board noted EMS staffing and facility capacity as operational issues to address in future agenda items.