Committee reviews 22 easements and three substitutes; members flag private grants for follow-up

State Properties staff presented a package of 22 easement requests and three substitutes to the House Committee on State Institutions and Property, detailing requests that range from utility upgrades to stormwater and road projects across multiple counties.

Marty Smith, who identified himself as the state property officer, introduced the team and said the packet includes divisions responsible for state buildings and construction. He introduced Terry Jones, who the committee was told will serve in a deputy role and who walked members through the list. "We have, 22 easements along with 3 substitutes, to present today," Jones said, and then read the county-by-county requests and the proposed compensation levels.

Examples cited by Jones include a request to grant an easement to Southern Natural Gas Company for 3 acres at Central State Hospital with compensation "no less than $650," a Bartow County easement to the Georgia Department of Transportation (0.6 acres) for a road-improvement project at a stated cost of $23,700, and several easements to utility companies listed at a nominal fee of $10 to serve campus or facility expansions. Jones explained the state's general approach: if an appraisal is done, the state charges the appraised value; otherwise the committee packet lists a fair-market minimum ("no less than $650") and uses nominal fees where the state receives a clear benefit.

Committee members repeatedly asked for more detail when easements were proposed to private entities. A senator pressed for background on "HIC Ultima (LLC)," a private company named in a request for 2.5 acres at the Ultima Plantation Wildlife Management Area. Jones said the easement was "part of the settlement agreement" and that the Department of Natural Resources agreed to provide the easement so the company could perform grading to address flooding that affected its contiguous property.

Members also noted substitutes that included a driveway easement for Atlantic Waste Services at Long State Prison and an easement for electrical service at the proposed Muskogee Ute Detention Center. When asked whether the committee should remove specific items for additional review, staff agreed to "pull them off" and return with more information. The committee excluded the flagged items from action at this meeting and asked State Properties to provide fuller explanations and, where applicable, appraisals or documentation.

With no further business, the committee adjourned.